Can You Save Her, Agent Booth?
by jazzyproz
Summary: Booth receives a disturbing text in the middle of the night aboout Bones - will he be able to find her in time? Or will he lose her forever? Will this guy really kill her, or is it just a bluff? Hard to put into a synopsis, please read!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Can you save her, Agent Booth?

A/N This takes place after Booth gets back from Afghanistan, bringing Hannah with him, and Bones returns from Maluku Islands. Booth does not propose to Hannah in my world.

Reader beware, this is rated M for various reasons. Angst warning, kidnapping and violence follow. But don't worry, there will be a little bit of fluff and likely a fair bit of smut later on in here too... But we have to get thru the tough part first, in order to enjoy the good stuff!

I had requests to continue my first story, 'I love You, Too,' but the conclusion to that one was not coming to me, so I went with this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of the characters within. A couple of Agents, I made up, but they are minor roles. Very minor roles. I do not get any money or good stuff from this - I am just allowing my inner-muse to enjoy some creative writing, which I haven't done for quite a long time. Several years, in fact, and I suddenly realized how much I missed writing. Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't be mean about it, okay?

Can you save her, Agent Booth? 

Booth's peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by the shrill ring of his cell phone receiving a text alert. He woke with a start and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. _What the hell_, he mumbled to himself as he untangled himself from the sheets, reaching for his phone. His digital clock read 3:17 am, and he grimaced, _he had just gotten to sleep less than an hour ago_. He spent most of the night laying awake, playing and replaying in his mind, the conversation he wanted to have with Bones, updating her on the new status of his relationship with Hannah, he was up 'til after 2:00... _Who the hell is texting me at this hour?_ he was trying to get his eyes to focus. His phone screen came to life and his eyes were immediately focused on what he was reading. The message came from Bones' phone, but it definitely wasn't Bones writing it...

_"If you want Dr. Brennan back alive, you will follow my instructions without fail, and without compromise. As long as my list of demands is met, you will get your precious Temperance Brennan back alive. If you fail, she will die. It's very simple Agent Booth. Can you handle that? You have 18 hours from now to complete your task. At 18 hours and 1 minute, don't bother, because she will be dead. Game on, Special Agent Seeley Booth, Game on_." A list of absurd demands followed the message; everything from wired money to amnesty, arranged airfare out of the country and immunity against all back-lash.

Jumping out of bed, he threw on his jeans and t-shirt, grabbing both of his side arms on his way out the door. With lights flashing and sirens blaring, he made his way to Bones' apartment building. He was trying to call her cell with no answer. He tried her land line, again, no answer. As he pulled up to the door and ran in thru the lobby, he ordered the night desk attendant to call the cops, he had it on good authority Dr Brennan had been kidnapped and he was going up there. The young man on duty stared wide-eyed and started dialing. Kidnapped?, he wondered, impossible, I've been here at the desk all evening….

Much to his dismay, Booth found the front door to her apartment broken into, the door remained ajar. He knew there would be no one inside, but he readied his weapon and proceeded with extreme caution.

Switching into sniper-mode, Booth made his way into the apartment silently, gun raised and ready. He glided thru the living room and into the main of the apartment. Furniture was out of place, and from the end of the hall, he saw a faint light coming from Bones' bedroom. Something about the shadows of that light just didn't look right. He stalked down the hall and cringed when he saw her disheveled bed sheets, the night stand and lamp knocked over to it's side, casting an eerie shadow against the wall. Carefully circling the bed, cautious to not disturb anything in this crime scene, Booth's blood ran cold as he saw scarlet droplets on the floorboards leading from her bedside; it could only be one thing, and that brought caused Booth to clench his jaw in fury as he holstered his weapon.

As he turned to leave, his back-up had finally arrived. "No one is here. Get the forensics team in here. There is blood on the floor of Dr. Brennan's bedroom. This furniture is out of place, look for prints; the door was broken, there are fibers embedded in the door jam. I want every inch of this place checked. EVERY INCH. And I want EVERYTHING you find sent over to the Jeffersonian immediately upon retrieval." He barked orders at the assembly of officers. "Find me evidence of who did this. NOW!" No one dared question his authority at this scene; they all knew _where_ they were, they all knew _who he was_ and most of all, they all knew how protective he was on the _occupant of this apartment_. As he made for a swift exit, he turned back to the team, "Anyone who screws this up can figure on a very dull future career of pushing paper in the filing cabinets of the basement storage center, do I make myself clear? I will NOT tolerate inferior investigative methods in this case. Is there ANYONE to whom I am not making myself crystal clear?" He paused a moment, understanding that everyone had acquiesced to his 'method of motivation,' he moved to leave. _He wanted to - he needed to - he would- find Bones._

Flipping open his phone as he headed towards the elevator, he called Hodgins. "Hey - yes, I know exactly what time it is, listen, I need you and Angela to get to the Jeffersonian for some pending evidence that will be making its way there straight away." He was interrupted from his next sentence by a very-furious Hodgins questioning Booth's current state of sanity. Booth just talked over him, "LISTEN, someone has Bones. Someone _took_ Bones. A forensics team is collecting evidence from her apartment as we speak and I need you two there. Like, NOW." This time, he didn't wait for the interruption from Hodgins, he just disconnected. He called Cam and then Sweets, with the same message, repeating the same domineering, yet desperate demand.

As Booth waited for everyone to arrive at the Jeffersonian, he headed into Bones' office. Using his spare key, he let himself into her domain, hoping to find some clue as to what the hell was going on and who the hell may have taken her. Whoever it was knew enough to text Booth. Whoever it was _knew Booth_, he was address by his full title in the text. Whoever it was knew that Booth would do anything to get Bones back safely.

As he stood in the center of her office, Booth inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of her heavenly scent. Her perfume permeated every fabric and surface in this room. A scent he had learned to love over the past 7 years, along with other things about her; his mind went on a momentary hiatus, thinking of her eyes, her smile, her hair. Shaking his head to refocus, he grabbed a bottled water from the mini-fridge by her desk. He berated himself, he could not think about Bones like _that_ until they found her. He had to concentrate, he had to locate whatever clues were there for him to find. His gut told him there would be something.

He searched her desktop, her drawers, coffee table, shelves, files. Everything seemed in order. Everything was as it always was... He eyed her computer. She normally took her laptop home, yet, here it was, closed and standing on end beside her desk. It was her older laptop, not the newer one she usually carried. He picked it up and popped open the screen, punching in her password to gain access. They had long ago shared their passwords with each other, and as her emails started downloading, Booth was thankful that had done so. There, at the top of the inbox, was an email received just moments ago, at 4:23 am. The subject line was what grabbed his attention - "Can you save her Agent Booth?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N What do you think so far? Sorry I didn't put a closing note on the end of the first chapter, I didn't realize I couldn't add it later. So I will do it right this time! On to Chapter 2!

Please read and review!

As he clicked the message to open it, Angela and Jack entered the office, asking simultaneous questions, "What the hell's going on Booth?" and "Booth? Where's Bren, what's happening?" They both froze when they looked at the Agent's paling features, as he stared at the computer screen before him. His jaw clenched and he formed fists with both hands. Hodgins and Angela knew enough to know that anything that would make this stable agent worried must be really bad.

Images of himself and Bones flashed before his eyes.

Himself jogging thru the park in the morning; playing with Parker at the playground; the hallway of his apartment building; his front door... Bones and him sitting at their table at the diner, apparently taken from across the street; Bones at Pilates; Bones entering her apartment building; Bones _sleeping in bed_; _Bones_ _entering her bathroom_. Without even acknowledging Angela and Jack, Booth grabbed his phone and dialed Hacker.

"Yes, sir, I am aware what time it is. Yes, sir, I understand that logically I would wake you up. Sir, I need my son taken into protective custody, now. Only you can order that. I need someone to get collect him from Rebecca's house and keep him safe." Booth gave him a quick synopsis of the early morning's goings-on, before hanging up and dialing Rebecca, telling her a modified version. He gave her clear instructions of who would be picking up Parker and how to contact him. He then disconnected and called the head of the investigating team at Bones' apartment. Informing them of where there may be or may have been, hidden cameras. Finally, he hung up and turned to Hodgins and Angela, who, by then had been joined by Cam, Sweets and Daisy. Then he saw, walking into the lab, Wendell. _How did he know_, Booth thought, then realized, when Cam turned to him and thanked him for coming, she must have called him. "OK, guys, here's the deal..." Booth recounted what had happed thus far, and passed his phone around so they could all read the message received at 3:17 this morning. Angela sat at Brennan's computer, horrified that her best friend had been followed and photographed. But her mind was racing at how she could use these pictures to locate where Bren might be; who could have kidnapped her; what kind of camera was used; what else could she gather from the very small amount of information they had so far... She forwarded everything to her own computer, and darted off towards her own office.

Booth's cell vibrated with an incoming call. Hacker's men had Parker in custody, and he wanted to know where they stood at locating Temperance. Booth was slightly annoyed at Hacker. He knew that Hacker still had feelings for Bones, even though it was clear that she was not interested in a pursuit of a relationship with him. Booth swallowed his emotions and irritation, and told Hacker he would update him when they knew more. Hanging up, he felt better knowing that Parker was safe, but he was no closer to knowing what happened to Bones. _His_ Bones.

Jack immediately ran up to Booth, grabbed the cell phone from his hands and turned back toward Angela's office, "Angie needs your phone!" he tossed over his receding shoulder. Booth followed to find the entire squint-squad there, save for Cam.

"The text came from Brennan's phone. If I can triangulate the waves, we may be able to see where the phone was when the message was sent. It will at least give us a starting point."

"Booth," Cam called his name. He realized he had gone deep in thought. "The FBI forensics team is here with the evidence from Dr. Brennan's apartment. The team lead needs to see you, to sign over the data and material."

"Right. OK. Ange, please keep me looped in on ANYTHING that you get." He was out the door, heading towards the double doors at the main of the lab.

"Agent Booth," the man spoke with an outstretched hand, "I'm Walker, team lead on this investigation. We recovered as much as we could from the crime scene and need your signature to turn it all over to your team here. You'll find the blood, lint, bits of sand and dirt that looked out of place, a whole collection of what we hope will point you and your folks in the right direction." Booth took the outstretched clip board and signed, as Cam took control of the cart carrying countless evidence bags. Walker spoke a bit quieter to Booth, "Sir, there's something else. Something more. In our search, we found this, it looks like it spilled from her night stand drawer when the stand was knocked over," he handed Booth a leather-bound journal, with the initials TB embroidered on the cover. "Sir, normally it would be grouped in with the rest of the evidence, but I thought you should get this one. There's an entry in there from tonight, well, last night, that you'll want to read. I am signing this over to you, specifically."

"Thanks, Walker. Good job. You and your team."

"You bet, boss. And hey, for what it's worth, I hope all goes well. We all know how much she means to you. I mean, it all can't be rumor, right? Forgive me if I am stepping over my boundaries in saying so, sir, but we all hope it turns out fine."

Booth simply nodded in response and dismissed Walker, as he headed back towards Angela's office, calling out for Hodgins.

"Hey Bug-man! There's a bunch of particulates and stuff out here for you." Hodgins rushed out into the lab so fast, he collided with Booth. "Sorry, man, but I'll get on it all right away."

Booth sat down on Angela's sofa, while she was at her desk, and he traced Bones' initials on the front cover of the journal. He hadn't known that Bones kept a journal. Of course it made sense, she was a famous writer, what writer didn't keep a journal? But he had never seen it before. He opened it to the last entry, dated last night. In Bones' immaculate handwriting, he read:

_"Something's off. My apartment just doesn't feel right. Everything is here, nothing is missing that I see. My mind is fuzzy. My furniture seems somehow, out of place. But it's not, not really. Something just seems askew. Pushed back somehow, maybe? I want to call Booth, but I don't dare. Seems that whenever I call anymore, Hannah gets mad and starts fighting with Booth over my calling. I don't want to be the reason he gets yelled at. And at this late hour, I know she wouldn't appreciate it. But something in my being is telling me that I should call him. I can't explain it; I don't have any tangible reason to call him. Strange, maybe working with Booth for so long, his 'gut feelings' are starting to wear off on me. No... No way. He would laugh if I told him that. Maybe my perception is just off due to the extra glasses of wine at Founding Fathers tonight. I enjoyed the evening at the bar. It was almost like old times. Booth actually seemed relaxed… much more than he has in the past 6 months. His eyes, they actually smiled when his mouth did. His lovely smile. OK, so men don't have 'lovely' smiles, but he does, doesn't he! Anyway, Booth offered to drive me home. I should have let him. No, that would not have been right. He had to get home to Hannah. She would have been waiting up for him, and it was getting late. And besides, if he came up, we'd just end up watching late night TV and drinking more. Maybe… like we used to… God, I miss that. He used to be here all the time. Or I'd be over at his place… Before… Before I screwed it all up… I'll sleep on it. In the morning, with fresh eyes, I will likely find that all is as it should be. If not, I will talk to Booth when he picks me up for breakfast." _

_ 11:45 pm TB_

Booth read and reread the entry. She was afraid to call him. He hadn't told her yet. He hadn't known how to approach the topic that he had kicked Hannah out of the apartment 2 days ago. He hadn't taken the chance at Founding Fathers last night to tell her, like he planned. He chickened out. _Dammit Booth!_ He hadn't squared things up with her and told her he could not, would not, ever be able to move on without her. Hannah was not the right person for him. He knew that. Hell Hannah knew it. Bones was the whole reason he was kicking her out, and Hannah knew it. _Dammit, you idiot! _

_OK, focus_, he told himself. Someone had been in Bones' apartment prior to her return from the celebratory drinks at Founding Fathers. Someone who knew they would have time, since it was the end of a case, they would be out for most of the evening. That would give the intruder plenty of time in her apartment. She said her furniture looked off - pushed back. Moved – why? Why does someone move furniture back, but keep the same semblance? Someone knew they would need extra space thru the main artery of the apartment - went in and carefully compressed the sitting arrangements, to widen the walk-way. This was someone who planned ahead. Way ahead. This guy was going to be a challenge.

His mental analysis was interrupted but a receiving text alert on his phone. Angela looked over to him as he quickly stood from her sofa and approached her desk. He clicked to receive and was horrified at what he saw.

postscript A/N

So? Is it going OK so far? I am trying to keep in character as much as possible, but of course, I am taking some creative license privileges since we've not seen anything quite like this in the show. I hope you all like it. You know how you can let me know…. Right? That little link right below…. Review, please!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N OK, so, here we are at Chapter 3! Do you guys like it so far? I hope the details are not too meticulous. I just want to try to paint the scenes as I see them in my head. Sometimes I try to imagine the shots happening on the TV, and want to try to relate that to you all as well. I hope you are still enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones or the characters. But I am sure having fun putting them into a new scenario! Thanks HH for developing such great characters!

_End of chapter 2: His mental analysis was interrupted but a receiving text alert on his phone. Angela looked over to him as he quickly stood from her sofa and approached her desk. He clicked to receive and was horrified at what he saw. _

There, on his tiny phone screen, were 3 pictures,

Pictures of Bones.

A tortured Bones.

His stomach churned as he sank to the floor, resting on his knees, clutching the phone in front of his eyes.

"What is it, Booth?" Angela asked. Again, she knew to make this guy crack, it had to be bad. "I'm running a scan of origin, Booth, don't close out of the message. Is it from Bren?" She already knew the answer.

Without speaking, he could not find his voice, he handed the phone to his friend.

She gasped at what she saw, instantly her tears welled up, filling her vision.

3 pictures.

3 terrifying pictures.

1. Brennan's face, her beautiful ivory-skinned face, beaten black and blue, her bottom lip slip and bleeding. Her eyes were blindfolded and her mouth was gagged.

2. Brennan's naked body, lying face down on a dingy looking mattress. Covering her back, shoulders, and legs, were injuries - lashes and cuts - obvious injuries resulting from being flogged by a whip or similar object. Repeatedly. Her arms were tied above her head and her legs pulled down straight, all seemed secured by what appeared to be heavy nylon rope.

3. The bottoms of her feet -sliced open and caked with blood. Meant to stop her from running, should she manage to free herself from her bindings. Booth knew this injury all too well. He experienced it when he was a POW. It was an effective method to stop one from running away. There was an excessive amount of blood pooled at Bones' left ankle. Her Achilles tendon? he wondered. Had this bastard clipped her tendon as well? Animal.

A moment later, another text arrived. "Can you save her Seeley Booth? Can you be her FBI knight in shining armor? She's a lovely thing, would be a real shame to lose this one."

Frantically, Booth was out in the main of the lab, demanding updates from the Squints. "I need answers _NOW!_ We're losing precious time here, people! What have you got for me?"

Hodgins was the first to answer, "So far, all I know is that the sand and dirt particulates _are not_ from the DC area. So wherever it came from, it was brought in on someone other than Dr. B, because unless you know something I don't, Dr. B hasn't been out of town for a while."

"Find out where it _IS_ from Hodgins. Knowing where it isn't from does not help me or her, you know." Booth was short, but Hodgins understood his angst, and took no offence. He would react the same way if Angie had been taken.

Cam came from her office, "the blood from Dr. Brennan's room is definitely hers, but there are no other traces of anyone else, so we have no other DNA. I was hoping that she had nailed the attacker enough to leave some of his or her blood, but no go as yet."

Sweets was busy reviewing old case files that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth worked; anything with kidnapping associations, similar torture scenarios, anything that would fit into the profile. But with so many successfully closed cases over a 7 year span, it was proving to be a very slow process. Much too slow for Sweets' likes and he knew it would be much too slow for Booth's as well.

"So basically, we're no closer to knowing anything, is that what you're all telling me?" His nerves were frayed and he was snapping at the very people who were helping him. At the very people who Bones called family. It was not fair to them, but he was about to lose control.

Cam walked to Booth, and placed her hand on his bicep, and eyed him carefully. "Seeley, we are all doing as much as we can right now. We all love Dr. Brennan; we all love you; and we will continue to do the best we can, you do know that, right?"

"I know, Cam, I just... I just hate not knowing where she is. I hate knowing that I am not there to protect her. I am her PARTNER, for Christ's sake, and that is what I am _supposed_ to do, and I _can't protect_ her as long as I can't _get_ to her..." He was near frantic. "Cam, you haven't seen the newest pictures yet - - Go see Angela, but be prepared." With that, Cam turned on her heel and trotted into Angela's office, and Booth heard her gasping cry from across the lab.

Hodgins broke into Booth's thoughts, "The computers are running the data on the particulates and the fibers found at the door jam. We have to let it render for now, man, sorry it's not instantaneous." Hodgins paused, studying Booth's desperate and almost defeated expression as he stared at nothing. "Hey, Angie showed me the texts. I just wanna say, you know, that I'm sorry. I am sorry for Dr. B and I am sorry that you're here and not there. I am not as loquacious as some, but I promise that I will not stop till I have answers for you."

"Thanks, Hodgins. Thanks"

"BOOOOOOTH!" Angela's cry echoed across the expanse of the lab. "BOOTH!"

Breathless, he was there is seconds. "What? What?"

"That last text was sent from Maryland. Somewhere in or near Montgomery County. I don't have a better pin point yet, but it's a start and it's the only start we have so far."

"Hodgins," Cam spoke to him, "run the particulates within the parameters of Maryland soil composition, with a focus on Montgomery County and its immediate surroundings."

"Already on it"

Just then, another text came thru.

"52128270117116"

"What the hell?" Booth just stared at it. "What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

Wendell immediately started copying the string of numbers down, "I'll run these thru the crypto-coder program and see what we can learn," he spoke as he exited Angela's office.

As the sun was rising higher in the sky, light filtered in thru the lab's sky lights, reminding them all that the stop clock was unwinding. Booth determined that he couldn't stay there any longer. He was heading back to Bones' apartment to have another look around. There may be something the others missed. He knew her apartment better than anyone else there, and he would know if something else was wrong.

_She should have called me. I can't believe she didn't call me last night. Why the hell didn't I tell her? What the hell was I waiting for? Had I told her, we may not be in this situation. Bones would be safe by his side, because he would have been with her last night when all this happened. The conversation would have gone late into the night. He knew it. She should be here beside him. In the passenger seat, that is where she belongs._

He mentally berated himself the whole way over to Bones' place.

_How the hell did the perp get in? He was obviously in the apartment before she got home. He moved the furniture. He had set up cameras in her place. But she would have noticed the broken-down door. So, how did he get in the first time? And why the change of entry MO? Or did he lay in hiding in the apartment, waiting for the opportune time to strike? No, he can't imagine, he doesn't want to imagine, someone in the apartment with his Partner. While she prepared for sleep. No way, besides, this guy was too careful, too planned, he wouldn't have risked being found out. No, he broke INTO her apartment to take her, he didn't break OUT of her apartment… _

_The night chain... Bones had the night chain on while she was sleeping. Of course, it wouldn't be on during the day. He was here during the work day. He knew her schedule; hell, he knew they went for drinks after the close of a case... He had it all figured out - all the time in the world. Someone must have seen him enter the building. The doorman, the front desk clerk. Someone saw something. _

Booth questioned the doormen, as well as the front desk staff; all of whom had been questioned earlier, but complied for the Agent; they were all very fond of Dr. Brennan. The elevator cameras showed no one coming or going to her penthouse floor. The locals were suspecting an inside job - a fellow resident, disgruntled or jealous neighbor. Booth's gut, however, told him otherwise. And Booth tended to listen to his gut before random speculation made by local law enforcement or rookie FBI agents.

_So, the asshole entered her place via another avenue. The back door to her apartment building was secured and set to alarm if opened, so he didn't gain entry there. Windows were closed and locked from the inside, the fire escape outside her living room window obviously unused. _

_The roof. There's roof access from the stairwell at the end of the hallway. It should be locked, but it's not alarmed._ Booth took off up the stairwell, taking 2 steps at a time. He pushed the roof access door open with ease. _No locks at all... Where the hell were the locks? _

Booth walked outside in the early morning light, reflecting from the roof, it blinded him, just slightly, until his eyes adjusted. He stepped carefully around; scanning the surface for anything that would indicate someone had been up here. Then he spotted it... a droplet of, what, blood? Then another. Over at the East side of the building's roof, he saw something else. Something that definitely didn't belong on the roof... Bones' writing laptop. The one she used for her novels. It was always one of 3 places – at her bedside, on her desk in the home office or on the couch... Yet, here it was, standing up on end, just beside the air cooling unit.

Looking around, cautiously, he took out his handkerchief to grab the computer. Before opening it, he thought better. He called for backup and a bomb detection unit. Then he called Walker back. He wanted the team back out there to search the stairwell and rooftop. _How did this go undetected by the team? Who the hell just ignores other entry points? Better yet, he wants the squints. He doesn't want the FBI forensics team. They screwed up already, he was calling the shots and this time he wants Hodgins and Wendell. _He called Cam and she immediately dispatched the requested men. His hunch told him they would find more.

He wanted to open the laptop, but since it was purposely left there, he was at extreme unease, so he waited_, impatiently_, for the bomb squad. While he waited, in order to keep from going out of his mind, he began exploring the rooftop further. Soon he was joined by his friends from the Jeffersonian. He instructed Wendell and Hodgins to leave the laptop for now, and they all went different directions.

Hodgins was collecting blood samples, and dirt particles. Wendell was snapping photos of everything. _Everything_. As Booth walked back towards the computer, a glint caught his eye, over against the edge of the roof. Quickly making his way across, careful to not step on anything that looked like it could develop into evidence, he saw a very familiar object; as if the computer couldn't do it, this undeniably linked Bones to this rooftop. The dolphin necklace he had given her for Christmas a couple years ago lay puddled against the edge of the rooftop edge. She had been wearing it, apparently, at the time she was abducted. He hadn't noticed her wearing it for a long time. He figured she didn't like it, or, more likely, just didn't want to wear it because he had been an ass while he was with Hannah. But she was obviously still wearing it, but perhaps under her blouse. His stomach hurt. Using his handkerchief, he picked it up after having Wendell snap a couple of photos, and placed it in an evidence bag he produced from his pocket.

He was then joined by the leader of the bomb detection unit, who ordered all 3 men off the roof, while they tested the item. They waited in the stairwell and were soon joined by the FBI forensics team working their way up the stairs. They tried to push their way up to Booth, past Hodgins and Wendell, dismissing the scientists as if they were simply in the way.

"Hey - Yo, man, what the hell? You guys don't really think that we're going to let you up there to screw everything else up, before we go up again, do you? O-Hell-no, that ain't happening." Hodgins was barking at Walker, pushing back thru the officers, and following the much larger man up the stairs towards an impatiently waiting Booth.

Walker simply rolled his eyes and looked to Booth, expecting to get the Agent's full support, being a "brother in arms" and all. But much to Walker's dismay, Booth looked coldly at him, and told him that from then on, any forensic collection investigation in this case was going to be monitored by Dr. Jack Hodgins and Wendell Bray, and that Walker's men were to report directly to them. And no one was to enter the roof until Hodgins approved. Walker stared coldly at Booth, feeling betrayed. A silent nod of appreciation was directed to Booth from Hodgins. There was a time that Booth hated working with the Jeffersonian team, but he really did respect them now, and claimed them as his own.

"All clear on the roof, Agent Booth!" was echoed down the stairwell from the upstairs doorway. Booth took off, leading the pack, bounding up the stairs, eagerly wanting to reach the computer that was sure to hold a clue.

Waiting for the laptop to boost, Booth could hear Jack barking orders of where to or not to walk, what to or not to collect, etc; clearly, the genius was enjoying his little power-trip, and despite the desperation of the situation, Booth found that slightly amusing.

Finally the monitor sprung to life, and Booth nearly froze when he saw the desktop. Hesitantly, he clicked and opened the word document located in the center of the monitor, simply labeled "Agent Booth".

Postscript

A/N OK, so, is it still exciting? I could feel my pulse quicken as I wrote it…. Any good? Please review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Welcome back! Welcome to Chapter 4 of "Can You save Her, Agent Booth." I hope that you are enjoying it, and I want to say Thank You to so many people who have already sent me messages and suggestions. Much of my rough draft is already done, but I can see that I will be re-writing a bit this week!

Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it; I still don't own any part of Bones. However, I am forever indebted to HH for creating such delicious characters with whom to get lost in dreams.

After what felt like hours, document finally loaded.

_"Well, well, my dear Agent Booth. How long did it take for you to find this? How many hours have lapsed since your beloved partner has been gracing my presence? Were our situations different, you know, I would have loved to have joined you and your beautiful partner for a drink somewhere, probably at the Founding Fathers... Vodka, maybe, or a White Russian…? I respect you, your work ethics, your tenacity; but I just despise __you__, and that is a much more powerful feeling than the respect I have for you. I've been cooking up this plan for quite some time now. Originally, as you may have figured out, I was planning to take Parker. _

_Yes, I know all there is about your little boy. Where and when he goes to school; his sports; his park play-time; when he's with you and when he's with Rebecca and when he's simply with the baby-sitter. I know all about him. I know that he goes to bed no later than 7:30 when he's with his mom, but you let him stay up much later... almost 9:00 most weekends. Always the rebel, aren't you... " _

Booth's jaw tightened at the idea that this bastard knew so much about his son and their routines. He continued reading.

_"But, when I learned of your 'working' relationship you have with the breathtakingly beautiful anthropologist/author chic, well, that just peaked my interest... You obviously have strong feelings for her. No other 'partner' would show up, bearing take-out Chinese at midnight (especially when there was a lovely blond back at home, waiting in bed...); No other would request his 'working partner' to be present at his emergency brain surgery; You've taken bullets for her - hell, she even shot you herself, yet you hold no grudge against her. You still defend her around the water cooler at the office, don't you, Seeley? Yes, you are enamored by the famous Dr. Temperance Brennan. _

_And although she won't admit it, I know she's in love with you too. I've seen her look at you. I've seen the way she watches you mingle with all your friends over at The Founding Fathers - celebrating after you've solved a case... I saw how she sat at your bedside every single day while you were in your coma. She told you a story, I believe. Then you had the nerve to forget who she was when you woke up. I saw the hurt in her eyes when she realized you might never know her like you one did... I saw how devastated she was when she met your current girlfriend (if you can call her that...) I see the longing in her glances at you, when you are with Hannah. Don't you see it? Are you that blind, Booth? Shame on you..._

_But I digress. My apologies, Booth, I know your time is precious. I want you to know that while you desperately try to find out where she is, and you're not working to meet my ransom needs if you're working on finding her, I will be taking little pieces of her dignity away every hour... Not sure if she's into whips and gags, but we will soon find out, won't we... That frightened little girl that was in the State System is about to come out in her again... That little girl that was locked in the trunk of a car for breaking a dish... We're going to revisit that inner child. Shame you won't be there to try to help her thru it..._

_Don't test me on this. Just meet my demands and she will be returned to you alive. Not necessarily unharmed, but at least she will be alive._

_You thought it was tough helping her break down her barriers and fears over the past 7 years? Just wait till you have to get her thru this. _

_You were trained to handle torture, Special Agent Seeley Booth... She was not. _

_Think on that, Booth"_

_**конец**___

Booth was physically shaking as he finished these last sentences. His Bones, was in fact, being tortured. Yes, he was trained for it, and it was still hell on earth for him when he went thru it. What in God's name would she do? He sent up a silent prayer to a God in whom he had faith and of whom Bones refused to acknowledge the existence, asking for mercy and guidance and strength. And a little prematurely, he asked for forgiveness, because he was going break one of the Commandments today – he was going to kill someone.

He picked up his cell. The Crypto-coder that Wendell had programmed with the string of numbers had come up empty. Angela had been keeping an eye on its progress. No known phone numbers, social security numbers, latitude/ longitude coordinates, case numbers, etc.

Hodgins was at Booth's side, hoping for an update on the mysterious message, and was just as disgruntled to learn they were no closer to that solution. He and Wendell were heading back to the lab with various findings, and he had left Walker's team with instructions on how to handle further findings.

Booth agreed to meet back at the lab. He was heading to his office to talk to Cullen and Hacker with the very little bit up updated info. He sent the laptop with Hodgins, so Angie could have her stab at it, maybe perform some of her Angela-magic... pull DNA, prints, anything... although Booth already knew they would find nothing on it.

He arrived at his office and was greeted by a rookie from the bullpen. "Agent Booth, a package was left for you by courier; it's on your desk." Booth said nothing to the man, but proceeded to his office and shut the door.

He stared at the manila envelope. After donning gloves and clearing his work space, he spilled its contents onto the desk.

He caught his breath. A groan escaped his throat.

Bones' earring, complete with blood and tissue;

Locks of Bones' auburn hair;

Bones' night shirt;

Bones' panties.

The bastard. The sonofabitch. When Booth found this guy, he was going to kill him with his bear hands. _This was way over that line. This guy is gonna wish he was never born. Wish he never laid eyes on me or my partner. Will beg for mercy and plead for his life as it is whittled away little by little._

He was trembling with anger when Cullen knocked on the door and entered without invitation. Knocking was really just a formality, anyway. He stood opposite his top agent, and stared at the collection laid out. Hacker joined them a moment later - shocked at what he saw, he looked up and locked into Booth's eyes. His cold, angered, blood-thirsty eyes sent shivers down Hacker's back and caused his hair to stand on end. He took in Booth's stance, his fury blazing, his sniper senses in full gear. It was a look on which Hacker hoped he would never be on the receiving end.

Cullen broke the silence, instructing Booth to take the contents to the FBI lab. "Bullshit, Cullen, all this is going with me back to the lab at the Jeffersonian." It was not an invitation to discuss the matter. It was final.

"Agent Booth," Hacker broke in, "Cullen is your superior and you will abide by what he's just ordered you to do." Cullen pulled back on Hacker's arm, "It's OK, Hacker, Booth is probably right; they can do a better job at the Jeffersonian with this, anyway."

It was nearly 11:00 am. Bones had been missing for 8 hours, assuming she was actually taken just prior to the first text message. They had just 10 hours left to locate the woman he had been in love with for 7 years.

Cullen and Hacker just stared at one another as Booth left the room, without saying a word, taking the evidence with him. "He's too close to this, Cullen. We need to pull him back. He's in too deep." Hacker stated, matter-of-factly.

"There'll be no pulling him off this case, Hacker. If we pull him, he will go rogue on us, taking the Jeffersonian team with him. He won't back down when it comes to Dr. Brennan; you know that as well as I. Doesn't matter what we direct him to do, he is going to do his Booth-thing and take this guy out." Cullen didn't really want Booth off the case, anyway. He had a soft spot for Dr. Brennan, and although he knew Hacker had a soft spot for her in other ways, he wanted to make sure the best man for the job was actually on the job - and he was. There was no better man suited for the job of locating Temperance Brennan than Seeley Booth.

Disgruntled, Hacker sighed in agreement, feeling useless and pissed that he had not been able to break down Tempe's walls the way Booth had been able to. She was so much more at ease with him that she was with anyone. And on the few dates he had actually managed to take her out on, all she did was talk about Booth... Instead of opening her heart to him, a man who was willing to actually share his feelings with her, care for her, treat her well, give her the world, she preferred, instead to stay loyal to her partner - a man who had yet to truly openly admit to loving her, although everyone knew Booth did in fact love Brennan. And deep down, as much as he really hated it to admit it, Hacker knew she reciprocated that feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Wow, can I say THANK YOU to the flood of messages I have received in my inbox? You have all been so gracious with your thoughts, ideas and comments. Thank you, Thank you. I have had a couple of people ask me about Brennan's point of view, and though that idea deviated from what I had originally planned and plotted, I really like the suggestions, so thank you! And here you go… A bit from Brennan…

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own any part of Bones. I don't get anything out of this except for the cathartic experience of a bit of free-writing.

Still Rated M, so you've been warned…

Her apartment was completely dark; she tried to clear her groggy mind, unable to focus on what had woken her from what seemed to have been a pleasant sleep, filled with visions of her partner.

_I shouldn't have had that extra glass of wine tonight_, she thought to herself. _But it really turned out to be a good evening… _

She couldn't hear anything once she was awake. Obviously, she must have been dreaming, she rationalized. She thought about untangling herself from her top sheet, but instead, she just stared at the ceiling, and allowed her mind to wander.

It was 1:25 am. Strictly on instinct, she grabbed her cell phone from her night stand, flipped it on and scrolled to Speed Dial #1. Then, she froze. _What the hell am I doing? I can't call Booth at this hour. Not anymore… _She shook her head, despite herself, shocked that she almost reverted to such an old habit; one which she hadn't done in over a year. There was a time that she could call Booth at any hour, and she often did, if she woke up in the middle of the night. He never minded, and he _always_ talked her down from her startled high. His voice always brought her a sense of calm.

In her mind's eye, she revisited the evening they shared last night at The Founding Fathers. Everyone was in a great mood after such a successful closing of a very difficult case. The whole team was there - toasting, laughing, joking, and simply enjoying each other. Everyone had a really good time, and as the group started to break up, Booth reached out to Brennan's hand and asked if she would stay a little longer… just another drink, he had said, just a little longer… So, she had stayed with him, pleasantly surprised that he had asked. It was the first time they had really spent any private time together, not that The Founding Fathers afforded much privacy, but it was time together, for the just two of them.

Their evening turned out very enjoyable, much like old times_. Just like before… well, before I screwed up, basically, _she somberly thought_. Booth was very happy last night. He was in a really good mood… He must be very content with Hannah. _Sadness overcame her pleasant memories of their final drinks of the night. _He deserves to be happy, more than anyone I know; I wish I was the one making him happy, but that opportunity is long gone. What is that saying that Angela says? About Mr. Opportunity knocking and not letting the window close…? Oh, I don't know, I just know that I lost my chance with Booth, and I just have to accept that. It was my own fault. He put his heart out there on offer to me, and I stomped all over it, metaphorically speaking, of course…_ Her eyes filled with tears that she often refused to allow to surface, but tonight, there was no stopping them.

Then, she heard it - a loud crash from the entry area of her apartment. Momentary disorientation set in just before panic. It was her front door. That was the sound of wood splintering... As she scrambled to try to remove herself from her tangle of sheets, she saw a shadow overtake her bedroom door. She reached for the night stand lamp and flicked it on just a split second before her whole world went black.

Pain. Searing pain in her head. The back of her head, just above her neck. She was certain she had been concussed, and she was gagged. She tried to roll over to her back when she realized she was immobilized. Her shoulders ached and she could not pull her arms down to her side. Turning her head, she looked around and up at her arms, which were suspended above her head, straight out, and secured to a metal loop attached to a rough-finished stone wall. She shivered. It was then that she realized she had no clothes on.

Panic set in. Proper panic, nearly bringing on an attack. She was naked and tied to a disgusting, filthy, piss-poor excuse of a mattress. Her legs were immobilized as well, but she was unable to roll enough to look down at her legs. She was on her stomach, and feeling **way** too vulnerable. Tears threatened to escape from behind her lids. _No, No, No. You will NOT start to fall apart now, Brennan,_ she talked to herself inside her head. _You will remain strong and get thru this. Now, look around and see what your surroundings are. THINK damn you, think!_ _What would Booth tell you to do? Stay calm and think!_

She tried to take a mental inventory of her body. There were aches and pains that she didn't recollect receiving_. My back, Oh my God, my back hurts. But what it is? It's not bruising. It's not muscular, is it? No, it's worse. It's more like a burning sensation. What the hell happened to my back?_

_And OK, so my feet are tied, so that would explain the numbness I feel, I think… No, wait, it's not that they're numb, it's different. They're stinging. And I can't move my left foot, but there doesn't feel like anything is broken. My feet are secured, but straight down, ankles together. That's one good thing, right? _

_OK, Think, Brennan. You need to remember what happened. What was the last thing you remember?_

_I woke up; I was in my room, thinking about the team at Founding Fathers, and about spending extra time with Booth. Booth. I was thinking about Booth. Did someone take him as well? Is he here with me? If someone got me, maybe they went for him as well. _

"B-Booth? Booth? Are you here? Hello?" Brennan's voice was hoarse and soft. And her calls went unanswered. She wished he were here with her. He would be able to help her thru this…

_OK, so I was in my bed and I heard a noise. Yes, I heard a noise and then… then there was just darkness. What the hell is happening to me…? Why aren't my thoughts complete? What's wrong with my brain? _

She tried to survey the room she was in, but her eyes were just not focusing. And poor lighting, it was quite dark… As she tried to roll her head to look the other direction, she heard heavy footsteps echoing. They sounded like they were coming down a stairwell. But she could not see anything. There was nothing but rough-finished stone walls around her. She felt anxiety building in her chest. Not knowing what was going on was causing her brain to go into overdrive, conjuring up visions of what might happen, trying to figure out what did happen, and trying to weigh all the in-betweens.

The footsteps stopped. She felt a presence down by her feet. "Well, good morning, Dr. Brennan, how nice that you would join me." His voice was scathing and dripping with hatred, but it was a voice that Brennan did not recognize. It made her cringe. "You are probably a bit disoriented, and that is to be expected, what with that nasty bump you sustained on your head and the little shot of Benzodiazepine that you were injected with, well, let's just say a combination like that tends to cause a bit of fuzziness, hmm?" It was a rhetorical question that didn't warrant a response, and Brennan bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming against the gag.

The belittling voice continued, "You will be happy to know that your dear partner has been informed of your unfortunate _situation_. Now, if he can manage to get me what I want, I will give him what he wants… That's you, you know. He wants you. But if he doesn't do as I insist, well, then, that would be most unfavorable for you. And for him, I suppose, because I will simply bring your precious life to an end.

"You are surprisingly strong for a little lady, you know… Must be all those Pilates classes and yoga crap you do... But you were still no match for me, now were you, hmm? No match indeed… So, tell me, Dr. Temperance Brennan, how is it that you, a beautiful, sexy, famous author and world-renowned forensic anthropologist, goes home to an empty bed every night? Why is it, that it was so very easy for me to abduct you from the safety of your own home? Within the four walls where you should have been perfectly _impervious_, I managed to waltz my way into your bedroom and carry you away… No one there to protect you, what a shame…

"Well, you should know that I don't really have ill feelings towards you, specifically. In fact, I hold nothing against you at all. You and I have never met. We have seen each other, of that you can be certain, because I made sure to find myself at most of your local hangouts… But the real reason you are here, is for my own vengeful retaliation against your brave Agent Booth. I know the best way for me to be able to torture him, would be to torture those he truly loves… So, tonight, you're it, Temperance. _You_ are my tool against Seeley Booth, and you will not have fun, I promise.

"Do you think he can save you? Do you think he _wants_ to save you? We'll see just how much he really does love you. Or will he abandon you, just like everyone else in your life? That would be the easiest thing for him to do. Simply forget about you and move on with his life. But of course, if he doesn't come thru for you, then the next time, he will be searching for his little boy… Parker is a cute kid, and I don't usually bother with taking kids – they cry too much, whine, and make messes – but in Booth's case I would make the exception. I would quite enjoy seeing him squirm, knowing that his little boy might not be coming home that night…

But, I apologize; I have gotten myself side-tracked… It's a shame you were not awake for the first course, but believe me, I will be sure you will be awake for the duration of your stay here with me."

With that final statement, Brennan suddenly was being blind-folded. Her world went black for a second time this evening. Except this time, she was awake for it. She was awake for the sounds, the smells, the pain. She was awake for the pain and nothing kept her from crying out. No amount of will-power was strong enough to hold in the yelps and wails, as they muffled thru the gag in her mouth.

_Booth, where are you? Booth, come and get me, please. Why is this happening?_ And with that final thought dancing through her brain, she finally, and thankfully, passed out.

A/N post script

There you have it, the first glimpse from Brennan's POV. I foresee further insight from this angle as well, in the near future, so again, thank you for the suggestions!

I hope you're still enjoying the story, and hopefully you're not finding it boring! Please review and let me know! Thanks again!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Hello again! I hope you all were OK with the Brennan POV on the last chapter!

We're in for a surprise on this chapter… a suggestion that Hodgins makes may turn out to save the day! Read on please….!

Disclaimer: While I sure wish I was creative enough to have come up with these characters on my own… I didn't! I do not own any part of BONES or the characters.

Back at the lab, the word document addressed to Booth was being scrutinized by Sweets, looking for hidden messages buried between the lines, inside the phrases, cloaked within the verbiage. In Angela's office, the laptop itself was being tested for everything and anything that could give the team an edge. Meanwhile, Hodgins was working to analyze the evidence he brought back from the roof, and compare it to the results he already had from the rendering of the earlier evidence from Dr. Brennan's apartment.

"Booth, I am finding mixed results so far, on the particulates. I am finding that, yes, there are samples of dirt that do, in fact, agree with Angie's assumptions of Maryland. But, the problem is, I am also finding traces of dirt that are not found _anywhere_ on the East Coast. It doesn't make sense, man… The dirt from Dr. B's apartment and some of the same trace particle samples from the roof, all point towards someplace further away, but I have YET to be able to get a better handle on the origins."

"Ok, Hodgins, thanks. Keep me posted on anything new, K?" Booth acknowledged the scientist, as he started to walk towards Angela's office.

"Wait, um, Booth. Hang on a sec… I have something to suggest to you. But I don't think you're going to like it. But first, promise to hear me out before you just, I don't know, storm off or hit me or whatever. OK? Hear me out." He eyed Booth, waiting for his affirmative nod before he began. "Ok, well, I think-"

They were interrupted by a new message coming in on Booth's phone. Running into Angela's office, so she could hone in on the signal as it was received, they all gathered around, expecting it to be something to be read. Instead, they were surprised to find it to be a sound bite. A 30-second recording that wrenched Booth's heart, brought tears to her best friend and caused Hodgins' stomach to lurch.

It was Bones. Crying. Screaming. Begging for mercy and asking 'why?' All this as the unmistakable crack of a whip making contact with skin mixed with her terror. "Booth… Booth, please, come help me. Please Booth, I can't do this alone…" Spoken through sobs, everyone could hear the desperation in her voice. The vulnerability. The horror. She was pleading. It was terrifying. Then there was nothing. Silence. The excerpt ended as abruptly as it started.

The team stood in a semi-circle, staring at the phone in disbelief. Horrified, no one could speak. No one could move. The three didn't realize they had been joined by Cam and Sweets.

Booth hadn't realized just how close to losing he had gotten until Sweets laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer support. In that instant, Booth's instincts took over and he turned around, swinging. With lightning fast reaction that he didn't know he possessed, Sweets ducked the blow, thankful that he had accurately read the Agent's muscled shoulder as it tensed just split seconds before he turned.

Subconsciously, Booth realized what he was doing, and he slowed his body, pulling his arm back towards himself, but unable to stop the turning momentum that had already started. He stopped, grabbed the younger man's arms and helped him back to his feet. "God, man, I'm sorry, Sweets, I don't – I don't know what just happened…" Booth's voice trailed off.

"It's a natural reaction, for you I am sure, Agent Booth, to lash out when threatened. And when Dr. Brennan is threatened, so are you. It was my fault for invading your personal space. Sorry about that." Sweets took the blame himself, in order to diffuse a possible situation, but Booth was having none of that.

"No, Sweets, that was not only an unprofessional reaction, but one that was not acceptable among friends. It was my fault; I didn't mean it, Sweets." Booth scrubbed his palm over his exhausted face, feeling the stress of not just this situation setting in, but that of the last several days. He'd been not sleeping at night, thinking about the Hannah break-up, as well as his deep desire to open back up to Bones; the lack of sleep was catching up with him. The extra drinks he had the other night when he was with Bones didn't help his sleep deprivation either…_And_ they had only made it impossible for him to talk to her.

Cam interjected into the awkward silence that fell upon the room after the exchange between the two men. "Angela, can you run the recording thru the Angelator and try to dissect out the recording? See what layers are in there, see if there is anything we can discern from any background sounds, echoes, whatever?"

"Cam, I can't – I can't listen to that again…" Angela was openly crying for her best friend.

"Sweetie," Hodgins stepped towards his wife, taking her hand, "None of us _want_ to, babe, but we _need_ to hear it again. We need to run it thru the layering program. Dr. B is depending on us. She is depending on _us_ to direct _Booth_ to her."

Cam stepped forward, speaking with quiet understanding. "This is what we do, Angela. This is why we are considered the best. We have the resources and know-how to save people. Especially those we love and hold near and dear to _our own hearts_. We are the best in the country for a reason, Ange. Please, let's do this together. Show me how I can help, I'll help you, okay?"

Nodding, silently, Angela downloaded the snippet to her system, while simultaneously triangulating the origin, attempting to get a better estimation on the location of Brennan's phone.

As the ladies got to work, Sweets left the room, heading back to his post to continue perusing the letter left for Booth on Dr. Brennan's computer.

Hodgins approached Booth, motioned for him to step outside Angela's office for a word. "Hey, man, like I started to say earlier, I have a suggestion. We need to bring in additional help. Someone that I know could help us get thru this…"

"Who? You guys are it. You just heard Cam, you are the best in the country for a reason. You guys are the tops in your fields. _There is no one else_…" Booth's deflated voice dropped low, as he tried to maintain control of his emotion.

"Zach."

Booth looked at Hodgins as if he had just grown an extra head on his shoulders. "What? Zach? Are you nuts? Hell no. Hell—no—way- Jack, I am NOT bringing that kid in here. He's in the loony bin for a reason. Uh-uh. Nope. Not gonna happen, think of something else, Jack You're a genius, think of something else." Booth was shaking his head furiously and adamantly.

"Listen. Just LISTEN for a minute. He was misguided, OK? Yes, he did awful stuff, man, I know that. Hello, he was my best friend, you don't think that hurt? But he was a naïve genius-kid who got sucked into something WAY bigger than he could handle and by the time we knew, it was too late to help. BUT, Listen to me Booth. Zach is the smarted person I know, aside from Dr. B. I have never seen him _not_ break a code put in front of him. I have never seen him _not_ complete a puzzle that the rest of us couldn't even touch. Who was it that sent you to the sand pit to save Dr. B and me after the Gravedigger buried us? Tell me, Booth, who sent you in that direction?"

Booth stood quietly, listening as Hodgins gave a dissertation in defense of Dr. Zach Addy. His reasoning was sound, in a twisted way, it made sense. _Dammit…no, wait…_ "Jack_, you_ led us to the pit. _You_ sent the message to us."

"Yes, I may have sent the message. But, tell me, what would _you_ have done with that code? Would _you_ have figured it out? Would _you_ have known what the chemical references were for? Would Cam? Would Angie? Would you have been able to pull Dr. B from that car had Zach _not_ been here to break the code? No offense, G-man, but I doubt it. Give credit where credit is due and realize that when I tell you that we need help, it's because we need help. We need help to _get you_ to _your_ partner…"

"Shit…" Booth grumbled, "SWEETS!" he then yelled. "Sweets, get out here!" Booth's booming voice echoed and caused the succeeding silence to actually suspend in the air, eerily silent…

"Wha-What? What's the matter? News?" Sweets came running into the aisle where Booth and Hodgins were standing.

"I need you to get a temporary release to bring Zach Addy here. Now. This morning." It was not a request. It was a direct order. But Sweets did not answer to Agent Booth, so he didn't accept direct orders from the Agent.

"Excuse me? You want me to bring a known criminal into this forensics lab to work this case? Into this lab where there are countless numbers of evidence at risk? Have you completely lost your mind, Booth?"

Booth leaned in close to Sweets, jaw clenched, eyes ice cold, and spoke softly.

"No, Dr. Sweets, I have _not_ completely lost my mind. But let me tell you, that if Hodgins believes that Zach Addy is the best chance we have at locating Bones, that is all the convincing I need. If Hodgins thought it was important enough to bring to me, thru all this _shit_ we're dealing with, then that's a good enough reason for me.

"Bones is trapped someplace. She's being tortured, whipped and God knows what else is happening to her, while we stand here and discuss this. We are running out of time. If there is even the _slightest_ glimmer of possibility that he can get us some insight, then I'm willing to take that chance. As much as I hate how he betrayed and hurt Bones, I hate even more, the idea that she is going to die _tonight_, if we don't get to her… If _I_ don't get to her.

"And, as Hodgins just oh-so-gently reminded me, she would have been dead long ago had Zach not been here to break the code that Hodgins sent when the two of them were buried by the Gravedigger. So, no, Sweets_, I have not completely lost my mind_, and I expect you to understand that I would not do anything that would jeopardize Bones' health and well-being. Don't you know that by now?"

Hodgins was touched to hear that Booth used his reasoning and incorporated his own Booth-ness into his defense of Zach.

Sweets sighed. There was no sense in trying to even try to fight this one. He was not going to win against the determined FBI agent, so he agreed, "I'll see what I can do," he mumbled as he made his exit.

"No, Sweets, you will not 'see what you can do', you will simply make it happen. I know you have the clearance to do it." He held the young doctor's eyes until Sweets backed down from the intimidating stare. Booth turned curtly and squared his shoulders as he stalked away. He didn't know where he was going, but he has to get away from this current conversation for just a moment. And he wanted to be sure Sweets knew the topic was no longer open for discussion.

OMG! Will Sweets be able to get Zach back into the lab? And will he be as smart as he was before he was locked away, or will he have lost his knack?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N So, Is Zach going to be able to come to the Lab? Is the team going to be able to locate where Bones is? Up next is a turning point in the story, so please read on! **

**Thank you all for all your great feedback. It's overwhelming, really, and I really love hearing from you all! **

**This is a longer chapter than the others, but I had to make sure I was painting the full picture. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Bones. Own nothing. Just this story line – that's all mine! **

Booth found himself walking into Bones' office again. No real surprise there, he thought to himself. He felt gravity pulling him in that direction, an undeniable need to just be in her space. He had always loved to stand in her doorway and just watch her work. He knew it annoyed her, but he did it anyway. He looked down at his watch. It was 11:53 now. God, where did the morning go? They were almost half way thru his 18-hour limit… He flopped onto the couch, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while he mentally reviewed the information they had gathered so far.

His texts were coming from Montgomery County, MD

The kidnapper was using Bones' phone

So far, the email sent to Bones' computer came from an untraceable IPS, but Angela was still working on that

Bones was taken to the roof of her building, and then likely, though he had no proof yet, taken down a removable ladder of sorts

The kidnapper expected Booth to go up there, leaving the laptop for him to find

The furniture in her apartment had been moved prior to the abduction, indicating the kidnapper expected to need the extra walking space when taking Bones from her apartment

The cameras were planted sometime prior to her arrival home – was it the same day? Was the perp in her apartment more than just that once?

They had been extensively followed, their movements and schedules catalogued

The bastard "admires" Booth, according to the twisted letter left for him on the laptop… So he knows his work and his work ethics… knows his work… there was something there, but Booth couldn't figure it yet

A courier had delivered evidence to Booth's office

An incoherent string of numbers had yet to be decoded

Hodgins was trying to make sense of foreign soil and other 'particulates'

Booth started talking to himself in his mind…_Good God, this is a mess. Nothing is coming together. The results are taking __far__ too long this time. It seems like other cases move along so much quicker, but then again, other cases don't involve Bones. His Bones. His Partner. His Best Friend. The woman he still loves. _

His mental check list and musings were interrupted by Sweets entering the office. "I thought this is where I would find you, Agent Booth. The van is bringing Zach over now. They will require your presence down at the garage so you can sign. They will only turn custody over to you, as you are the officer handling the case."

With a sigh and a tight nod, Booth rose. Turning to the young doctor as he reached the door, he simply made an eye contact that said 'thanks', but the words never actually left his lips. Sweets knew that Booth was still deep in thought, but appreciated the sentiment that was delivered in the gaze. He understood that the look was not just a 'thanks- for- getting- Zach- here,- Sweets,' kind of look, but had a much deeper meaning. Booth really did appreciate the help he was receiving from the entire team.

Booth stood with the gate guard, waiting for the van to arrive. Under normal circumstances, Booth would have an easy conversation with the guard, but on this day, Booth stood quietly and sternly, hands in his pockets, shoulders squared. The guard knew this was no morning for chatting, and simply stood in his guard shack, available in case Booth needed his assistance.

When the van arrived, Zach visibly paled at the sight of Agent Booth. The orderlies spoke to Booth, and he signed the order, taking custody of the young doctor. The orderlies opened the side door and escorted Dr. Zach Addy to Agent Booth's side.

Zach looked up at the imposing figure before him. "I had thought that Dr. Brennan would have been the one meeting me and taking custody. Dr. Sweets said my presence was required, _and requested_, to assist _Dr. Brennan_."

Booth turned, tugging Zach's upper arm gently, heading toward the elevators. Zach glanced at Agent Booth a few times during their silent march to the double doors. On their way up, Booth finally broke the silence.

"Zach, your expertise is needed to help Bones, yes, but you will not be assisting her directly. You will be assisting the rest of the team in our very urgent quest to _find_ her." Booth recounted the morning's events starting at 3:17 this morning up until their current status. "We only have about 9 hours left, Zach, to be able to locate her and save her. Hodgins needs your help… I need your help." That last phrase was added almost as a whisper, and suddenly, Zach was not so intimidated by the imposing man at his side. The Agent seemed, almost, _human,_ he thought. "We'll find her, Agent Booth. That's what we do, right? We're the best." The Agent felt an odd warmth at the way the young man immediately fell back into his role as part of the 'team'. Silently, he prayed the boyish man was right.

Zach was greeted with mixed emotions as he entered Angela's office, Booth trailing slightly behind. Hodgins, Angela and Cam were all thrilled to see him, but torn under the circumstances. Wendell, Sweets and Daisy stood back, observing the awkward reunion. Not one to relish in emotional greetings, after just a quick hug from Angela and a slap on the back from Hodgins, Zach got right down to business. "So, where is the evidence? What are we working on? Dr. Sweets indicated that there was a code?" Wendell approached the myth-of-a-man that he had heard so much about, and handed over what he had, explaining what he had learned so far, feeling a bit useless that he wasn't able to offer any real insight. Recognizing the intern's discomfort, Angela spoke up, thanking Wendell for all the work that he had done; by knowing what was already eliminated, it would save time for Zach once he started working on it. Wendell nodded in appreciation.

Although Agent Booth had custody of the scientist, he knew he didn't need to babysit him, so he left the squints to do their squinty- jobs, opting to head to the cafeteria and get lunch for the team.

"Mind if I join you?" Sweets fell into stride next to Booth. A single nod showed the doctor he was welcome. "Listen, I have been reviewing the document, as you know. Do you like Vodka or White Russians?"

"No," came the simple answer. "Never touch either one. Why?"

"I thought so. I didn't remember seeing you ever drink either. That is what's so puzzling."

"So what, the ass said that he would have a drink with me – he probably just picked his poison and named it."

"No," Sweets replied without question. "This guy's actions are way too calculated. He is seeing this as a game. A way to get back at you for something you've done. We just don't know exactly what yet. But, Agent Booth, this guy knows you – knows about you _– a lot about you_. He's obviously seen you at the bar, he would know what you do and don't drink. He would have taken notice and yet he chose to incorrectly make an offer of 2 drinks which you never have. There's something there, I just don't know what yet. I can't pin it down. And there are other peculiarities." Sweets continued as Booth worked his way thru the cafeteria line, collecting sandwiches, salads, sides and drinks, all wrapped to go.

"See, he ended the letter with the Russian word for 'End'; with a reference to Vodka, White Russians, and a Russian final word… That's no coincidence. And his statement referencing that he has been 'cooking up this plan', that's a curious turn of phrase and completely out of character with the rest of his phrasing. He's baiting you, but we just don't have the rest of the clues yet."

"Well, Sweets, it's 12:50. Bones had been gone for more than 9 hours. We have less than that left to find her. If you're gonna analyze this to get more answers, do it quick." Booth got suddenly quiet, deep in thought.

Sweets observed the sad and almost defeated mannerisms his friend was exhibiting, and placed his hand on Booth's shoulder for the second time that day. "Look, Agent Booth, I'm not trying to get all shrink-y here, but we all know how you feel about Dr. Brennan. We all know the stress you're feeling right now. And we're doing our best. We _will _find her. You have to have a little bit of that faith you're always telling Dr. Brennan to believe in. You have to know that you have the best team possible for this job."

"I know this is the right team, Sweets. I could not trust any other team to find her. You know, I was ready to fight for my right to even _be_ on this team for this case. I was expecting Cullen to pull me, but he didn't..." He stammered; a lump caught his throat. "It's just…God Sweets, I am still _crazy_ about her, you know that, not just a little bit in love, but _crazy for her_. I broke it off with Hannah _because_ of her, and she doesn't even know yet. I never told her yet." He took a deep breath as they entered the elevator to take them back down to the lab. Sweets made a mental note to ask Booth later about his recent change of relationship status. Booth continued talking, not noticing that Sweets was examining him closely as he spoke. "And now, she's being held by some psycho trying to get back at _me_, but I don't know who, what, why _– I don't know anything yet!_ And she wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't _for me_. That's a lot of guilt, man, to have on my shoulders. But I can't help it. I know you're going to tell me I shouldn't feel like this, but Sweets, I can't stop those feelings. _I am the reason_ she's tied up in some dark room on some dilapidated mattress _being tortured_." Tears were threatening to pour from the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them back.

As they re-entered the lab, Booth could hear Hodgins talking to himself, loudly, in his own office. "This makes _NO SENSE_." He was complaining to the computer screen before him. Rubbing his hand over his eyes and roughly over his face, he let out a primal growl of frustration. "Sonofabitch!"

"What's going on, Hodgins?" Booth was behind Hodgins, worried about had the scientist so worked up.

"Man, I am going to have to run this all over again and I don't have _TIME_ for that!" he slammed his fist into his work station, causing tools to clatter to the floor. "This _damn_ program would have us flying over to _Russia_ to rescue Dr. B. What the hell, man!"

"Wha-What?"

"The sand and dirt particulates are indigenous to the northern part of Russia. It makes NO SENSE. _No Goddam sense at all!"_

"Russia…" Booth was concentrating and not hearing the rest of Hodgins' rants.

"Yeah. Almost 10 hours of WASTED testing. We don't have time for this shit." He threw his pen against the computer monitor.

"Wait a minute, Jack… Sweets said something about this guy and a Russian link because of a couple of things that were written in that letter to me. Sweets! SWEETS! C'mere!"

Rushing from Angela's office, Sweets found Booth and Hodgins rushing out of his office.

"Hodgins' results are showing the dirt is from Russia. What the hell can this mean?"

"I am going to re-examine the letter, Booth."

Agent Booth? Can I see you please? In the Ookey room…" It was Zach calling out. "Angela gave me the copies of the isolated sound bites she dissected from the voice message that was texted to you. Based on the layers of echoes and background noises, I surmise that Dr. Brennan is being held in a location similar to an unfinished basement - you know, like with dirt floors – and obviously, from the pictures that were sent, it appears the wall behind Dr. Brennan's head is a rough masonry job. Not a finished wall that a modern home would have.

"I also detect the crackling of a fire in the background. But not a fire place, because the sound is not consistent with sounds bouncing from a hearth. It's more like an open-pit fire, in a small room location. So, the room is not large, otherwise we would not hear the reverberation of the crackling." Zach finally took a breath, He didn't realize he hadn't taken a deep breath since beginning his dissertation for the agent. 

"There's more. From the shadows on the photos, it appears the fire will be towards the end of the room at Dr. Brennan's feet, not up near her face, or on one of her sides. The shadows are indicative to a fire reflection from further away, and to her bottom. And if you look here, in this photo, you'll see a shadow behind her head. By running this shot thru a program that would finish damaged or fuzzy photos, it would appear this shadow is a doorway to a stairwell." He looked nervously at the Agent. He wanted to stay on Booth's good side. While he was not as intimidating when he was worrying about his Partner, he was still an imposing figure, and Zach could remember clearly how the FBI man's temperament could change at the drop of a figurative hat. "I'm still working on the code."

"Good job, Zach. I will take this over to Angela to run thru her machine again for further rendering. Maybe she can gather additional information stemming from your findings." Booth patted the young man on his back.

"BOOTH!" Hodgins again… _Finally, things are happening,_ Booth thought to himself.

"Yeah! Be right there!" Booth replied as he dropped off Zach's information to Angela and Cam.

"Yeah, Jack, whatcha got for me?"

"Man, another link to Russia. I still don't get what the connection is, but here's what I found…" He pulled pictures up on this computer screen for Booth to see. Two flowers. Two different flowers. Booth looked at him blankly.

"Dude. In the particulates, I also found evidence of these two flowers. Both of these, the Anemone and the Poppy, grow wild in Russia. But that's not the only weird thing here. It's the meanings _behind_ the two flowers," Jack continued. "The Anemone, in Russia, is meant to represent 'abandonment, refusal'." He locked eyes with Booth, allowing the man to grasp what he was saying. "We all know Dr. Brennan's fear of abandonment." Booth nodded, barely discernible. "The Poppy's generally accepted meaning in Russia would be 'eternal sleep'." The air between the men hung heavy. Eternal sleep. Death. The sentiment didn't need to be voiced.

Booth's jaw clenched. This asshole had every intention to make Bones believe she'd been abandoned. Then he was going to kill her. This was no bluff. Booth's eyes were afire. Hodgins took this information to Angela and to Jack, leaving Booth alone in his office. Booth sat down at Jack's work station and just stared at the flowers up on the monitors.

As the afternoon plowed on, the squints continued working, sharing with each other, whatever information they gathered, Booth's phone buzzed with a new text.

"_Agent Booth, you have so disappointed me. By now, I expected to hear back from you that my demands will be met. It's after 6:00pm, Booth. It's been nearly 15 hours now. Your precious partner is becoming quite discouraged that you've given up on her. You've abandoned her. You don't care about her. Shame on you, Booth. I thought you were nobler than that."_ Attached to the text was another picture. A close-up of Bones' face. Still blindfolded and gagged, Booth could see her cheeks clearly enough to see the dried tear stains that poured thru the dirt and blood that caked her. His blood both ran cold and boiled at the same time. _The Bastard_.

Angela was running the triangulation trace on the text. "Gaithersburg! Booth, it's coming from Gaithersburg, Maryland!"

"Gaithersburg? That's only, what, 30 or 40 minutes from here." Booth replied eagerly. A strange thought came to him as he said the words. _30 or 40 minutes. 30 or 40 or 50 years, Bones… Shake it off, Booth, shake it off._ "I am heading down to Gaithersburg," he spoke just before leaning in with an appreciative hug for Angela. "Thanks, Ange. Call me when you have more." With that he was out the door.

"Be careful, Booth! Brennan needs you alive to save her! Don't do anything STUPID!" Angela called after him, watching as he waved his arm over his shoulder, showing her he heard.

**A/N Postscript**

**Whew! They are actually getting somewhere! They know where the messages are coming from and it's not far away! There is still time! Please click below and let me know what you think! **

**The angst and stress is almost over, I promise. I just had to lay out the real tension before getting to the good part. Now that there is a chance for a relationship, there is so much at stake! **

**I am thinking of another chapter inside Brennan's head next, what do you think? Or should I stick with how the squints are wrapping up their portion of the investigation? **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Welcome back! OK, so first of all, a continued THANKS to everyone who is sending me reviews as well as private messages on my email, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**By majority rule, we are going to continue here with another Brennan POV. But fear not, I expect this to be the last flip/flop of POVs, so those of you who didn't really want her POV, please don't give up on the story! This is a little shorter than the other chapters, but it serves the purpose. **

**Yes, this will be a difficult chapter, because she is still being held captive, but I want to let you all know that the angst is almost over, after all, Booth **_**is**_** on his way to Gaithersburg already! But in order to make the rest of the story work, with my recent re-writes, I had to really get into Brennan's mind to know how much damage was being done. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything other than this story line!**

As she slipped in and out of consciousness, Brennan lost her grip with reality. She wasn't sure what she was actually experiencing, and what she was seeing in her nightmares. Her body was trying to shut down, trying to protect itself against the barrage of battery she was receiving. She had lost track of all time, she had no idea how long she'd been laying in this filth. Visions came to her, sporadic snippets of her life. Visions of herself as a happy child, sitting on her mother's lap; playing with her brother out behind their modest home; sitting by a Christmas tree sobbing, wondering where her parents were – inconsolable to her brother. Then the images became more random, and more current. Herself at dig sites; at the diner; in her lab; at her desk writing; sitting with Booth… Sitting with Booth in his car; sitting with Booth on park bench; sitting with Booth in her apartment, side by side on the couch. Eventually every apparition of her past was filled with Booth. Her subconscious pushed him into scenes in which he didn't even belong. But there he was, always smiling at her, always there for her.

Then, suddenly he was gone. As quickly as he appeared, he had disappeared. But she could hear his voice. She could hear him talking to her…

"Bones, you have to be strong. You have to hang in there, OK? I am almost there, baby, I'm almost there." His encouraging words were clear and concise.

_He just called me 'baby'_, she thought… _That's not my nickname. I have only one nickname, the nickname you gave me, Booth, why did you change it?_

"Booth? Booth! Where are you going? I can't see you, Booth. Come back, please. Please come back." And with those words still hanging on her lips, she was snapped awake but a flush of pain across her back.

She screamed out thru her gag. A flash flood of memories invaded her mind. She was tied up, kidnapped and beaten. She was still being beaten. She still didn't know her attacker. She still didn't know what exactly he wanted. He only told her he was doing this to get back to Booth. But Booth wasn't coming for her. Why wasn't he coming for her?

"Dr. Brennan? Time to wake up Dr. Brennan…!" Another lash landed hard across the small of her back, radiating painful messages to the nerve endings all the way down her legs. "I thought I heard you mumbling in your restless sleep… In fact, I am sure of it, and what do you think I heard you saying? Hmm? Well, it was a bit muddled, you know, with the current obstruction in your mouth. But all the same, I know exactly what you were saying. You were begging for Booth, weren't you? You were asking Booth to help you, huh? Well, my dear, it looks like your Agent has all but abandoned you; you're running out of time... I guess _you_ weren't worth _his_ time." The malicious madman was getting inside her head. It was, after all, entirely his intention, and it was working, as he could see her trying to shake her head emphatically. "But I have a proposition for you, my dear. I propose that we make a little recording for Seeley Booth. Perhaps if he hears your sweet voice, it will entice him to give me what I want…. Would you like that? Hmm?"

Unable to deny her need to talk to Booth, not wanting to reject herself the chance to say some final words to him, she nodded her head, ever so slightly.

"Lovely, my dear. I expected you to acquiesce, so I already brought what I needed to capture your pleas. Now, all I need for you to do is follow my lead, _and do as I say_." His cruel voice turned even icier as he approached closer. "You will ask your 'partner' to help you. You will beg him to come for you. If you try to say anything more than that, I promise you, no matter when he arrives,_ if_ he ever arrives, it _will _be too late for you. Do I make myself crystal clear?"

She nodded. She had wanted to say so much more. Knowing that these may be the last words she could say to Booth, but she would not tempt this man. She would not call his bluff by doing something stupid.

She felt hands at the back of her head, at which she flinched, causing him to erupt in an evil laugh. Then the hands were removing the gag from her mouth. She instantly inhaled deeply, thru her mouth, something she hadn't been able to do in, she didn't know how long… She then felt something placed on the surface in front of her face.

"OK, sweety," his voice was dripping with distain, "it's showtime…" And with that, he hauled off and cracked the whip just over her head, causing an instant explosion of screams to pour from Brennan's mouth. The first crack did not touch her body, nor did the second, but by the third, his weapon of choice was making contact with her back, just between her shoulder blades.

"Booth… Booth, please, come help me. Please Booth, I can't do this alone…" Brennan sobbed openly, asking her best friend and partner for help, hoping against all hope that this message would reach him and encourage him to find her. Hoping that he hadn't really abandoned her. She truly wished this animal had let her say something more, but that was not to be. Her gag was immediately replaced once the man had what he wanted and she heard him leave the room with no further conversation.

Her head sunk deeper into the mattress below, as she passed out once again. She was happy to pass out, letting her subconscious see images of Booth, her friends and her family. Letting her mind escape the horror that was her reality, even if just for a short while.

**Postscript**

**A/N Poor Brennan. This guy really deserves to get his in the end, doesn't he! Well, please keep an eye for the next chapter to come out soon, hopefully this weekend. (fingers crossed that all goes as planned)! BTW – Did everyone just LOVE the last episode? Finally, after a rough few episodes this season, it seems their chemistry is back! Can't wait til March (If that's when they're airing the next new episodes…!)**

**Please review! Thanks again as always!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N OK, so this chapter came a little quicker than I realized. I had more of it done than I thought! **

**The town of Gaithersburg really exists. It really is about 30 or 40 minutes from DC, and the numbers from the code, well, I don't want to give anything away, but just let me tell you those numbers really exist as well. HOWEVER the specific location at which Brennan is being held is completely my own doing. **

**This chapter is a bit longer, and I guess that's making up for the short one last chapter! **

**Disclaimer. I do not own any rights to Bones or its characters. But this story line is ALL MINE! **

Zach's eyes grew wide as he pieced together the influx of data he was hearing, all the while studying the code laid out before him.

"King of the Lab!" he exclaimed. "I'm the King of the Lab, Hodgins!"

Angela and Jack came rushing in, followed closely by the rest of the team.

"They're roads. They're the roadways in and around the Gaithersberg area. The numbers make up both minor and major thoroughfares, around the town center.

5, 21, 28, 270, 117, 116. They are all roads!"

"Yes, Zach, welcome back, you ARE the King of the Lab again!" Hodgins rushed forward and hugged his former colleague and close friend.

"Do they intersect at a central location? Point to anything specific?" Cam was asking, as she pulled up an enlarged map of Booth's destination.

"Not that I can tell, no." he replied.

Hodgins stepped forward, studying the screen. "What's that area, right there?" he asked pointing to a green shaded area which stretched and curved in an odd fashion. "Whatever this is, it touches every single roadway that Zach has highlighted."

Cam zoomed in and clicked on the map, but there was no label applied to the area. As they switched to a satellite overview, they could see the outlines of several buildings and extensive landscaping. Trees outlined the property boundaries, and it was pretty obvious there were several gardens spread throughout the acreage. "A state or national park or something similar?" she asked.

"No way, dude, with that much foliage, and this close to us, I would have known. It would be a perfect place to study." Hodgins looked at his coworkers and noted their confused looks. "You know, bugs, plants, pollen… hello..? That's what I do!" The group got his gist, and refocused on the screen in front of them.

"Nadia Gardens." Wendell spoke up from behind the small group, not looking up from his laptop. "It's a property originally established by a Russian immigrant by the name Vladik Zunickae. He named it for his daughter, the first of his children born on US soil. The literal Russian translation, which I won't even attempt to pronounce, means 'hope'." He concluded reading a brief summary of the estate before looking up at the gathered scientists. "It says here that 'Daddy' insisted that when he died, Little Nadia would inherit and up-keep the gardens, filled _with native Russian wildflowers_ mixed in amongst indigenous plants to the Maryland area. She was instructed, in his will, to continue the tradition of _importing soil from the Mother-Land_, allowing for his flowers to bloom in all their glory in the dirt of his ancestors." Wendell stopped talking as Angela pulled additional information up onto her large screen, for all to view.

"It's currently open to the public for tours, for a small admission fee of $3.00 per person."

"Angie," Hodgins interrupted as she was reading, "See if you can pull a detailed map of the property in its entirety. You know, what the buildings are, their situations and arrangements in relation to each other, anything and everything that may be of use to Booth."

Booth held the steering wheel with a death grip that caused his knuckles to turn white. Twenty more minutes and he would be there. _But once in town, where to then? Just drive, Booth, just get there and wait to hear from the team. They won't let us down._ He looked longingly over to the passenger seat. _That's where she should be sitting. That's her seat. It's where she belongs – by my side so I can keep her safe. Instead, I let her go home alone last night; I should have been with her. If I had told her about me & Hannah, there's a good chance we would have still been together. We would have talked late into the night, just like old times_. He could almost smell her perfume – that scent that made his stomach knot in a yearning hunger to pull her close. He could almost hear her voice – lecturing him about some anthropological reason that he rebels against standard rules and regulations. He grinned, despite himself and their current situation.

He allowed his mind to wander a bit more. Thinking of her face, her laugh, her easy smile, the way her eyes made him drown when they locked onto his. Every now and then, in his peripheral vision, he would catch her watching him, not nearly as inconspicuous as she thought she was - she thought he didn't know. Fact was, he _always_ knew, but he didn't mind. He let her observe, learn, process…Eventually she would come around. His eyes felt heavy with tears as he thought about her. If the squints couldn't pinpoint a location, he would lose her. He would _lose everything_.

Next to Parker, she had become the most important person in his life. He felt a little remorse that he had let her replace Pops in that aspect. He still loved Pops, sure, but somehow Bones had staked a claim in his heart, and when she did that, he simply allowed her to push everyone else a little further out; but he knew Pops would understand and forgive him. Hell, sometimes, he thought _he_ had been replaced in Pops' heart by his partner! Pops loved Bones since the first time he met her. He knew she was _the one_ for his grandson, and never failed to tell the both of them they were meant to be together.

He was shaken from his reverie by the shrill ring of his cell phone. His heart raced, "Talk to me, _please_ tell me you guys have finally got something for me…"

"Booth," Hodgins began, "you're heading to Nadia Gardens. We're sending you the GPS coordinates. We'll spare you the details of how we arrived at that locale, but _it has_ to be the place. It's a public Gardens that closes at sundown, so everyone should be well gone by the time you get there."

"Agent Booth, this is Zach," as if Booth wouldn't have known… he just shook his head, "Go ahead, Zach."

"Thank you. Based on what we can determine from the sounds on the recording and the shadows in the pictures, we've limited down the possibilities of where Dr. Brennan may be, to 2 of the 5 structures on the property. Angela is sending a map of the entire estate to your cell."

Hodgins interrupted. "Look, man, you've gotta listen to me. This place is, for lack of a better word, a plantation property. Avoid the main house, you won't find her there. Every room in that place would be a finished room, no dirt floors or anything there, so don't waste your time. That's Building 'A' on your map. However, when you look at the map, you'll see buildings 'B' and 'C', just behind the main house; we're going to focus on those. Ignore buildings 'D' and 'E', unless as a last resort.

"Building 'B' is the servants' quarters. It is a possibility that there is a basement, but we can't find any concrete data to the affirmative or negative on that, in looking at old documents and blueprints. He wouldn't be keeping Dr. B on a main floor, that's why we're thinking she must be in a basement. There's always a chance that the plans just didn't show the basement for the servants' home, but my gut tells me it _is_ _a very_ _slight_ chance.

"_However_, Building 'C' tells a different story on the historical plans. It's an old cook-house, and evidence from drawings and story verbiage shows there would be an unfinished, dirt-floor basement, running the whole length of the structure."

"OK," Booth interjected, "so I'll head to Building 'C' first." He began firing off a multitude of questions, before he let the 'Squint-Squad' continue. "Any clue of its orientation? Does anyone stay on property after closing? What about security – any lighting or cameras and alarm systems? How about fencing? And what kind of cover will I have as I approach, if any?"

"Whoa, there, Agent Studly, let us get to the meat, OK? Just listen to Hodgins." Angela couldn't help herself. She was still incredibly worried about Brennan, but the fact that they were so very close was giving her an almost giddy feeling.

"Dude, You're going to park on 5th Street at 1st Avenue. It's to the East of the park, and there is a really good wooded area there that will provide excellent cover while you begin your patrol. Angela hacked into the power company grid and is arranging a little extra darkness for you. The street lamps as well as the trail lights thru the woods will all turn off at 7:00pm. She isn't affecting the residences, because she didn't want to create a stir, but she was able to single out those lights, so that will provide a little extra protection for you to avoid attention." When Hodgins heard the Agent's mumbled acknowledgement, he continued. "No, there is no overnight security, no after hour residents. The main house, will likely have some lights on inside, so just avoid getting into the reflections all together.

"OK, so once you move thru the wooded area from your parking space, you will reach a chain-link fence, so take something with you to cut yourself in, because it will probably be 6 feet or so, you don't want to have to climb it carrying your rifle. Don't worry; I will make sure all repairs are paid for, so cut away, my friend!" He knew Booth didn't agree with destroying property, whenever possible.

"Once you're thru the fence, head south, maintaining your cover under the trees, until you see that you are directly across from the main house. Now, just on the opposite side of the house, from where you're standing at that point, will be the cook-house. Move carefully, man, and quickly, because there will be little to no cover between your wooded safe haven in the shadows and the cook-house where you need to be. Your entrance to the cook-house will be at the north end. There will be another entrance on the south end, but my instincts are telling me to get you in the north end."

At this point, Zach broke in, "Agent Booth, based on the old blueprints and diagrams, there will be 2 stairwells in the cook-house, both leading down to the basement area. When you gain entry at the north end, one stairwell will be to your immediate left, approximately 20 feet from the door. The other stairwell will be near the opposite entrance, and on the right."

Booth's mind was racing and gathering everything the 2 men on the other end of his phone line were feeding him. They were talking rapidly and concisely, and his mind was turning to sniper-mode as he processed metal pictures of the landscape and layout.

Angela then began her presentation on further findings. "Booth, thru the analysis of the photo shadows as well as the dissected recordings, we conclude that Bren will likely be closest to the _further_ stairwell form your entrance, so she'll likely be on the South end. The stairwell near your entrance will be closest to a fire pit, which we believe caused the projection allowing the shadow patterns we're seeing in the photos. The old diagrams show slight evidence that supports our determination."

"Ok, send me everything you've got. I'll review everything when I park. Looks like I am only about 10 minutes from there now." Booth paused, "Guys?" The team stood around their speaker phone waiting, "Thanks, guys, for everything. Really, you've been- you've _all _been really great and supportive. Bones is lucky to have such an awesome and dedicated team on her side... So am I... Without you, I couldn't have done this, please don't think I don't recognize that fact." Everyone was sort of dumb-founded at the Agent's warm words. They all knew he had a soft side, especially when it came to Dr. Brennan, but to hear his sincerity directed towards them was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

"OK, Agent Studly, enough goopy talk, just go rescue the love of your life. Kiss her and hold her, and for God's sake, TELL HER finally! Trust me, you need to tell her again, Booth, I promise this time she'll listen." Angela just couldn't resist... Her best friend had recently become more open (with her) about the feelings she had toward Booth, but Angie knew that Brennan was afraid to tell him because of Hannah (despite repeated encouragement from Angela. _Hannah be damned_, Angela would tell Bren, _You need to tell him and get this out in the open_... But Brennan still had not shared her feelings.)

"Ange-" Booth was going to rebut, however, was cut off by Hodgins. "Call us if you have any questions about the stuff we sent to you. And keep your earpiece in, in case you need to get us when you're out there. And call us as soon as you have her safe in your arms, man." It was just too tempting to add that last request, after the little talk Angela just gave him. The squints all grinned at each other, almost ecstatic that Booth was so close now. If anyone could save Brennan, it would be Booth.

"You bet guys." Booth disconnected the call_. OK, GPS, talk to me. Get me there soon; I have a partner to save… Great, almost there. 6:45 pm. We're going to make it. We're going to be OK. Hang in there Bones. Hang in there and be strong. I know you can do it. I'm almost there._

**Postscript**

**A/N Well, we're almost there! Anyone curious to see how Booth performs as a sniper, now that his best friend/parter/crush is depending on his accuracy? Let me know what you think so far, please, if you haven't already. And if you already have, well, you're welcome to let me know again! Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Wow, I am overwhelmed by the messages I am receiving in my inbox and by the reviews. Thank you all so much, and please, tell your friends! I am glad you're enjoying it so far. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything of Bones, except this story line. **

As he was pulling into a well-concealed parking space, his cell rang loudly, startling him from his mental exercises he was doing, reviewing the layout in his mind. It was Cam.

"Seeley, Hacker's been calling here for you. He's pissed because he can't reach you, said he keeps getting your voicemail and wants to know where you are."

"Yeah, I didn't call him yet. I didn't want to loop him in too early, not until I was down here on location. I can't have him swarming this place and tipping this guy off. This is a sniper job, not a full-on 'Andrew Hacker Task Force Invasion', which he just loves to do…"

"Well, you're going to have to talk to him real soon. He's heading over here because he thinks you're still here. We haven't told him anything yet; we figured if you were avoiding his calls, there was a reason, so each time he called one of our cells, we all played dumb, which was actually kind of fun…"

"Thanks, Cam, I'll call him in a few. I'm just parking now, so I'll call him once I'm settled."

"Alright, Big-Man. He's pissed as hell, so just watch what you say, you don't want to end up fired. But I gather he's more pissed because _you're _the one who's going to be getting Dr. Brennan out, not him, if you get my drift." Cam knew that Hacker had it bad for Dr. Brennan, but she also knew, much to Dr. B's credit, nothing would ever come of his attention to her. Cam knew that deep down, Dr. Brennan was in love with Booth. The few times she had gone out with Hacker, she had not enjoyed herself; from what Angela said, Dr. Brennan compared everything Hacker did to the way Booth would do it, and every single time, 'Booth would have done it better.'

From his vantage point in the driver's seat, Booth admired his cloaked parking space, beneath a canopy of mature trees. _Perfect spot, Hodgins, well done_.

He palmed his phone and dialed Hacker. His call was answered with an angry scream, and immediately, Booth knew two things: one, he was instantly placed on speaker phone and two, Hacker was at the lab- Booth could hear the echoes he knew so well.

"Booth, where the HELL are you? Goddammit, I told you to contact me when you had new information. And now, I get to the lab only to learn that you're off somewhere playing white knight, and these damn socially-inept squints are avoiding my questions, and there's a kid here that should be locked up in the nut house without a key and - "

Booth cut him off at that point, "Hacker, you would be wise to not insult my team again. It's because of that team of brilliant minds that you have as many feathers in your cap as you do; Lord knows you couldn't have earned them on your own. It's because of that team, _my team_, that Bones & I are your highest rated partnership in the field, with the most closed cases on record for the division. Tread lightly, there, _Hacker_, because if you piss them off, you'll lose them, Bones and me. You got that?" Booth's voice was brisk as he spat the words out with disgust. He couldn't stand Hacker – period. Not only had he simply kissed-ass to get to where he is, but he tried winning over Bones' heart. Thankfully, Bones didn't pursue _that_ relationship. _Thank you, Bones_, he thought to himself, as he often did.

Hacker was momentarily rendered speechless by Booth's outrage. He knew that Booth was a powerful man, and a very intimidating one, but he had never been on the direct receiving end of Booth's fury. He didn't like it; not only because Booth was his inferior, but because Booth could be just plain scary. Hacker looked around at the audience that had gathered around Cam's office, all of whom wore tiny smirks on their faces; that was the second time today that Booth claimed them as his own... _Warm & fuzzies all around_, Angela thought…

Hacker could not believe what he heard his Agent say. There was a time they would have stood side by side insulting the 'squints' together, but now, to have him openly defend them, Hacker was at a loss.

Not wanting Booth to know that he had gotten the best of him, Hacker began barking orders, "Booth, you _will_ report your location to me _now_. You will _stand-down_ and await me and my team to arrive. We will arrange _and perform_ the search & rescue for Temperance to get her out. Now, where the hell are you!" Hacker was practically foaming at the mouth as he screamed at the phone. His intention had been to put fear into the little group of grinning scientists by gaining total control of the situation, showing them that he was the boss, not Booth.

As Booth listened to Hacker's rants, he allowed a small, albeit forlorn, smile to grace his lips. _Fat chance, Hacker, that ain't gonna happen. You're not going to be the first person she sees after this bastard has been taken down. That is going to be me, like it or not._ Then he spoke aloud, "No, Hacker, I will _not_ stand-down. And like hell will I sit and await your team of clowns to get down here, make a commotion, and get Bones killed in the meantime. Hell, if I had to wait for you to get here, she'd be dead before you even arrived. I'm here. I'm going in and I'm going to make this asshole pay. Then I'm getting Bones out of there." Suddenly, Booth realized the street lights were out. _Nice job, Angela, I've got my cover._ "No, Hacker, it's just not going to happen the way you want. We're playing this one my way."

"Booth, stop trying to be a hero. Stop trying to be something you're not. Get over your savior-syndrome, Booth, she's just your 'partner,' _you_ tell us that all the time. Other people can step in and help, you know," Hacker countered the Agent's argument.

"Hacker, I'm not letting you screw this up. No one_, I mean no one_, has her back the way I have her back. Hell- no- way am I trusting anyone else to do this, especially you. Forget about it, Hacker, and get your head out of your ass. She's not interested in you, in case you hadn't noticed yet. She'll never be interested, you need to get over your obsession, man." Booth spoke thru clenched teeth.

Booth could hear a little squeal from the other end, and knew immediately who it was. Angela had not given permission for that to leave her lips, but somehow it made its way out into the world… Hacker gave a primeval deep throaty growl, and turned hate-filled eyes her way.

Angela looked back directly into his eyes defiantly, and stated very matter-of-factly, "Booth's right, Hacker, on _all_ accounts. Brennan's my best friend and I can guarantee you that she is only interested in _one_ FBI agent, and it's _not you_. You don't have a snowball's chance in hell, man, _so no matter if you were_ the one to get her out of there, she would still only have eyes for one man. You & I both know who that is, don't we…"

Hacker clicked Booth off speaker, turning his back on the group gathered in the lab, he was tired of this squinty-little-entourage pressing in around him, hearing Booth get the better of him, even though he hated to admit that he was in a losing battle. "Booth, I'm not going to tell you again. You give me the details of where you are, and stand-down. You're too close to this case. You could lose your focus and that could lead to Temperance, well, to Temperance being killed." Hacker was sure that by giving the Agent the mental image of Temperance's demise being his fault, that Booth would certainly back down.

"Too late, Hacker. I'm doing this. I'm already here. I'm going in; deal with it." With his terse statement completed, Booth disconnected the call. Immediately, he texted Hodgins; _Wait about 30 minutes and then give in to Hacker's demands for the address of my location. That will give me time to make my way thru the woods. Thx for everything. B_

With a slight satisfaction in his heart, for finally telling off Hacker, Booth felt his tension level out to a healthy sniper-stress. _This_, he was used to. It was just after 7:00. _Two hours to save Bones_. He knew he couldn't mess this up now.

Booth bowed his head in silent prayer. A prayer to the God in whom he put all faith, and the very same one of which Bones completely and openly denied the existence. All the same, Booth offered up his plea. He asked for the strength to get thru this night, to complete this ordeal without being harmed and most of all, with a successful rescuing of Bones. He asked for forgiveness for that which he was about to do – take a man's life. He had no intention of allowing this asshole to live. He hated taking a life, but in this case, he felt no guilt, no sorrow. He felt only remorse that Bones is going thru the hell to which this madman is subjecting her. He prayed for a steady hand and a clear sight. He asked for the guidance of His hand, in being strong for Bones, to help her not only tonight, but to overcome her fears - fears that were sure to resurface after this event. He asked for protection over the woman who did not believe, hoping his beliefs were strong enough for the two of them. Finally he asked for Parker to remain safe within custody until all this is over, and he could be reunited with his son.

Satisfied that his prayer was complete, he made the sign of the cross_. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. _

He allowed his mind to slip back into sniper-mode. He had to clear his mind of Bones. He had to clear his mind of all emotion. His only focus right at that moment was moving in and taking out the target, about whom he knew very little. But he knew enough to know he was making the right decision. Initially he wanted to capture this guy, put a little fear into him, a little bit of torture turned right back onto him, but Booth decided against that method. He wanted to obliterate this guy. He wanted him dead. No questions asked.

Once that task was completed_, then_ he could focus on Bones and emotions.

Taking another deep, cleansing breath, he stepped out of the SUV. He removed everything from his pockets save for the SUV key and his cell phone, which was turned to mute. He could not risk anything jingling in his pockets and giving him or his location away to the perp. It was a pretty cold evening, but he was already sweating in just his T-shirt. _Bones would be cold, though_, his mind momentarily lapsed. He grabbed his extra work shirt from the overnight bag he keep packed, and put it on over his T-Shirt, not bothering to button it.

He unpacked his sniper rifle and night vision scope. He checked the chamber, and ensured he had enough ammo on hand. He double checked his FBI-issued pistol at his hip, and then his back-up on his calf holster. All were in ready order. His army knife found a place on his other calf. He ran thru his mental check list, and a set of wire cutters found their way into his back pocket, for the fence. He would leave them behind once he was thru. He put in the earpiece attached to his phone and snugged into his Kevlar vest. He had everything he would need.

He closed the SUV hatch as he ran over the instructions given to him by the team. The directions were clear, and he had a good image of the layout in his mind's eye. _They did good,_ he thought, _now let's hope they're right…_ He stepped further into the shadows and disappeared into the darkness.

**Postscript **

**A/N OMG! He's going in…with no back up! But do any of us really doubt his ability? Please come back for the next chapter and see how it all pans out, but first…. Don't forget to click on review and let me know what you think? Were you all just ticked as hell at Hacker? I was… **_**How dare**__**he invade my inner muse that that?**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Welcome back! Thank you all so much, once again, for the lovely reviews and emails that you have all been sending my way. I am truly touched at the responses that I've had, and am glad to see that you are all enjoying the story. Here's a slightly shorter chapter…**

**I feel that I should say that I am not a dark person by nature. I really enjoy the light and fluffy side of life, but this story somehow manifested itself in my imagination, I could not help but write it. So, once this is out of my system, I am going to record my musings of a lighter note. (This sounds like I'm wrapping up the story already, but rest assured, I'm not – there is plenty of B&B coming up!)**

**Please enjoy, and don't forget to review! THX ;)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything to do with Bones. But this story line is completely mine! **

As Booth made his way thru the darkened mini-forest, he came upon the chain-link fence Hodgins warned him about. _Yeah_, he thought, _scaling it would not be easy, it's over 7 feet high, better to cut thru it. Well done, Jack._ He took out his cutters and scanned the fence line, looking for any indication of it being an electric fence. Once he was sure it was safe, he quietly cut just enough to allow his lithe body to slip thru. Dropping the cutters to the ground, he stayed low as he surveyed his surroundings.

Shoulders tense, gun at the ready and a steely look in his eyes, Booth glided thru the shadows as he made his way towards the line of vision he needed in order to see the main house and cookhouse. He was nearly invisible as he wove in and out of the darkened patterns cast upon the ground by the overhead moon shining thru the aged trees. As predicted, all was quiet on the property.

There was a faint smell of Winter Jasmine hanging in the evening air, reminding him of the sweet smell of Bones in the mornings, when he picked her up for an early work day. Her hair was often still wet from her shower when he arrived at her door, always bearing coffee and breakfast of some sort. He loved seeing her like that, not yet ready for work, but inviting him into her home while she finished preparing for their day. She hardly ever had her make-up on at that point, and she always smelled heavenly. To him, she was the epitome of beauty, above all else. And she smelled just like the Jasmine that was currently filling his senses.

_Ok, there it is_, Booth thought; the main house was directly to his right, just like Hodgins promised it would be. Just beyond the main house, he could see the cookhouse and servants' quarters.

_I'll be damned,_ Booth's mind already assessing the situation. _There's a light coming from inside the cookhouse. There's no doubt that it's a fire causing the flickering. Thank God for squints._

Stealthily, he moved with cat-like precision across the expanse of the lawn, heading towards the North entrance of the cookhouse, as instructed by Hodgins and Zack. _God, they were a brilliant team together. Unbeatable, I think. Why the hell did Zach have to go get himself all messed up? He broke up a great partnership with Jack, and broke Bones' heart in the process. But, he's redeemed himself tonight… Damn, concentrate, Booth! _

As he approached the cookhouse, his hackles went into full alert. He could hear a man yelling angrily, and then, he heard the unmistakable crack of a whip, immediately followed by gut-wrenching wails and sobs that belonged to Bones. _His_ Bones. He could hear her muffled voice in between her sobs. He would imagine she was asking for mercy. It took every ounce of restraint that Booth possessed to not barge in there, guns a-blazing, just like the old west… That, however, could backfire and prove disastrous.

_No_, he thought to himself; _proceed as planned – carefully & silently_. He was exceedingly happy that the location was right. And, although she was obviously in a great deal of pain, Bones was still alive.

Staying close to the walls, under the cover of blackness, Booth slipped like a ghost into the one-room building. He could hear better, from that vantage point, what was happening below.

"Well, Dr. Brennan, it looks like your Special Agent FBI- Knight- in- Shining- Armor has finally abandoned you. He's just written you off as collateral damage, it seems. He has not responded to any of my texts or communications, and I have given him plenty of opportunity. And he's not met any of my demands. I guess when we're done here, I will have to restart my observations of Parker. Maybe I can get a reaction from him when I have his precious little boy.

"It's such a shame, really, I would have thought, after the way I've seen him watch you, that he saw you as his one and only. I would have thought you were the one who would have actually been able to bring him to me. To bring him to his knees… I guess I overestimated your boyfriend… Oh, wait, your 'partner'. You two are just 'partners,' isn't that what you tell everyone? Well, if you guys are nothing more to each other, then tell me, why did he kick the pretty little blond bimbo out of his apartment? Did he explain that to you yet?"

From the silence he elicited from his captive at that point, he knew he had her. He knew that Booth hadn't told her anything yet. He didn't know why, he didn't really care; he just knew he could use that against her…she didn't know about the journalist's swift, late-night exit from Booth's life.

"Interesting… he didn't tell you, did he? Interesting indeed… He really _has_ written you off… didn't even bother to tell you about a very important change in his life. Guess he hasn't forgiven you for stomping all over his heart after he put it on a silver platter for you."

Upstairs, Booth's jaw clenched even more, as he listed to a small whimper that escaped from Bones' throat. Booth was observing the layout of the building as he listened. He was scoping out his next moves, he wanted this done, _now_…

"Well, my sexy little kitten, you have just over an hour to live, so if you need to start saying your mental goodbyes, you should begin that now. I know you're not a praying person, but maybe it's not too late. You can start praying to your 'partner's' God and asking for forgiveness for your blatant lack of respect of the Written Word. Maybe you can die in peace."

With that, Booth heard again, the crack of the whip. "Useless hostage you turned out to be." Bones' guttural cry filled Booth's ears, as he squeezed his eyes shut for a split second.

Booth then detected footfalls on the stairs at the far end of the building. Once again, the team had been right - Bones' was being held closest to the South end of the building. Staying in his safe spot in the shadows, Booth waited until he had a clean shot at the asshole, a clear view thru his scope.

As the man topped the stairs, Booth caught his breath as he immediately recognized the man behind this nightmare. He was supposed to be dead. Baker. William Alexander Baker. He was the first person Booth had been an active participant in when convicting Baker and getting him sentenced to life in prison, just after Booth graduated the Academy. Word on the block was that Baker had been killed in a prison riot just over a year ago… What the hell…

No matter, he had a job.

He took careful aim, ensuring Baker was clearly in his crosshairs, as he crossed the room.

"Baker", it was barely a whisper, a ghostly name on the breeze, but just loud enough for the man to hear. He spun around, searching the darkness, not seeing anything out of place. Then, as Booth moved slightly out of the darkness that was his guise, Baker caught the movement from the corner of his eye. As he turned to face the movement, a moment of recognition reached Baker's eyes just as the first bullet made contact with his forehead. Booth knew it was a kill shot, but as the body started to crumple, he pumped two more rapid fire shots into the man's chest, just for extra measure.

Booth moved cautiously, wary of traps, swiftly across the room, to where the escaped convict lay, bleeding out with lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Booth shivered when he realized what Baker was moving towards when he came up the stairs. Spread across a table near where Booth now stood, was an array of instruments of torture. His stomach lurched, but he kept his cool and turned on his heels, heading towards the stairwell. As he hurried across the small room, he spotted a small cot with a blanket folded at the foot; he grabbed it as he lunged down the staircase, following the hysterical cries that were drifting up from the basement.

**Postscript**

**A/N – OMG, Booth got him! Yay! FINALLY! Didn't the Squints do a great job? Now, let's get to the good stuff, where Booth **_**actually saves**_** Bones! **

**Don't forget to review! Thanks again! And please tell your friends! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Welcome back! **

**Again, I cannot express enough, how much everyone's reviews have meant to me. The suggestions, the comments, the private messages and emails – they've all been great and welcomed. **

**In response to a few messages and reviews – Yes, I wrote Hacker a bit OOC, but I felt I needed a tension between Booth and a possible rival, and Hacker seemed the most logical, given his interest in Bones and his status as Booth's boss. I quite enjoyed letting Booth just give it to him, so to speak… (sheepish grin from my inner-muse…)**

**I hope you continue to enjoy the story. This chapter is a bit longer, but there was a lot to cover, and I felt compelled to leave it all in rather than edit it out… Don't forget to review and please tell your friends!**

**Disclaimer… Still don't own the show or characters, but can't figure out why… LOL. I do own this story line, however, and maybe someday HH can buy it from me… HAHA Like, in my dreams! **

At the sound of gunshots, Brennan became uncontrollably distraught. She had been succumbing to the mind games Baker was playing on her. _No one is coming to rescue me. Now he's preparing his gun to kill me. Booth, why didn't you come? Why didn't anyone come? What have I done that is so terrible that no one cares?_

Launching into a full-on panic, Brennan pulled against her restraints, causing the rough twine to cut deeper into her wrists and ankles. She was screaming into her gag, desperate for someone to hear her as she thrashed her fragile body against the thin mattress, expending all her remaining strength, which was very little. Her shoulders burned, the whip gashes on her back broke open and bled once more, her head throbbed; but all of this was forgotten as her body went into overdrive, determined to survive.

Then she felt hands on her wrists, trying to steady them, and she fought against the strength that held her. Flailing against the power that seized her arms, her stamina waivered, threatening to fail all together. She was out of energy, and she was out of time. She knew this was the end and she cried openly. Then the hands that were holding her still, lowered her arms to her sides, and moved to her head, untying the gag and blindfold. Although the light was dim, she was blinded after being behind the dark bandana for nearly 24 hours. She direly wanted to see the face of the man who was about to end her life, but she was temporarily sightless. She tried to swing her arms at the figure, but he moved too quickly, his silhouette moved down towards her feet, and she felt the pressure of her ties lessening, but she was unable to kick her legs out. She continued to cry maniacally as hands reached around her shoulders and pulled her body upward. She was too weak to fight anymore; she simply could not beat this man, so she gave up, becoming limp in his arms.

Then she heard it...his voice.

_No, I am hallucinating_, she thought, _Booth's not coming for me, he's given up on me_. Her instinct to survive returned, and she felt a new strength to lash out at the arms that held her and at the shadowy figure in front of her. But she hadn't the strength she thought she found; her movements were hindered by a steel grip that held her in place.

She heard it again. Or more actually, she _felt_ it, as her head was held to the man's chest. The timbre of his voice was ringing thru her ears and registering deep within her subconscious.

_No one else has that resonance; no one else's voice has that cadence. _

_Booth? Did he really come for her? _

"Bones, it's me. It's Booth. Stop thrashing, you're going to hurt yourself. Bones, open your eyes, look at me. You're going to be OK, I've got you. Shh… It's going to be OK, please, open your eyes, Bones, look at me." Booth was attempting to console his distressed partner, who was so frightened with blind instinct that her body was finally shutting down after the great struggle while he was freeing her from her constraints.

_I'm so tired, so hungry, so cold… so cold… I can't do this. Please make it quick._ Her mind was reeling with confusion. _Booth's not here, this is my mind playing tricks on me. Please kill me quick; please don't let me continue in this state of mind. _

His voice once again invaded her thoughts. But she could not understand what he was saying, but it _was_ his voice. There is no way someone else had that voice. A sudden warmth began to move into her body, there was something draped across her shoulders. Her eyes eased open, her ears still not processing what she was hearing. Her eyes focused on the T-shirt against her face. FBI. There was an FBI logo on the chest_. FBI?_ _Booth?_ She was being held against his chest; the arms around her were solid but gentle.

"Come on, Bones, please open your eyes. You're going to be OK. Your body is going into shock, but I need you to stay with me. Can you stay with me, baby? Please? Please, answer me, tell me that you hear me. Show me that you recognize me. It's Booth. Come on, Bones. Please, baby, please, you're stronger than this, stay with me." Booth was frantically speaking to Bones, calm and quiet, but insistent. He didn't even register the moniker he used, twice, while trying to calm her. One arm held her at her shoulders, pulling her close, his other arm snaked over her legs, pulling her onto his now-seated lap, right on the floor beside the mattress that had been her prison for the past day.

She inhaled thru her nose. Then inhaled again. She allowed herself to fill her lungs with this delicious aroma. She smelled his cologne. There was no other smell in the world like Booth. His cologne mixed with his aftershave, mixed with… mixed with Booth.

He felt her body language begin to change. She was shifting in his arms. A sobbed escaped her throat, just before he heard her speak. It was the first word she had uttered since he held her. He tipped her chin upward, trying to get her eyes to focus on his face, on his eyes.

"B-Booth? Booth, are you here? Is that really you?" She spoke. She didn't recognize her own voice; it was hoarse and weak.

"Yeah, Bones, it's me. I'm here… I'm here. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you, but you're going to be OK. I'll make sure you're OK. No one is going to hurt you again." He rested his cheek on the top of her head as she exhaustedly lowered her head back to his chest.

"Booth?" She spoke his name in a weak, but clear voice.

"Yeah Bones?"

"You came for me. You didn't give up on me. You came for me…" her voice died down to a whispering whimper.

"Bones, yes, I came for you. Of course, I didn't give up on you. I will _never_ give up on you, ever. Don't ever think that. I will always come for you. I promise. I promise."

"Booth?"

"Hmm?

"I'm cold. So cold. So hungry and cold. And tired. But so cold."

"I know Bones, I know. Here, let's button up this shirt," he pulled together the front of his shirt, which he had draped around her immediately upon discarding his Kevlar vest. He averted his eyes slightly from her naked form, out of respect for his best friend & partner, but before he did so, he caught a glimpse of the bruises that riddled her torso. The blood from her back had already soaked thru the thin material of his Oxford shirt. His stomach twisted in anger as he tightened his arms around her as protectively as he could without inflicting more pain. He then reached for the blanket which he had dropped aside the mattress while untying her. He brought that also around her shoulders; over the arm that was embracing her, and pulled it low enough to cover most of her bare legs.

As she felt him slowly rocking her like a child, she felt a sudden calm wash over herself. She sat on his lap and just let him hug her tightly to his body. Then she felt him moving, standing up, and she winced at the pain caused by her body weight shifting on itself.

"Shh… It's ok, I am just moving over here closer to the fire, to the chair there, we need to get your body temperature up a bit before I take you outside. We'll just sit here for a while, ok, Bones?" He spoke tenderly and quietly, tentative because he feared she would pull back from him, as soon as she realized her predicament

He felt a little nod against his chest, and he approached the chair near the fire pit. He cradled her shoulders in his left arm, and used his right arm to reach over her legs, grasping them in a reverse-bridal position. He sat her down on his lap, keeping her head and shoulders as steady as possible, and using his right hand, now free, to readjust the blanket that was sheltering her bare body. She squirmed and shifted her body slightly higher, so she was sitting higher on his lap, her torso flush against his chest, her left arm wrapped tightly around his neck and she allowed her face to nuzzle into the welcoming space between his shoulder and neck. Once again, she took a deep breath and filled herself with the scent that was uniquely Booth. She had come to truly enjoy that smell. _It was very Booth-y_, she momentarily thought.

He was purring warm words into her hair; she was sure they were words of encouragement, but she couldn't understand him. Her ears were flooding with the sound of her own blood pumping thru her body - she was acutely aware that she was still alive. She was still alive because this man had killed for her. She knew her partner hated taking lives, and avoided it whenever possible, but he had taken down her captor, in the series of gun fire she had heard earlier. He came for her, and killed for her…

She could feel the vibrations of his vocals, emanating from his chest against hers, and from his neck, as she pressed closer. She didn't care what he was saying, just as long as he was talking, she found it extremely soothing. _Say anything. Just talk to me Booth, just keep talking_, she willed her voice to say it out loud, but nothing came, just a small moan; he kept talking, somehow aware it was making her feel better. They sat like that for a good half-hour. His arms wrapped her up in a 'Boothy' cocoon as he gently rocked her back and forth. She allowed herself to be held; for the first time since she couldn't remember when, she just allowed herself to be held without fight, and she felt …she felt something unfamiliar to her… she would imagine that the beautiful man holding her would tell her this is what it felt like to be loved.

She knew this was very uncharacteristic for herself. She knew she would, under normal circumstances, never allow someone to hold her like this. But suddenly, she was OK with it. She tried to rationalize it, to no avail. She was suddenly OK with Booth holding her so close. She was OK with his overprotective nature and his incessant need to know where she is, every day. She was OK with his alpha-male tendencies that he always demonstrated, whether in private or in public, because she now understood this was his way of showing affection and, while it used to drive her crazy, she was aware, now, of how good it made her feel, knowing she could depend on him like she had never depended on any other man in her life. She sank deeper into his arms, and although her body ached unlike ever before, she felt safe. She felt like she was suffering from a sensory overload with all of these new realizations, these revelations, but it was a warm feeling, so she did not fight it.

While they sat in comfortable silence, Booth took that opportunity to text the team. _Found Bones. Perp dead. Will get back to you with more news when we know what's happening._ The simple response came to him almost immediately_, XOXOXOXOX to you both. _

After a while, she felt him start to pull away, and she fiercely tightened her grip of his neck to hold him close. "No, no, don't leave yet. Don't leave, I'm not ready to be alone again," she cried into the crook of his shoulder, "not yet, Booth, not yet."

He maintained his steel hold around her shoulders, but pulled his head back, and looked at her, "Bones, I'm not leaving. I'm just looking at you." His chocolate brown eyes conveyed only truth when she looked deep. Like no one else, he could talk to her without words. Simple nods, looks, smiles, gazes between each other, the two could communicate with no one else hearing, it was like their own language.

"Don't do that," she groaned, "don't…" her small voice died down.

"Don't what, Bones? Don't look at you?" He furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced down at her, seeing her slight affirmative nod. "Bones, I thought I was going to lose you today, I may _never stop_ looking at you…" His voice was soft and caring, Brennan was feeling confused, not sure what to make of his words.

"Booth, I feel like shit. I'm dirty, I'm bloody, I'm bruised, my entire body aches; I can just imagine that _I look_ as bad as _I feel_. Please, Booth, I hate – I hate that you're seeing me like this. I'm…I'm not worthy of the looks you give me on a normal day, Booth, let alone now, looking like this, in this… condition." She paused and looked squarely at him. She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell him that she knew he still cared, but the words didn't form. Instead, her mind wandered a bit and she simply continued, "Your eyes… when I look at you, it's like I can see thru the looking glass and into your 'metaphorical' heart… " Her tiny voice quivered, a dead give-away that she was on the verge of breaking out in tears.

"Bones – No, Bones, don't ever think that you don't deserve to be looked at, to be… to be admired. Bones, I – Bones, listen," he was breathless, just being near her never failed to take his breath away, and he knew needed to convey those feelings to her. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, but he didn't want to scare her, overwhelm her or make her rebuild those walls he worked so hard to break down. The last time he opened his heart to her, she ran half-way across the globe. She was fragile right now, and possibly not thinking straight, but he had to tell her, he couldn't wait any longer.

He reached up and cradled her cheek in his free hand, turning her face towards his. He was happy to feel that her skin was warming nicely, and he said a silent thanks to the Man upstairs, simultaneously asking Him for the strength to say what he had to. "Bones, you are the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on. Period, hands down, you are gorgeous. Your eyes never fail to remind me that angels walk among us. Your smile - God, Bones, your smile is a rainbow arced across the sky on a rainy day. Your skin brings tears to my eyes when I look at you, when I think of you. Your mind, you have the most delightful, dedicated and brilliant mind… People dream of having a mind like yours, and for you, it's second nature. You _radiate_ beauty, Bones. You will _always_ be beautiful. Nothing can take that away. No _one_ can take that away from you; no matter the dirt or bruises. Bones, you're like the cherry blossoms in the spring; like the sunrise over the Atlantic; a star-filled sky on a clear night. You don't even know you're doing it, but you effortlessly amaze me every day. When I've had a shit day at work, and I can't relax, I just go thru a mental list of _you_. Just _you_, and suddenly my tension disappears, Bones… and Bones, all seems right in the universe when you're sitting beside me, whether it's in the car, or at one of our offices, in the interrogation room - anywhere. You make things _feel _right for me." He had said more than he intended, and hoped it wasn't too much.

He was lost in her teary eyes, as they gazed up at his. He though she looked so innocent…

She was truly astounded at what he was saying to her. "Booth…" she whispered, almost inaudibly. "Booth, I - " but her words were cut off by loud noises and voices coming

from upstairs, at which she involuntarily flinched and threw herself into his chest. He tightened his hold on her, keeping her firmly on his lap and against his torso, and he reached for his sidearm.

**Postscript**

**A/N So, there you have it, he got her! Yay! Did we really have any doubt that he would save her? BUT, what's all that racket and commotion upstairs? Does Baker have a partner that Booth didn't know about? OMG…. I can't wait to tell you! **

**BUT, my ego needs that little bit of encouragement…. See the review button down there? Would you click on it and tell me what you think, please?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Welcome back to all my Fan Fic friends! You continue to warm my heart with your reviews and messages. Thank you all. Hey – I am still new at this FF stuff, and I, just today, discovered that I can respond to individual reviews other than private messages. That being said, I promise to do my best going forward to reply to your reviews! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed, nothing will… I don't own anything to do with Bones. The only thing that is mine is this story idea! **

Loud footsteps echoed above their heads, and then they heard a woman's voice calling through the night. "Agent Booth? Booth, are you still here?" It was Agent Shaw, likely part of Hacker's team that had arrived.

"In the basement, Shaw!" Booth returned her call, returning his gun to its holster.

Bones looked up at her partner, terrified eyes pleading with him. "Booth, I don't want to see anyone… I don't want anyone to see me… Not like this."

He tightened his hold around her shoulders and pulled her knees up closer to him, ensuring she was sitting squarely on his lap, not sliding off. "It's OK, Bones, Shaw is a good Agent. She's not judgmental. But hey, let's pull this blanket back up over you, huh?" he referred to how the blanket had slipped down from her back during the course of their conversation. She nodded and let him take care of her – again, very uncharacteristic, but she liked how it felt – she suddenly and without warning liked letting Booth take control.

Shaw bounded down the steps, coming out close to the fire pit. She found Agent Booth coddling a blanketed bundle on his lap and stopped suddenly, a little unsure of how to react to the scene. Everyone at the bureau knew that Booth was a hard-ass; the best Agent they had. They also knew that he had a soft spot for his partner. But she had never expected to see her role model in such an intimate setting. Booth's left arm was around his partner's shoulders, his cheek rested atop her head, his right arm circled protectively around her hips, keeping her in place as she sat sideways across his legs. Shaw could not see Dr. Brennan's face, as it was tucked tenderly into Agent Booth's neck. She could see his face, however, and written all over it was the stress with which he'd been dealing for the past 20 hours; she also sensed a relief in his stature in the way he sat. "Booth, we see that you got your man, upstairs. Any clue who he was?"

"Yeah, Shaw, William Baker. Was supposed to have been killed in a riot last month. Apparently he escaped in the chaos, and he was obviously out for revenge against me. Look, Shaw, I'll fill you in about him later, but can you just make sure his body is removed and the appropriate steps taken to secure the weapons he had up there? We'll be along shortly; we have to sit just a little longer." Booth was dismissing Shaw without really dismissing her.

Shaw nodded and turned to take her leave. Then she turned back, "Agent Booth, is Dr. Brennan OK?"

"She will be Shaw, thanks." He eyes were closed, his head still rested against hers. When he felt that she was still in the room, he opened his eyes to find her staring at them, apprehensively. "Shaw?"

"Sure. Umm… OK…I understand you want me to go, and that's fine, but…There's something you should know. Hacker's up there, outside, waiting for you. Seems really pissed, don't know why, but I overheard him griping to someone that he was going to 'take your ass through a shredder' and that as soon as Dr. Brennan is loaded into the ambulance, that you're going to be sorry for whatever it was you did… I just thought that you should know. And the ambulance is ready whenever you are… I doubt Hacker will be coming down here, seems he has his hands full with the locals intermingling with his team, so you guys should have some time." Shaw turned and made her way up the stairs, stopping another agent on her way, delivering the orders that were given to her by Booth.

They sat for a few more minutes before Booth broke the silence. "Bones, we should get you up to the ambulance, so they can take you to the hospital. You are going to need help with these gashes and cuts." Booth spoke softly; his breath on her ear caused her flesh to turn to goose bumps. 

"No, Booth, no ambulance. Can you just take me home, please? Where are we, anyway?"

"We're in Maryland, Bones, but you need a doctor, baby, you need to be examined." This time, he caught himself as the nickname slipped thru his lips, and he hoped she had missed it. Before tonight, he hadn't made that slip since just after his coma, when he found himself holding her on the floor of a tiny clinic, after she had been attacked by the doctor... She had forgiven him for it then, and he hoped she would not hold it against him this time either.

"No, Booth, no. I don't want anyone else looking at me. The EMTs will want to examine me, then the nurses will want to examine me, then the doctor will finally examine me. That's too many people, Booth." Her voice got softer then. "You can look at me, I don't mind you looking at me, but I don't want anyone else... You can talk me thru what you see, and we'll fix it. I don't want to go to the hospital. No." She was adamant about her desire to _not_ go to the hospital.

"Bones, you need a doctor. I'm no doctor and neither are you – not a medical doctor anyway, and you cannot self-diagnose. Bones, I would love to be _the one_ to heal you, but we need help. We need to go to the ER and let the professionals take care of you. How about this – how about if I come with you? I won't just drive and meet you there, I'll come with you _in _the ambulance and make sure you're taken care of and then - "

"No, Booth, that is _not_ alright. I don't want to go to the hospital. Please just take me home. Please. Or, take me to your apartment, if that's OK. I just don't want to be alone right now, and I do NOT want to go to the hospital." She was almost frantic in her avoidance of the hospital, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He hated seeing Bones cry. He had always hated it, but never more than now. Not wanting to upset her even more, he conceded. "OK, Bones, we'll figure something out, OK? We'll figure something out. I'll take you. And you _will not_ be alone tonight, I promise." He paused, rolling something around in his brain. "Don't be startled, I am going to yell now. SHAW! SHAW! You still up there?"

"Yes, Agent Booth?" A disembodied voice floated down the stairwell.

"Hey, can you come here please?" he waited for her to approach. "Here's my SUV key. Can you pull my SUV up here, it's parked over on 5th at 1st," and he gave her the directions. With a nod, she was back upstairs, jogging towards the location where her superior had directed her.

"OK, Bones, when Shaw comes back, we'll go upstairs and get you into the car and we'll head out. You can come to my place tonight. We'll figure out something, OK?"

"Oh God, oh-no, what about Hannah? Won't she be upset that you're bringing me there?" she asked tentatively, then continued in a manner almost agitated, almost distressed. "N-No, Booth, no, I was wrong… You should just take me home. I don't want to become your problem. I'll be OK tonight. Maybe you can come over tomorrow and see me? Maybe you can help tomorrow, or I could call Angela, she could come. I don't want to become a burden on you; it's not fair to you… or to Hannah. You have a life outside of work, outside of our partnership, away from me…" She was suddenly sounding defensive and devastated at the same time.

He rested his cheek against the top of her head and gently rubbed little circles on her shoulder, "No, Bones, you're not going home alone. I will _not leave you_. You're coming home with me. Don't worry, she won't be there. Lucky you, you're going to be stuck with just me," Then he looked down at her, and gave her his lopsided Boothy grin, and she smiled back a weak, but warm grin. She was happy to be 'stuck' with him.

"Bones, you know, I am going to have to carry you up the stairs. There is no way you're going to be able to walk up. Don't get all 'I am woman, hear me roar', ok? Just let me take you up there when the time comes. And don't fight it, OK? I'm not up for _that_ fight tonight."

"I don't know what that means, Booth. I don't roar. But I do realize that I can't walk." She furrowed her eye brows, "Booth, why would you think I was going to roar?"

He grinned down at her and pulled her closer, allowing a little chuckle to escape his lips "Of course you don't know what that means… what _was_ I thinking?"

When Shaw returned from her mission, she bounced back downstairs, but this time she came down the opposite side. "Agent Booth, I brought your car to the south side, it was pretty crowded on the other side, with the ambulance and all, so I hope it's OK. I mean the south side is crowded too, but more with people than with vehicles."

"Thanks, Shaw. Can you do me one more favor?" He continued after she agreed. "Can you please go to the passenger side of my SUV and push the seat back as far as it will go, and lay it down as close to flat as possible? Thanks."

She turned to leave, then glanced back, eyes assessing the two partners, "You aren't going to be utilizing the ambulance, are you…?"

"No, Shaw, we won't need the ambulance after all." Booth responded without looking up to her, his eyes never left the woman on his lap.

She nodded and proceeded back up the stairs.

"You ready, Bones? I'll take you up and get you into the SUV. I am going to have to find and tell Hacker we won't need his crew, and probably get my ass screamed at, so I'll be a few extra minutes, but then I'll come and take you home." He was trying to reassure his best friend that he would, in fact, be coming back after he left her briefly.

She agreed and braced herself for the trip outside. As he lifted her, she felt pain spread through her body and she cried a little, into his T-shirt, and kept her face buried there. He squatted and gathered his rifle and vest on his way across the room, and slung them across his shoulder opposite Bones.

He heard her mumble something into his chest, and bent his head down and asked her to repeat it. "Booth, your back, you shouldn't be carrying me…."

"Shhh… my back is just fine, Bones. Don't worry about me. Besides, when you're all better, and we're all through with this drama, if you're really worried about my back, I'll let you do your 'Bones-magic-fingers' thing you do so well," he grinned.

"Booth, there is no such thing as magic…" she whispered.

They began their ascent from the basement slowly.

"There is when you touch me, Bones. There is _always_ magic when you touch me…" he whispered into her hair, but she heard his silky voice loud and clear, and she sank a little further into his comforting hold, rubbing her fingertips along the hairline at the back of his neck.

**Postscript A/N**

**Well, there you have it, no accomplice to threaten their retreat! Please be sure to review, let me know what you think about how the story is progressing. I'm hoping for some warm & fuzzy coming up soon, but what do you guys think? **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Thank you for your wonderful reviews and emails. It really makes my heart soar that you are all enjoying my handiwork! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't get anything out of this, other than the mere satisfaction of revisiting my long-lost creative writing passion. I don't own Bones or the characters, just this story line! **

They slowly made their way out the door of the little cookhouse, and into the mob of people milling about; Booth pulled her tighter against himself, having sensed that she was becoming apprehensive at the crowd. Agents and local PD were gathered, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the crime scene and then turned their attention at the partners as they made their exit. _Leave it to Hacker to turn this into a three-ring circus_, Booth thought. _Why the hell are there so many officers here? What in God's earth was going on here…?_

"BOOTH! Booth, stop right there, you disobeyed a direct order, Agent, now you will answer for your actions!" Hacker was behind the emerging couple, trotting to catch up to Booth's rapid pace thru the masses. He was attempting to show his authority by demonstrating how he could control of his inferior Agent… From behind Booth's broad shoulders, Hacker couldn't see the limp form huddled in front of Booth's chest.

Booth halted in his tracks, and tensed his shoulders. Hacker could tell from behind that the man's stance had hardened, and he thought back to their heated phone call earlier that evening. He was not really looking forward to the confrontation that he was certain he was about to face, especially with all these witnesses, but he was not going to let this stooge get away with insubordination.

Booth bowed his head towards Bones, and said very quietly thru gritted teeth, "Bones, my voice is about to grow louder and far angrier than you've heard in a long time… I don't want you to worry, though; nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to be fine." He waited for her eyes to reach his, so he knew she understood, and then he slowly made his turn towards the detached voice behind him.

Hacker stood his ground, not knowing quite what to expect from his Agent. Then, as Booth turned and caught his boss's gaze with his stone-cold eyes, the man froze; mouth agape, he stared at the bundle Booth cradled in his arms. He had no idea that Booth was carrying Temperance. _Why was Booth carrying her_, he thought frantically, _he should have already taken her to the ambulance_.

"Really, Hacker? You really want to do this now? Here?" Booth spit at the man, "Because I think I have something more important to attend to." Booth tilted his head down towards Bones, who still had her face hidden in Booth's muscular chest, her tiny fingers gripped his neck and held tightly.

"What the hell, Booth? The ambulance it THAT way," Hacker practically screamed as he pointed over his shoulder. "Where are you taking her? What's wrong with you? Look, let me take her and get her some proper medical attention," Hacker said, his voice a bit quieter, as he moved towards the couple, his arms slightly outstretched. "Then, once we know she's taken care of, I will deal with you and your apparent attitude that you are above all authority." Then, almost as a dig to Booth, he decided to add, "Besides, Booth, if you continue to carry her, your injured back might go out and you could drop her. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

Booth ignored the slight insult, "No, Andrew, no ambulance. And you're not taking Bones anywhere. I am driving her to where she wants to go, and there's nothing further to discuss on the matter. And, as far as my 'attitude,' as you call it? Well, if I had stood-down as you ordered, until you gathered your chaotic little team here, I would be holding a very _dead_ Bones in my arms rather than an injured and broken Bones." Booth's fury was unmasked as he spat his words at Hacker.

"This is ridiculous, Booth. She needs an ambulance. You say you're taking her where _she_ wants to go? Well, she is obviously in shock and not in her right mind, how can you agree to take her anywhere but to a hospital? You're subjecting her to further injuries and infection by not taking her to the EMT's. Is that how much you care about her? You'd rather she get sicker just to appease your savior syndrome ego? Tell me, do you value your job with the Agency, Booth?" Hacker was treading on this ice, and he knew it, but Booth had no leg to stand on in going against his authority, and he would be damned if he let Booth get the last word in here about Temperance. "Temperance needs a voice of reason to step in here," he said, then to himself, he thought, _and I am that voice_.

As Booth steadied his features and was obviously breathing deep to control his urge to kill this man in front of him, a pair of ice-cold blue eyes slowly turned to face Hacker. Brennan had gained a sudden strength in hearing Hacker insult her partner. Her Booth. Distain flowed from what were once sweet, lovely sea-foam-blue eyes. Now the steely stare sent shivers down Hacker's spine and turned his body cold from somewhere deep within his soul.

"_How dare you_… You do not have the right to tell me what to do, to order me to an ambulance, or instruct someone else what to do with me. You do not have the right to direct me or my actions_, ever_. You are not permitted to talk about me like I'm not here. Booth is doing exactly _as I asked him_. I do not need your help Andrew, nor do I _want_ it. Your comments to and about Booth are neither appropriate nor appreciated. Booth has never done anything that I didn't ask him to do, or wouldn't permit him to do. Even if I didn't make this decision to not go ion the ambulance, he is the _only person_ that I would trust to make decisions for me, anyway. So Andrew, even if I didn't ask Booth to drive me, he is still the _only one_ to make that call. Not you. _He knows me_ and I know he has my best interests at heart, unlike you. You are simply trying to manipulate the situation to look in your favor, so you would get the credit for this bust. Andrew, that is not acceptable, you had nothing to do with this. _Nothing._ You will not order, direct or take me from Booth. I will not take the ambulance simply because you think it's _the right thing for me_. I am not looking for you to take control. If I had wanted it, I would have asked. But I didn't, nor do I plan to ever ask for it. Furthermore, you should know Booth loves his job at the Agency, and if you lose him, you will lose me _and the entire Jeffersonian team_, Hacker. Are you prepared for that? Are you prepared to give up your status as having the FBI's _best_ team under your direction? Because I can guarantee you that if you lose us, you will never be able to replace our abilities…" She took in a deep breath, causing her body to shudder; then she finished up, "Oh, and by the way, about your little comment on Booth's back, you can take _my word_ for it that he has a stronger back bone than you ever will. You should never underestimate Booth." The double meaning in the back bone comment was not lost on either of the men.

She took a final intake of breath, keeping up her front of strength, and then rested her head back against the crook of her partner's neck. "I'm ready to go, now, Booth." Hacker stood opposite the pair, slack-jawed and staring in disbelief. He watched as Brennan ran her hand up Booth's arm and came to rest just below his jaw. He then looked up at Booth's eyes and trembled with discomfort.

Without a word, Booth did an about-face and continued his path towards the SUV. He kept her shivering frame held tight to him, trying to calm her, trying to avoid touching too many of her wounds as she lay in his cradle.

"Wow, Bones," he tilted his head her direction and whispered, "I don't know what to say... Where the hell did that come from?" He felt a small, smug smile dance onto his lips, appreciating that she actually defended him. _**She **__defended __**me**__!_ _There's a change of events! _"I mean, don't get me wrong, Bones, I appreciated what you said, and… And Jesus, Bones, you were _hot_, but I haven't seen you so fired up in a very_, very_ long time…" Booth ginned his lopsided grin down at her as he approached the passenger side of the SUV. Bystanders, who were initially hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous author/anthropologist and her rescuer, were all of a sudden scurrying out of their way, after witnessing the harsh exchange between the three.

"I – I don't know, Booth," she began hesitantly. It took a massive amount of effort for her to keep her voice steady. She had put on a brave face for the confrontation with Hacker, but once she was alone with Booth, she knew she could let her guard down, and her vulnerability and weariness returned. "I find that I don't like it when someone insults, or shows a lack of respect to, my friends. And, well, Booth, I found it particularly annoying that Hacker was insulting _you_. You're a better man, Booth. You're my best friend, my partner, my – my –" she stalled, unsure of quite where her mind was wandering. "Well, you mean a lot to me, Booth. And I didn't like how he was talking about you, and I certainly didn't approve of how he was talking about _me_. He doesn't have the right to judge you, me or our loyalty to each other."

He stood outside her door at the SUV, still holding her, not wanting to put her down until she finished talking. As he listened to her, looking down at her lowered eyes, he could see she was struggling with her words. He allowed her to complete her thoughts, at least as much as she was going to say at that point, and once he knew she was done, he leaned his head down and placed a very light, very tender kiss on her forehead. "Well, you were amazing," he gently whispered.

She kept her eyes closed, and leaned further into him, allowing herself to momentarily get lost in the feeling of his lips on her. She once again became slightly intoxicated on his smell. The scent that she had become so accustomed to, depended on, trusted and admired. She permitted herself to enjoy the brief moment they were sharing.

He carefully shifted and stooped slightly, to place her in her seat. "Bones, do you want to face the door, or face me when you're lying in the seat? You'll be in one position for the next, 40 minutes or so, depending on traffic back, so which way would be more comfortable for you?"

"I want to face you, Booth; I don't know which will be more comfortable, but I want to face you, please."

"OK, Bones, in you go," he tried to make his voice sound light, but Brennan could hear the strain in his voice as he twisted, trying to get her into position, before reaching across her body to fasten the seatbelt. She felt a flash of regret that he may be injuring himself in taking care of her. He did, in fact, have a very bad back, and she knew it. But she also knew that he would never let that get in the way of helping her. She had seen the evidence of that time and time again over the past seven years.

"There you go, all safe and ready to go. Oh, here's a pillow, forgot I had it," he said as he reached behind her into the back seat and fetched the pillow he kept back there for Parker. "Sit tight, I'll come around in a sec."

She lay on her side left side, and remained silent as he closed her door and circled around the front of the SUV towards his door. She watched him thru the windows, appreciating how he moved. She had always known he was well defined and she never denied that he was attractive. But, somehow, he looked different this night – somehow - she could not quite rationalize it in her mind; she was fascinated and captivated as she watched him. His back was straight, shoulders were proud and his ever-alert eyes were scoping everyone that he felt might be too close to her proximity. He was clearly displaying his alpha-male attributes, letting the other men in the crowd know to back off, that she was under his guard; unexplainably, she found that irresistibly sexy. She caught her breath, realizing that it had been increasing in depth and intensity as she admired him.

He got into his side and looked at her, the serious, stern look that his eyes portrayed outside turned soft and gentle as he met her gaze. "You OK? You ready to go home?"

"Yes, take me home, Booth," she replied, allowing the domesticity of the statement hang in the air. She glanced up at him through sleepy eye-lids and admired his face. The strong line of his chin, the sexy five o'clock shadow, his distinguishing profile…

They drove in silence for a little while. He thought she had fallen asleep, he hoped she did, she needed the rest; but she broke the silence with a quiet statement. "I – I'm sorry, Booth."

He glanced back and sideways at her. "Huh? What are you sorry about?"

"I should have let you speak for yourself back there. To Hacker. I should not have interjected the way I did." She sputtered the statement, almost afraid to draw too much attention to what she had done.

"Are you kidding?" he answered with a chuckle and smile. "Bones, do NOT apologize for that. I told you, that was _hot_ and I meant it. You can defend me any time you feel the urge. Hell you can defend anything with that tone of voice, and it will be hot. Well, as long as the tone is not directed at me… I just wanna listen. And watch...You were fantastic." He gave her an ornery smile and wagged his eyebrows up and down, drawing a sweet chuckle from her. He relished that he could still bring a smile to that beautiful face, and he reached over to pat her knee, which was bent in his direction.

His intention had been to simply pat her knee or leg, whatever was in reach, and then return his hand to his gear shift; instead, she snaked her hand down to his and allowed their fingers to intertwine together, almost intimately, and she sighed and closed her eyes. He didn't pull his hand away as he originally planned. He was more than content to retain that contact with her, so he shifted his hand a little higher on her seat, so she was not stretching, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for her – and hoping that she would let their hands stay like this for the remainder of the ride. He let a smile grace his lips as he focused on the road ahead of them, both the literal road on which they were travelling as well as the metaphorical one on which they were beginning a journey.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so once again, I painted Hacker a little OOC from his character in the show, but, as I explained in previous notes, I really needed the conflict to occur for my story to play out the way I am seeing it. **

**I hope you all still like it. Please click that wonderful little link down there and let me know what you think! Thanks again, as always! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Welcome back my friends! **

**So, Booth and Bones are on their way back to DC, Hacker has been put in his place, and everything is starting to fall into place. Yay! **

**My muse is having great fun with this story and is thoroughly honored that you have all responded so well to the tale. Thank you for your continued reviews and private messages. **

**Disclaimer: Still, the only thing I own is this story line. I don't own Bones or its characters! **

About 25 minutes into their ride, she started to stir out of her restless nap. He heard her whimper and he squeezed the hand he was still embracing, softly and easily coaxing her to open her eyes- to know he was there, she was safe, she was no longer in the basement of her recent hell. When her eyes fluttered open, she was momentarily panicked before she focused on the man sitting across from her, the same man whose hand she held tightly. Immediately she was calmed to know he was there. _He had not given up hope on me, he didn't abandon me._ "Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

She paused. She really had nothing to say, she just wanted to say his name. To know he was real and not a figment of her tortured imagination. "Nothing... Just…Well, just… Hi, I guess."

He smiled over at her, still exceedingly pleased that he had reached her in time. He knew he owed it all to her team, but he couldn't help but feel the pride of being the one to reach her. Pride was a sin, he knew, but he was a weak man when it came to Bones. And he allowed himself that guilty pleasure of being prideful for being there for her. "Hi, back. Are you hungry? You must be, right? How about we stop at Wong Fu's and get some take out to bring back to the apartment?"

She nodded, "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"Sure, Bones. Hey – I need to say something, OK? It's important." He felt her agree when she squeezed her fingers tighter around his. "OK, Bones, I know you don't want to go to the hospital, I get that. I hate hospitals too. But I really am nervous about no one checking you out." Before he let her interject with her objections, he continued quickly. "Just hear me out, OK? What about Cam? I can call Cam and ask her to meet us at my place and, maybe you could just let her look you over, make sure there isn't anything really earth shattering that we should know about?" He glanced over and saw her thinking. _At least she's not immediately shooting down the idea_, he thought. "You know she is a licensed medical doctor, and you trust her, right? It's not like she's a stranger who is going to be, I don't know, scrutinizing everything about you. She would be honest and open and she wouldn't do anything you don't want her to do. But I would feel a whole lot better at having someone we know and trust just… take a look, you know?"

He was anxious when she didn't reply right away. But he knew he had to let her process it through her logic-deducing-brain before he tried to push again.

Bones formulated her reply, but had trouble verbalizing it once she started, "Well, I understand what you're saying, Booth. I really do, but I feel so… so… _used_, that I…Well… he'd been looking at my body… and hitting me… and touching me...and I just, I don't know, I don't want anyone else looking at me. Other than you, I feel fine with you, Booth. I know you. I know I trust you. I know you won't hurt me… I know that…that you… well that you care about me…" her voice died down to almost a whisper at the end.

Booth pulled the SUV over into a turn-off meant for only auto emergencies like flat tires or over-heating engines, and he put the vehicle in park, never letting go of her hand. He turned his body towards her and made eye contact, to find that she had tears freely flowing from her azure blue orbs. He laid his seat back into a mirror image of her passenger side, and he laid on his right side so he faced her. He took his left hand and thumbed away the tears that were trailing down her cheeks, and threatening to drip off the end of her nose.

"Bones, I can't tell you enough how sorry I am that this happened to you. But please, understand that I want to help. Your friends, your 'family,' want to help you thru this. If we asked Cam to do this, _we both_ _know_ she would be completely professional in her assessment of your condition. We know she would support you in what you wanted to do with that assessment. I can leave you two alone, so you can do the girlie-things that girls do at the doctors, and have the girlie-talks that you girls do, too." Again, he managed to elicit a smile thru her distraught features. "Please, let me ask Cam to help. We'll ask her to be discreet; the rest of the team doesn't have to know. Just, please, would you go with my gut on this one? Please? I won't be able to rest until I know beyond all doubt that you are OK."

She couldn't deny him this need to protect her. She knew he only meant to do right by her, and he only meant her well. She knew, _deep down_, that she did need to be seen by a professional, but that didn't make it any less scary. "Ok, Booth, you win," she responded. "Call Cam and ask her to meet us."

"Bones, I don't want to _win_, I just want you to understand that, well, that's it is really important to me, and it should be to you, too." He tried to make her understand this was not a need to win a Booth vs. Bones banter session.

"I know, Booth. I know you're not trying to win, but you are right. I know you are. I'm just frightened."

"Well, don't be. I'll give you guys the privacy you need and then when you're all done, I'll be out in the living room waiting to get you whatever you need, whatever you want. I promise, I'm going to be right beside you, I promise, Bones." His voice was barely above a whisper, but with the two of them so close together in the quiet of the SUV, it was perfectly clear. He hoped she realized that he really meant what he was saying; he would be at her beck & call, whatever she desired he would make sure she got.

When she nodded her agreement, he picked up his cell phone and dialed Cam.

"Cam, it's me. Hey, I need to ask you a favor…" He relayed their request and she immediately agreed without question, to meet them at Booth's. She mentioned that she wanted to get the portable x-ray machine up there as well as some basic medical supplies to cover all their bases. He agreed that she could convert his bedroom to a home-based-hospital and then he called the landlord and gave permission for Cam to be granted access to his place.

Once his phone calls were done, he smiled lovingly at a dozing Bones. He closed his eyes as he gently brought the small hand he'd been holding to his lips and planted gentle kisses on each of her four knuckles before rubbing his cheek across the backs of her slender fingers. _Bones, I need to talk to you, I have so much to tell you, so much to say. As soon as you are well, we will have a nice, long discussion, sure to last late into the night. I have so much to say to you._ He was lost in his thoughts, eyes still closed, when he felt her tiny hand unravel itself from his, and she palmed the side of his chiseled face. He placed another kiss on palm as it rested half against his lips, half against his cheek.

He slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze, smiling. "I'm so glad you're here, Bones. So glad that you're going to be alright," he vocalized softly.

She smiled at him, a tired but genuine smile, "Thanks to you, Booth. If you hadn't come for me, I would not be here. I would be lying back on that mattress; my life would have expired already. Once again, I owe you my life. I don't know what I would do without you, Booth. Honestly, I think I would be lost completely." Her voice was hoarse, tentative. She couldn't remember when she had become so dependent on her partner. She had always been so independent, but she was realizing more and more that she no longer wanted to be just on her own if it meant she couldn't be taken care of by Booth.

Booth broke both of their trances, "OK, Bones, first Wong Fu's then home, ok?" He didn't need to wait for her answer to know she was quite happy at the idea of food… her growling stomach made that all too clear as it responded to his question. They both laughed and Booth moved to raise his seat back up to a driving position. They continued their drive in silence. It was a comfortable silence they both enjoyed, as they often did; nothing awkward or disagreeable, just companionable enjoyment of being with each other.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so she understands that she actually needs medical attention… finally! And yes, Booth totally wants to take care of her! Thanks for joining me once again for this update, please keep an eye out for the next installment, I am almost done the rough draft and will be typing it out very soon! **

**Please don't forget to review! Me (& my Muse) appreciate it! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Ladies & Gentleman, welcome back! This chapter is considerably longer than any of the previous ones. I hope it's OK! **

**Thank you all, as always, for continuing your support and leaving me reviews and private messages. My muse and I appreciate it! **

**I hope you enjoy this continuation of our little tale. **

**Disclaimer: I still only have claim to this story line, I don't enjoy any real benefits from Bones or its characters! Thank you HH for giving us such delicious characters to write about! **

Brennan's eyes eased open. She wasn't ready to wake up yet; she was enjoying a really nice dream sequence involving herself and Booth… _And we were happy. His smile was contagious, his deep brown eyes danced and he was talking to me… What was he saying?..._ She came out of her dream, momentarily frightened that she was going to open her eyes wide to find that she was still laying on the filthy mattress, tethered to the wall – her body feeling like it was going to be torn in half; her tormentor looming over her with his lash…

Then, all her fears dissipated when she looked into the brown eyes that were staring down at her, concerned and love-filled. He was talking to her, but she could not hear what he was saying. _Am I still dreaming? Booth?_

He smiled that she finally locked eyes with him. "Hey," he whispered. "Did you have a good sleep?" He was rubbing her upper arm, her skin warmed where his fingered grazed.

"Booth? This isn't a dream, right? I mean, you're really here, right?"

"Yeah, baby, uh, Bones, I'm here. I'm real, you're real, and you're safe." His face was close to hers, their foreheads almost touching. "I didn't want you to wake up and find me gone, that's why I had to wake you."

"Huh? Where are you going? Why are you leaving? I don't want to be alone, Booth." Her immediate reaction was bordering on hysterical and she spoke quickly.

"No, No, Bones, Shhh…" He cupped her cheek tenderly, "No, I am just running across the street, into Wong Fu's. Sid will have our food ready, I called ahead. I'm just running across the street then coming straight back, sweetie, I'll be right back." His other hand still held hers tightly, and he rubbed little circles on her soft skin with his calloused thumb. She visibly began to calm. "OK?"

"Yeah, I'm OK. Sorry, I was confused. I'll be OK. Thanks, Booth."

"Alright, well, I'll be right back. Sit tight. I'll lock the doors." He quickly made his way out of the car, jogging across the street between traffic, and entering their favorite take-out establishment.

From her lounging position in the front seat, she couldn't see Booth once he got a few steps away from his door. She didn't like not being able to see him. She felt apprehensive, although she knew she was OK. But as irrational as it was, she still felt the need to keep her eyes on him. She struggled to sit up, as best she could, and raised herself on her left arm. She felt her shoulder and bicep burn in pain under her own weight, but it did allow her to see her partner as he was standing at the cashier counter paying for their meal. He grabbed their take-out and shook hands with Sid as he made his exit, jogging back towards his SUV.

As soon as he left the restaurant, he could see two beautiful blue eyes peeking out at him through the night, just barely able to see over his door and out the window. He could see the concern in her eyes as she watched his jog back over to her. As he approached, he flashed his 'Boothy charm smile' at her, knowing that it would let her know he had seen her watching. She blushed a little, feeling warmth spread thru her when he smiled at her. She returned a shy smile to him as she lowered herself back down to her seat, her arm and shoulder thankful for the relief.

"Hey," he said as he hopped into his seat, "You OK?"

"Uh-huh, fine."

He grinned at her use of the affirmative slang 'uh-huh' as opposed to her usual proper grammatical response 'yes' that he was so accustomed to hearing. "Good. Sid said he made us some of his best recipes tonight. Said you'll love the soup, it will make you feel better." He smiled at her and started the SUV to continue on to his apartment.

The ride to his apartment was a short one. Once again, her tiny hand found its way towards Booth's and intertwined their fingers together. As he pulled into his parking space, he knew she was getting apprehensive because her breathing became a bit more labored and her grip became a bit more firm. He allowed his thumb to once again trace little circles and figure-eights on the back of her hand, hoping to bring her back from her anxiety-ridden state of mind. Once he turned off the ignition, they sat in silence for a few seconds. He turned to her, studied her profile, and saw fear in her clenched jaw line and down-turned eyes. Tears were threatening to spill from beneath her eyelids, and it wrenched his gut to see her so distraught.

"Hey," he whispered, "It's gonna be OK… You're going to be fine. You'll be in good hands, you know that, right?" He waited for her to meet his gaze and when she didn't, he reached over with his free hand and tipped her chin his direction. Once they made eye contact, that was all it took for those threatening tears to become full-blown, flowing droplets, streaming down her cheeks.

"Booth, please don't leave me alone. Please don't go. I want you to stay," she muttered through sobs. "Please…"

"Whoa, Bones, I'm not going anywhere. Why would you think I'm leaving you? What are you afraid of, really, I mean, where is this coming from, babe?" He forced her to maintain eye contact by holding onto her cheek, even when she tried to pull away.

"You said you would be in the living room, and I could call you when I need you. I don't want you to be out in the living room. I don't want to have to call out to you. I don't want to be alone. Can you stay with me? Sit with me?" Brennan's tears were flowing freely; Booth had not seen her so scared since the Gravedigger buried her alive.

He gave her a sweet and caring smile, "Bones, that was so you can have some privacy with Cam. You know, for your exam. You won't be alone, you'll be with Cam. You don't want me hanging around in there when she's looking you over and asking personal questions, right? That's all. I'm not actually leaving, I'll just be in the next room, I promise."

She was shaking her head adamantly, "No, Booth, I want you there. I need you there - to hear what she says, you know, with me. I don't care what kind of questions she asks; I have no secrets from you anyway. I – I really need you beside me… please?" She tried to calm herself by taking deep, slow breaths. "What if – what if-" Her voice died down.

"Bones, don't over think it, whatever you're thinking, just say it. 'What if' what?"

"What if there's something seriously wrong, Booth? What if she finds something life- threateningly wrong?" Bones was looking up at his thru teary blue saucers.

"Bones, if Cam finds something _that_ wrong, we'll deal with it then… Listen, you're not one to speculate, never have been…so don't start now, OK? You don't have any evidence showing you that there's anything life threatening going on. _You told me_ what you think is wrong, which bones you think are broken, which muscles you think are torn; hell, you probably know all the answers already, but this is a precautionary measure. Cam will be able to help with stitching, prescriptions, advice. Don't make more of it yet, OK? We'll cross that bridge when, _and if,_ we come to it. Together." His peaceful demeanor and honesty calmed her as she listened to his reason. For a change, he was the logical one and she was the emotional one – she didn't know what to make of this change of places. But she would go along with what he said; she trusted him and knew he was right. She would let him take the lead in this dance; she would submit to his rationality.

"So, you ready to go up?" He asked, after he allowed her to process his suggestions.

She nodded in quiet consent and he gave her a grateful and warm smile before unbuckling her seatbelt. "Sit tight, I'll come around."

He opened her door and leaned over her, calculating the best way to get her _and their food_ up to the apartment… Not coming up with an acceptable solution, he opted for the only decent thing to do…. Take her up first, of course, and then come back down for their dinner. He gently rolled her into his arms, much in the same position as earlier that evening; his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm over her legs and looping under her knees to support her. She reached up and clenched his shoulders in slight pain as her back pulled against itself and her wounds started to re-open. She winced and bit the inside of her lip to stop from crying. "I'm so sorry, Bones, I wish this was easier, but we're almost done with moving for a bit." She nodded tightly in response and just held onto him tighter.

As he started to move away to kick the door closed, she stopped him, "Booth!"

"Wha-what? What's wrong?"

"Booth, our food, you forgot our food!"

Raising an eyebrow, he almost smiled at her, "No, I didn't Bones, I just can't carry you _and_the food all at the same time. You would rather me take you first, would you not?"

"Booth," almost rolling her eyes, "Just put it here, between us; rest the weight of it on my torso. Why make two trips?" She smiled up at him.

"You're just hungry, and don't want to wait… That's your M.O., isn't it?" He grinned down at her as she tried her best to give him a look of complete innocence.

"Well, Booth, I don't know what you're talking about." As she settled against his chest and held their meal between them, she smiled up at him. "It smells really,_ really_ good, Booth. Do you know what kind of soup he made for me?" He simply responded by shaking his head, wondering himself, what Sid had prepared for him…

As they were making their way up the stairs to the apartment above the liquor store, Brennan glanced at Booth. "You never said that you would stay with me… You know, when I'm with Cam. You never answered me, Booth. You are going to stay in there with me, right? Please?" Her voice was less desperate than it was when they were in the car, and he glanced down at her, to look into her eyes.

"If you want me there, Bones, I will be there. You don't have to ask twice. You already asked and I already decided that I would stay with you. Sorry I didn't say it out loud, but yes, I will stay with you." She rested her cheek against his pec and listened to his heart beat and breathing as he turned up the last stairwell leading to his floor. "Thanks, Booth," she whispered, but he never heard her because he was carrying on a conversation with himself in his head. A conversation that was going to come up tonight. A very important conversation that he desperately wanted to have _tonight_.

As he approached the door to his apartment, it opened before he could even maneuver to reach for the door knob. They were both startled to see six pairs of concerned eyes staring out at them, one particular pair swollen and rimmed red, after crying all day for her best friend. Despite the fact that these were their closest friends, their 'family', of sorts, Booth and Brennan were not expecting them to all be piled into Booth's small apartment, awaiting their arrival.

On instinct alone, Brennan buried her face into Booth's chest as he pulled her close. He could feel her tense in his arms and she fisted his T-shirt tightly in her palm.

"Ummm… Hey guys, hi." Booth began hesitantly, as he pushed into his apartment. "We didn't expect everyone to be here." He knew he sounded distant, but he was truly taken by surprise, he knew Bones was too; he also knew she didn't yet want to see anyone, nor did she want anyone see her _like this_. He could tell the small gathering was taken back a bit by his cool greeting, so he continued to explain, speaking on behalf of his partner, because he knew he could. "Hey, guys, thanks, really, everyone for coming. It's awesome. You guys are the best, really. Umm, Bones is pretty overwhelmed right now. But please know that she really is touched that you all care enough to see her. We both are. Just give me a chance to take her in to lie down and let Cam start her exam, OK?"

"Absolutely, man," Hodgins spoke for the group, "we understand. We just all really wanted to see her, you know, to really see her with our own eyes. But we get it, we do, right, guys?" He looked at their little assembly of Cam, Angie, Wendell, Sweets and Daisy. Everyone nodded in agreement with Hodgins. Jack looked back to the partners, and spoke to the back of Brennan's head, "Look, Dr. B, we all know you; we don't want you to talk right now, and we didn't mean to intrude, honest. We just wanted you to know that we all love you, and we are all so relieved to know that Booth got to you. Now you just focus on getting better, OK?"

Brennan nodded against Booth's chest, but never turned to face her friends. "Thank you, Jack. Thank you everyone. Really, Booth is right, we do appreciate you all being here."

Booth could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

He leaned his head down and whispered, "Hey, it's OK, go ahead and look at them, Bones. They're our family, they _do_ love you, and they really want to see that you're going to be alright."

She reached up between their bodies and tried to wipe away her tears, but they kept flowing.

Angela saw what her friend was doing and spoke up, as she stepped forward, "Sweetie, you don't need to wipe your eyes, we aren't judging whether or not you're crying… Hell, I've been crying all day, we just want to see you." She placed a gentle hand on Brennan's shoulder, as Booth mouthed to her '_easy, not hard_,' and Brennan slowly turned to her long-time best friend, allowing a new set of flowing tears to spill freely from her eyes. Angela rested her forehead against Brennan's and the two friends cried together, speaking incomprehensible words to each other until Hodgins placed a hand on Angela's shoulder, delicately pulling her away. "C'mon, Babe, let Booth take her in and get her settled. You two girls can cry together again in a little while, OK?"

While Booth didn't find Bones to be especially weighty, he was thankful to Hodgins, because as they stood still, she did grow increasingly heavier in his arms. He would never have interrupted the ladies, however, because as least she was still letting him hold her, and in his mind, it was all worth it.

Cam waved him back as she parted the rest of their group. Letting her know he would come back out for it, Booth asked Angela to take the food out to the kitchen, and he then moved to take her to his bedroom. His mind was tormented and his gut in a knot; for years, he dreamed of carrying this woman to his bedroom, but his dreams were never like this. In his mind, it was always _way_ more romantic, _way_ more fun and _way__sexier_… Nevertheless, he was moving towards his bedroom with the woman he loved cradled in his arms, and for that he was thankful. He was not thankful for the situation, he was devastated at the situation; he was thankful that she trusted him enough, and had enough faith in his care, that she was letting him take her to his bedroom.

As he went through the door, he hardly recognized his sporty, masculine bedroom… It was converted into a hospital room. At a view of just this room, one would never have known it was not a scene from a healthcare center. "Wow, Cam, holy crap, you were busy in here!" Booth was astounded.

Brennan looked around from her perch in Booth's arms, then settled her gaze on his face with worried eyes, "Booth, I'm sorry; this isn't even your room anymore. I'm about to take over your room, aren't I? I promise I won't stay long. I won't put you out for long. Maybe by tomorrow you can take me back home if you don't mind; I'm going to be in the way here. I didn't even think about that when I asked to -"

Booth sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her on his lap, much like he did earlier that evening, "Bones, stop. You're not putting me out. You need to be with someone; I need that someone to be me. I can keep an eye on you if you're here; I can keep you safe here. I can't keep an eye on you if you're at your place… So, stop worrying and just let Cam get started with your exam. The faster we get started, the faster we get done, the faster you can begin to truly relax. Alright? So, don't worry about taking over my room… You're worth it to me; You're. Worth. It. To. Me."

She listened to him, and she adored him a little more while she _heard_ the words he was saying to her.

Cam interrupted the intimate conversation, knowing that she needed to get started. "Are you ready, Dr. Brennan? If so, please go ahead and lay back on the bed. Lay in the most comfortable position possible and we'll work from there." She was professional yet personally respectful to her colleague and friend. She wanted to put Dr. Brennan at ease and let her know that she was conscious that she was in a great deal of pain.

Booth eased Bones down to the mattress, allowing her to lay on her right side, facing him as he knelt by the side of the bed. They maintained eye contact as he held her hand tightly. Cam moved to the other side, and audibly gasped as she removed the blanket from around Brennan's shoulders. The sight before her was worse than she would have imagined and she raised her eyes to meet Booth's, and then gazed back down at her friend's back. Booth's work shirt was plastered to his partner's back, blood having soaked through completely before drying and stiffening.

_It was going to be a long night, a long night indeed, _Cam thought, as she continued to remove the blanket from her patient's legs. _My God, what kind of hell did she go through over the past day? What kind of animal does this to another human being? _Tears began to well at her lower lids as she took a deep breath before beginning the daunting task before her.

**Postscript A/N**

**Well, next we will begin the task of healing Brennan , and I promise, Booth will have an integral part in doing so! Please review this chapter and let me know what you think, and please come back for the next chapters, which will be posted soon! **

**Tell a friend if you think they'll like it! (I'm such a needy writer….)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Hello to my FF friends! Thank you for continuing to support my story by reading it and **_**reviewing it**_**! The response from you all is so gratifying and overwhelming that I find myself unable to write fast enough,, I want to please you all! I hope this chapter lives up to the previous 16! It's a bit longer, but I didn't feel comfortable breaking it anywhere in the middle, so I just went with it and let it flow. **

**I did state in a previous A/N, but I wanted to reiterate for the benefit of a couple of PM's I received, in my little muse's world, for the purpose of this story, Booth NEVER proposed to Hannah. He told her to leave his apartment, but we still don't know why…. But fear not, that story will tell itself in a later chapter! I should state, as well, that in my little AU Bones World, Brennan never revealed her true feelings of regret to Booth in his car that day. She never allowed herself to break down in front of him, so he still doesn't know she regrets the decision she made that night on the steps of the Hoover. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones, but simply LOVE the characters and wish to explore another avenue their relationship may have taken if given the chance. So the story line herein is mine, but none of the characters are! **

As he knelt by her bedside, holding her hand tightly, his face close to hers, their eyes remained trained on each other, carrying on a silent conversation that no one else could ever understand.

_~~You doing OK?_

_ *Yes, but it hurts._

_~~I know, but it will get better_

_ *Thank you for being here_

_~~I wish I could take your pain away_

_ *I would be dead if you hadn't come for me_

_~~I don't know what I'd have done if I had lost you_

_ *I have something important to tell you_

_~~You're the only one for me_

_ *You broke down my walls_

_ ~~I could never move on without you_

_ *Please don't give up on me, please don't_

_~~I love you, Bones_

_ *I need you, Booth_

_~~I will never leave you _

_ *I want to be everything you've ever wanted_

~~_There's never been anyone else for me_

_ *I love you, I realize that now_

"Dr. Brennan?" Cam knew she was interrupting something, but she couldn't tell exactly what, given they were not exchanging words… "I am going to need you to roll flat onto your stomach, so that I can work on your back in as flat a position as possible. I am going to have to wet down the shirt before I am able to cut it off you."

Instantly, tears started forming in Brennan's cerulean eyes and she searched Booth's deep coffee-colored eyes for help. A hoarse whisper was all she could manage, "No, No, Booth. I can't. I can't lay on my stomach, please tell her I can't. Don't make me roll over." She had chosen to speak to Booth rather than to Cam, hoping that he would understand her upset and take control of the situation. "I can't lay on my stomach, not after . . . Not after…" she choked up and couldn't finish her sentence. Her eyes pleaded with him for help.

Cam had not processed the impact her request would have on her friend, until after she had spoken the words aloud. _Of course, she's not going to want to roll over, not after everything she's been through…Shit... But that doesn't change the fact that I need access to her back. Shit, shit, shit…how am I going to do this…?_

Booth squeezed Bones' hand and looked deep into her eyes before standing up to face Cam. He circled the foot of the bed and approached their friend and pulled her away from the bedside, slightly. "Cam, is this really necessary? I mean, God, she spent the last day tied face down on a mattress, living through the worst hell of her life while that asshole beat her. You can see what he did, the evidence is right there, under our noses… You can't expect her to allow herself to be that vulnerable so soon; even if it is just _us_. Please Cam, please work with her, with me…"

"Seeley, I know this is going to be hard for her. I get that. But I really do need to get full access to her back before I can really assess her injuries. With her laying on her side, her muscles are contorted and her skin is pulled in unnatural directions. I am sure, just from the blood I'm looking at, she is going to need stitches, maybe staples, but in order for me to really determine the proper method of treatment, I need her back to be flat. I need to be able to see how deep the wounds are, how many of them there are, everything... I need your help here, Booth. I need _you_ to help her understand that it's necessary." She almost grimaced at the steely look he was giving her. But underneath the anguish he was experiencing, she knew he understood what she needed from him. "Seeley, help me do the right thing for her. The faster we can do this, the faster we can get her healing."

Booth's eyes moved from Cam to look at the bloody mess that was his partner's back. His eyes flooded with concern and understanding. He could see Bones' shoulders shuddering from the silent sobs that were wracking through her fragile body; his normally composed partner was losing her fight to maintain control, and he knew that was probably killing her worse than the physical pain.

His mind was racing. He had to help Bones, but he hated the _way_ he had to help her. By helping her, encouraging her to lay face down, she was going to be mentally tormented. The proverbial wheels were turning, trying to come up with a resolution that would work for everyone. "Alright," he said quietly, "I know what we can do." He moved back around the foot of the bed, once again stood before her, and knelt down to look into her eyes. He thumbed away the tears that were quietly making their paths down her pale ivory face, and then he palmed both her cheeks, ensuring she was looking at him.

"Bones," it was barely a whisper, "listen, Cam is right. She needs to be able to access your back in its most natural position." He allowed his gazed to travel down the length of her thin body, which had almost rolled itself into a fetal position. "How about this," he reconnected her eyes, "How about if I lay down on my back, and I hold you to my chest? You can be lying on your stomach, allowing Cam to examine you properly, but you won't be on the mattress directly. Instead you'll be lying against me. I'll hold you for as long as it takes, Bones." He gave her a pleading look, hoping she realized he was trying to find an acceptable solution both for her to feel comfortable and for Cam to be able to do the job to which they had given her charge.

Brennan stopped crying momentarily and just stared at her partner in slight disbelief. "What? Booth, that won't work, you'll be uncomfortable like that. And your back will complain if you're lying flat with my weight against you. I'll be dead weight just lying there." Her voice had a slight hitch to it – not quite in question, but not quite in statement either.

He gave her a crooked smile and a raised eyebrow, "Bones… really? Are you saying that you are too much for this steely bod? That I can't manage to hold you without hurting myself? C'mon, Bones, I'm stronger than that! You said so yourself to Hacker…! And hello…? How did you get up here? How did you get from the basement to my SUV? Did Casper carry you?" He smiled at her incredulous statement.

"Booth, I don't know what that means. I don't know who Casper is."

"Oh, c'mon, Bones. Casper? Casper the Friendly Ghost?" When he was met with only a blank stare, he just continued, "Aw, man, Bones, you need to hang out with me & Parker more often." He chuckled.

"While I do find that idea _very_ appealing, that does not help our current dilemma, now does it?" He could see she was getting frustrated and upset again and her previously dried-tears made their reappearance. "Oh, Bones, it's OK, don't cry, shhh… It just means that _I can_ support your body weight. That I will _not_ be injured from it, OK?" He smiled at her questionable look, "Bones, you trust me, right? You trust that I would not steer you wrong? And I promise, no funny stuff," he smiled more with his eyes than his mouth this time, raising both eyebrows and giving her his 'up-to-no-good-grin.'

"Yes, of course I trust you, Booth." Her voice was sincere and got softer, "I trust you with my life… with … my everything. But I don't want you to be hurt or, I don't know… be sorry for helping me when I fall apart. I'm really trying to keep it together, Booth, I really am. But I am finding it increasingly difficult…" her quiet voice got so soft that he had to strain to hear the end of her statement.

"I won't Bones. I promise. And Bones, it's OK to _not _hold it completely together, you know… You've been through hell and back, and it's perfectly normal to fall apart, at least a little bit. You _are_ human, after all…" He stood to look at Cam, who had moved back into the shadows to give the pair a little privacy as they figured things out. "Cam? That would work, right? If I lay down and hold Bones on top of me? That will allow you to get to her back as well as her legs and feet, right?" His eyes were pleading with his ex_, please say this will work Cam; she can't, simply __cannot,__ lay on her stomach yet. It's too soon._

Cam smiled, "Yeah, Booth, that would work. As long as you're both comfortable with it and as long as you both promise to lie as still as possible if I am performing any stitching or the like."

"That's settled then; yes, we can do that," Booth quickly replied, answering also for his partner, as he sat down on the edge of the bed, next to Bones. The gaze with which he captured Brennan's eyes was so intense that it sent waves of warmth throughout her entire being.

Cam left the room for two reasons. First, she knew she had to get some towels soaked in hot water, so she moved into the master bathroom to begin that process. The second reason she retreated was that she knew the couple was going to need some privacy to make this lying-arrangement work. But she knew if anyone could make it work, it would be those two…

Booth kicked off his sneakers before swinging his legs up to the bed. He faced his partner slightly, as he laced his left arm under her shoulders and rolled his torso so her head was resting on his shoulder. She scooted the best she could, to give him the necessary room for his powerful body to stretch out beside her own small frame. They were trying to remain as close to the center of his double bed as possible, allowing a bit of room on either side of them, in case they needed to roll one way or the other. Once he was settled, he encouraged her to move over him, with a nod and a slight tug. He supported her upper body weight by holding her shoulders tight during the maneuver. He grasped her left hand with his right and guided her into position atop his chest.

Her body rebelled at the movement; her muscles ached, her bones complained, and her temporarily clotted wounds broke open again and began to bleed under the shirt that clung to her back. But as soon as she found herself chest to chest with her partner, her eyes level with his Adams apple, her weakened bare legs resting safely between his strong denim-covered thighs, her mind forgot about the physical discomfort she was experiencing.

His left arm was still completely around her shoulders as his right hand let go of her left, and wandered down to her left hip, where he rested it lightly in place. As he lowered his left arm from around her shoulders, he was unsure of what to do with that hand, so he brought it to her other hip and gently allowed it to mirror his opposite side. No physical pressure was placed by either hand, but there was an unmistakable and involuntary movement from both partners as their hips moved into place against each other and pressed together.

They had yet to make eye contact since the move began. Booth suddenly realized he had stopped breathing and he lowered his gaze to the top of Bones' hair. Her eyes were fixed straight, unfocussed; her nose was almost up against the soft part of his throat, just at his trachea level, and he noticed she wasn't breathing either. He exhaled a sharp breath, which caused her to do the same, and they both commenced breathing, although their respective breaths were shaking and nervous, filled with anxiety and masked passion.

"Hey…this OK, Bones? You OK?" His deep voice was raspy, breathless, silky smooth.

Her reply was a simple nod as she pushed her hands under his arms, and curled her thin fingers up to grasp his shoulders.

His strong body was firm beneath hers. Firm and comfortable. She allowed her head to turn sideways, and she rested her right cheek against the front of his broad and protective left shoulder. He felt her inhale deeply and exhale shakily, her breath warm against his neck, as she settled against him, and he relaxed his shoulders a bit. Together, their breathing returned to more normal rhythms. Involuntarily, Booth's calloused thumbs began making small swirls on the smooth skin of her hips, at which time they were both suddenly reminded that she was clad in _only_ his work shirt, which was very soon to be cut off by their friend.

As this realization became apparent to both, nearly simultaneously, Booth froze his thumbs in their tracks and Brennan flexed her tiny hands, allowing her fingers to spread wider, encompassing more of his shoulders under her touch, and she squeezed tightly, pulling herself further into him.

Her olfactory senses were once again assaulted by his Boothy-goodness. His smell clouded her brain, the same as would a good wine. She allowed a small moan to escape from her throat as the turned her head and pressed her lips to his collarbone in a tender kiss. The soft warmth of her lips radiated through Booth's T-shirt, and upon that action, he resumed his gentle stroking on her hips and tilted his head over and down, to rest his cheek on her hair and his mouth just above her ear. She had turned her cheek back to him, this time allowing it to come to rest below the shoulder, almost to his chest.

"Booth, your heart rate seems elevated. Are you OK? Am I too heavy, or is this uncomfortable for you?"

He chuckled to himself, the sound of which came through to her ears loud and clear, as she pressed herself to him. "No, Bones, it's nothing like that. Your weight or my comfort has absolutely _nothing_ to do with my elevated heart rate." He smiled above her head. "Now, you…Your breathing appears to have become erratic, Bones, can _you_ explain _that_? Are you sure _you're OK_?"

"I'm fine, Booth. Hmmm…But in addition to my apparent labored breathing, I also find that my heart rate is elevated... Perhaps… well, perhaps… neither requires an actual explanation, after all…?"

He splayed his fingers on both hands and grasped her hips as he mentally talked to his pulse, telling it to calm the hell down… "Try to relax, Bones, try to rest. Cam will be in soon and she'll begin the process of getting this shirt to release your back from its grip." _And Booth, you need to relax too… This isn't a romantic interlude…You're here to help your partner, you jackass_, he lectured himself silently.

"Booth?" her voice was soft, and husky, warm against his chest, even through his T-shirt.

"Yeah Bones?" came his breathy reply.

"Uh… Thank you. This is good. This helps... It… It means a lot to me that you're… that you're here. This is… nice, Booth." She was hesitant to may much more, but she had so very much more to say. _And so many questions_. But she didn't dare mess up when she had at that moment… And besides, given her current Boothy-intoxicated mental state, she was having difficulties constructing a coherent thought into an intelligible sentence.

"Bones, I would do anything for you. _Anything_. You should know that; you do, right?" he wanted her to know he truly cared, without saying it in such a way that would send her running away from him, from them. She nodded against his chest. "Bones, thank you for trusting me; for letting me in…to help and for letting me… letting me be with you."

Cam walked back into the bedroom to an almost too-intimate scene and she took pause; still unnoticed by the oblivious partners, she just observed for a moment.

Booth's chin was tucked; his head was bowed down, allowing him to gaze down at Brennan. Dr. Brennan's chin was resting on Booth's rock-hard pectoralis major as she looked up at his dark chocolate pools. They were both speechless and lost in each other, mouths slightly open, and lips almost touching. Despite the difficult situation, they both looked completely at ease and entranced with each other.

Cam could only think of one word: harmony. On its own, it was not a particularly strong word, and in its simplest definition, it could not possibly encompass all the feelings Cam was witness to; but it was, without a doubt, an emotion that both partners were experiencing for each other. It would be clear to anyone, even if the onlooker didn't already know the pair belonged together, the devotion they shared for one another was unequalled. There was a time when Cam had longed for this man to look at her in the same way that he was now looking at the woman in his arms, but it was never meant to be between Seeley & herself. It became very clear to her, when she started seeing the partners interacting with one another, so many years ago when she joined their little team, that Seeley Booth truly had eyes for only one person; and even through all their hardships and fights, and though they drifted apart in the last year, (Running from each other, actually), it warmed Cam to see that they had finally found their way back to one another. They were meant for _only _each other and after all the hardships they had both endured in their lives, no two people deserved happiness like Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth.

Hating to intrude, but knowing they had to get moving, she cleared her throat as she entered further into the room, causing Booth and Brennan to break their staring contest, each with shy smiles and downward cast eyes as she approached. They blushed at each other, but that didn't stop either of them from reestablishing their tightened grips on the others' body; Brennan once again tightened her grip around Booth's shoulders, pulling herself further into his warmth, and she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. Booth's large hands splayed out across Brennan's hips, holding her firmly, but not so tight that he was hurting her. Their bodies conformed to each other's perfectly and while they were both thinking it in their minds, neither would say out loud how in tune they were with one another, how well made they were for one another, how they each needed one another.

**Postscript A/N**

**Thank you for sticking with me through chapter 17! Chapter 18 is currently under construction in my hand-written journal. Even with this wonderful technology-filled universe, I still get great pleasure and satisfaction by writing a rough draft on paper, with real ink… Call me weird, whatever, but there is definitely something special about writing, crossing through, highlighting, editing, etc., all with pen to paper… It's classic, I think. **

**Anyway - - Love it or hate it, please review and let me know! And please tell your friends if they like Bones, to please check out the stories out here on this awesome Fan Fic site! There are so many amazing writers out here, with equally amazing tales to tell! Thank you all for reading and I'll talk to you next chapter! **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Welcome back to "Can You Save Her, Agent Booth?". **

**I've been quite busy at work this past weekend and week, so I've been a bit slower editing and completing this chapter. Thank you all for your very kind words in the reviews you have provided. It's quite cathartic to sit and write, escaping the stress of the day, and actually have my work appreciated by some****, so really****, thank you all. **

**As you should all know by now, I do not own Bones or the characters. This is my story line and while I know it doesn't do justice to the real writing that occurs for the show, I thank the creators for providing such great characters for us to play with! **

**I thank you in advance for continuing to read my tale and beg you PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you! **

"Dr. Brennan, I have some warm damp towels that I am going to place onto your back to soften the shirt material and the blood that's pooled through. As these cool, I will rotate them with the additional towels that I have soaking now, until we are able to break the attachment the shirt has to your body. But it will be a slow process because I don't want to risk pulling any good skin if I can help it. Shall we begin?"

Bones took a deep breath and responded the affirmative, "Yes, Cam, I want to get this over. Thank you."

Cam pulled down the white bed sheet that was covering her friend and placed a number of damp towels along her back before retreating back into the bathroom for the next set of warmth.

Throughout the entire process, upon the addition of each new set of warm towels, Brennan winced a little in discomfort. It wasn't a true pain, but a throb, which began each time the weight of the wet towels, mixed with the establishment of new heat were introduced to the open wounds beneath her shirt. She kept her face pressed against Booth and he whispered encouragements into her ear at each of her new reactions. He never once let go of her, he never once shifted under her weight. He simply held her and helped her to remain still during the procedure. Occasionally, he would steal small, barely-noticeable kisses, placing them on top of her head, on her forehead, and a few times upon her temple. Never anything lingering, though he desperately wanted to; he refused to do it wrong this time. He refused to do anything that may frighten her away from him.

She didn't mind the light brushes of his lips, and instantly relaxed her anxiety each time he spoke into her ear. She was enjoying the feel of his breath against her, and relished the feeling of the shivers he sent tingling down her spine. She maintained a firm grip on his shoulders, refusing to ease up, as if she would lose him all together if she let go of her possession. She never wanted his hands to leave her hips – they were perfectly aligned as he held her tight against his own hips. For the first time in her life, she liked having a man hold her in this way. She was not threatened, she was not scared, and she was not uncomfortable. She was immobilized by his embrace, but it was far from unpleasant. It was, in fact, the nicest feeling she could ever remember experiencing. She loved the way his chest felt pressed against her cheek, and she subconsciously permitted herself to become lost in his arms – she simply felt safe and protected and cared-for.

For nearly 10 minutes, Cam alternated warm towels for the cooling ones, in rotation until the dampness and heat penetrated the stiffened dried blood enough for the shirt to be safely pulled away from Brennan's tender skin. One final time, Cam retreated into the bathroom to return all of the now-cooled cloths to the hamper and returned into the bedroom-turned-hospital-room carrying scissors and an additional sterile white sheet.

"OK, Dr. Brennan, I am going to begin at the hem of the shirt and cut it open, working my way up towards your neck. You may feel a bit of pulling, but there should be no real discomfort. If you do feel any pain, I need you to tell me right away, ok? Once I get the shirt removed from your back, I will replace your cover with this new one, so it will feel a little cool before you feel warm again." Cam knew that Brennan was a smart woman, and probably needed no real explanation of what was happening, but she knew that her friend and colleague could very well be in a slight state of shock and she didn't want to risk upsetting her. Cam caught Booth's eye, as he listened to her speak to Brennan. He cheek rested against Brennan's hair and he just mouthed "thank you" to her before she began.

"I understand, Cam, please proceed." Her reply was calm and clinical, but Booth knew that Bones - _his Bones_ - was nervous – he could feel her body trembling as she rested upon his torso. Her thin fingers tightened their clutch on Booth's shoulders and an unpermitted yammer escaped her throat.

Booth nudged her head with his chin until she turned her eyes towards his. "It's OK," he mouthed, but his eyes sent her another message completely_: I'm here; you're safe; I've got you_. She reveled in the depth of his intense gaze. She once again became very much aware of the comfort she was experiencing at the feeling of Booth's hands palming her hips. She focused on the way his strong thighs were pressing in against her legs firmly; the roughness of his jeans against the velveteen smoothness of her bare skin caused a delicious friction that nearly made her forget about the rest of her achy body or what was happening to it as they lay there. Bones acquiesced to her need for rest, and let her eyes slowly drift closed - knowing she was sheltered from all harm.

Cam's scissors reached the collar of Booth's absolutely-bloodied shirt, and she slowly and carefully peeled the two sides away from her friend's back. The recently exposed skin that was revealed upon the removal of the material resembled raw meat rather than the ivory-white flesh that should have been filling Cam's vision. She stared, horrified, at the number of gashes, and their severity, that riddled the Doctor's thin frame. Unfolding the new, clean sheet, Cam spread it gingerly across Brennan's body, before looking up to once again engage Booth's eyes. The concern that stared back to her was so deep that she was almost scared to hold his stare more than just a fleeting moment. This was going to be a difficult healing process, and although she knew Booth was a smart enough man to know for himself that his partner and best friend had a long road ahead of her, she didn't want to cause him any additional undue stress by allowing him to read the doubt in her eyes. _Easy does it, Cam. Get Booth's help on this. You're going to need another pair of hands… it's worse than I imagined_, she spoke to herself…

Cam inhaled a slow, shaky breath before speaking aloud. "Uh… Dr. Brennan? I am going to need some assistance back here; I will need an additional set of hands, so I have a proposition... I know you are infinitely more comfortable with Booth than you are with pretty much anyone else, so my first instinct would be for me to ask Booth to assist with the cleansing of your wounds. However, that would mean he would have to move, and you would need to stay face down on the bed. Alternatively, and based on your earlier reaction and reluctance to said lying position, I would like your permission to bring Angela in to help me. Would this be an acceptable solution for you?" She waited for a response, which was very slow to come.

Brennan kept her head lying on Booth's chest and opened her eyes, staring straight ahead. Booth tilted his head to the side, looking down at his partner, awaiting her answer. When several minutes had passed with no reply, he raised his right hand from her hip and brought it up to cup her left cheek and gently force her to move her wide-eyed gaze up to meet his eyes. He allowed his thumb to stroke the silky soft skin of her cheek bone and silently asked her what she wanted Cam to do.

Tears began spilling forth from the beautiful blues that looked up to him. "Cam," Booth spoke without breaking eye contact with Bones, "Please ask Angela to come in. I'm not letting Bones go. I will not ask her to lie on the mattress. Ange won't mind, I know she won't." He held Brennan's cheek softly, and once he had spoken the words, she closed her eyes in appreciation and leaned into his large palm. "And, Cam?" Booth interjected as Cam made for the bedroom door, "would you ask Angela to bring in some of the broth from the soup that Sid made for Bones? She can drink the broth, easier than trying to eat the soup just yet. And maybe some of the veggie dumplings? I wanted her to eat when we got home, but with everyone here, it was a little overwhelming, and well, she didn't have anything yet, but she needs something in her stomach."

"No problem, Big Guy. I'll get it for her. I'll give you guys a few moments; besides I need a bottle of water, too. Do you want something?" Cam looked at her friend, who still hadn't stopped staring down at his partner.

"No, I just want Bones to eat. I want Bones to get something in her system for strength." Brennan must have opened her eyes back to Booth, Cam couldn't tell for sure, but Booth suddenly was talking to Brennan rather than about her. "You need something to eat, Babe, uh, Bones. You haven't had anything in more than a day, and that's not good. I need you to be OK, so you'll eat something, yes?" Cam could hear a weak but definite affirmative, followed by another question that she couldn't hear. "No, Bones, don't worry about me, I'm fine... Let me worry about you."

"Cam?" Brennan's weak voice spoke up, "Please bring something in for Booth, too. If – if you don't mind, that is," she sounded a little hesitant at asking for help, but her concern reciprocated back at Booth was unmistakable.

"Alright, you two… I'll be back in a bit. Won't be long, but both of you just relax, huh?" Cam spoke as she exited the room, a slight grin on her lips as she thought about how they had danced around each other for so many years, while _always_ watching out for the other, over-protecting each other, and yet had never vocalized for each other what their true feelings were. Their actions, however, spoke volumes if they would _just listen_ to what the other was saying!

As Cam entered the living room, she found her team of dedicated scientists gathered around Booth's television, gawking at the news story that was underway.

"_In other news, world-renowned Forensic Anthropologist and New York Times best- selling author, Dr. Temperance Brennan, of the Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Laboratory, pictured here, was kidnapped last night from her pent-house apartment in DC. Details are sketchy as to the events leading up to and surrounding the kidnapping, but our sources report that she has been successfully rescued and the assailant has been subdued. No further specifics are available at this time in regards to Dr. Brennan's condition or current whereabouts; however it is speculated that she was rescued by and remains within the custody of the FBI; possibly by and with her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth, of the DC field office. It is also suspected that the kidnapping could have been tied to or carried out in order to receive a ransom, as Dr. Brennan's fame has surely made her a prime target for such crimes. Given the field of study in which she presently works, so closely with the FBI, Dr. Brennan comes in daily contact with violent criminals and gruesome crimes for every case presented to her and her partner, and to her team of scientists at the Jeffersonian. __We go now to our newest consulting reporter, who is working diligently to gather more information on this case as the evening progresses. Hannah, have you uncovered any further developments regarding the condition of Dr. Brennan or the motive behind such an act?" _

"_Thank you, Jessie. No, at this time, we have very little information around this incident. My sources tell me that the rescue occurred somewhere in Maryland, but details are imprecise at best, and involve more than one ambulance, several local MDPD units as well as a specifically assembled FBI team of search and rescue specialists. As well as, of course, Dr. Brennan's 'Partner', who is more often __at__ her side than __not__. __My__ best guess is that the fine points of this case are being held under close wraps, given the fame of the victim, as well as the simple recognition she and her partner possess within the DC area. It has been suggested that the rescue was, in fact, performed solely by her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth, former Army Ranger and decorated sniper, but this remains unconfirmed until the pair can be reached for comment. It has long been rumored that the 'partners' share much more than a working relationship, but the FBI denies such speculation, at this time. Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth have both been unavailable for comment all evening, as well as FBI DC Field Office Director, Andrew Hacker. We will continue to bring you more on this breaking story as it unfolds, and until comments are received and confirmed. My sources have provided me with a possible whereabouts for the couple, er, uh, partners, and I intend to follow up on this and locate them, in an until-now-undisclosed location, later this evening. I plan to have an update for you before the end of the broadcast. For WDCN, I'm Hannah Burley. Back to you, Jessie." _

_ "Thank you Hannah, we look forward to your continuing coverage of the kidnapping of Dr. Temperance Brennan. Now, let's go on over to the weather desk to see what's in store for us later this week…"_

"Shit," Hodgins was the first to speak, "Booth and Dr. B are _**not**_ going to be happy. Number one… What the hell - - Hannah's covering this story? This isn't one of her war-crime, political-cover-up stories! She's doing this on purpose because Booth kicked her out… Did you all hear her snide comments about their relationship to each other!" Jack's blood was boiling; his friends' privacies have been put on the line, their relationship with each other is not the public's business. "Number two – What the F, man…. Doesn't she even respect the privacy of a recent victim? Would she be like this is it _wasn't _Dr. B & Booth?" He gritted his teeth and continued his little one-sided rant, "and of **course** the FBI is going to keep this on the low-down… That's what the FBI does!"

"And what did she mean; 'her sources tell her she may be able to locate them'? Who the heck are her sources and do you guys think she really plans to come _here_? Do you guys think she knows they came back here rather than the hospital?" Wendell was truly worried for his hockey-teammate and Dr. Brennan. He was only an intern, but he really considered both people his _friends_. He learned early in life that when you have friends like Booth and Brennan, you help protect them fiercely and they will, in turn, always have your back.

"ooohhh… _I hope_ she comes here... I have a few things to say to that bitch and I would _love_ to see her face when I say them… How dare she? How dare she speculate on the nighttime news broadcast about what may or may not have happened? What kind of reporting is that? She had no facts, no real meat to the story. And what the frig…? She said they were both unavailable for comment? I'll bet she never even tried! IF she had tried to contact either Booth or Bren, and was unsuccessful, she would have then tried one of us, right? She knows how to get to each one of us; she would know that we were aware of what was happening. No, I'd bet my right nut that she knew we would not give into her little scheme for information-fishing. AAARRRGGGGHHHH, that woman is a snake. I never liked her from the start. NEVER. And now… now… I really hate her…" Angela was storming around the apartment as she raved.

Everyone looked on with jaws agape… They all knew that she and Brennan were best friends, but wow… she was pissed. So pissed, in fact that she forgot she didn't actually possess a right nut with which to bet… Jack reached to her shoulders, to calm her down, at the same time Cam approached to bring her back to reality.

"Angela, listen, I know you're upset, but I need you to calm down for a bit, OK? I need your help in with Dr. Brennan and she will only allow you and Booth in with me. Would you please help me?"

"oh, oh! Of course. Of course, what can I do?" She spoke quickly, without allowing time for Cam to reply. "Yes, I am happy to help. Is Booth OK with me being there? Oh, God, do we mention the news report? No, that will probably make things worse for now."

"Angela, please, calm yourself. I need to get some food to take in there, first. But I want you to know that what you will be seeing is not pretty. It's, quite frankly, horrid. Some of the worst wounds I've seen on a still-warm body… Dr. Brennan was seriously injured and you will need to be strong. Can you do this?"

"Yes, I can. I will do anything for Bren. I will not let her down. OK, what food are we taking in? I know Booth picked up from Sid's on the way here, let's see what he brought." She continued talking as she made her way to the kitchen, with Cam trailing behind.

The remainder of the group stood around, still slightly in shock about the news report. Sweets interjected into everyone's thoughts, "I think that Hannah is seeing this opportunity as a way to either get back _at_ Booth for whatever went down when he asked her to leave or simply to get back _into_ Booth's life. We don't know what happened between the two of them, but it was surely big… Big enough for Agent Booth to take such a drastic step as to ask her to leave, so soon after asking her to move in with him. We need to tread lightly here, folks, if we're addressing this with Agent Booth. From the minimal I heard from him about the split, he still hadn't told Dr. Brennan. He alluded to wanting to find 'just the right time' to tell her, but he would not say any more on the topic at the time. So, guys, let's be respectful and conscious of that, ok?" They all nodded in agreement as Angela and Cam crossed through the living room back towards the bedroom, carrying an array of take-out boxes, forks, napkins, dishes, bottled water and cups of tea.

Just before the ladies reached the bedroom, all eyes turned to the front door as a loud and insistent knock sounded through the apartment.

"Ah, yesss, bring it on, you bitch," Angela muttered as she did an about face and made her way towards the resounding raps piercing the silence.

"Hang on, Babe, let me get it. You don't know for sure that it's her; it may be media, but maybe not her. Stay in here," Hodgins took over the approach to the door, closely followed by Wendell and Sweets.

"Oh, it's her alright, I feel it in my bones," Angela replied. "And I have a few things to say to her…"

**Postscript A/N**

**Well, what do you think? Please don't lurk without reviewing! I know there are some of you out there who like to read and not review, but if you like or don't like something, this is your chance to speak out! **

**I really value the feedback I receive and try to incorporate suggestions and ideas that I receive as well! Although, when ideas are planted, as I **_**develop**_** them, fair warning – I do **_**claim**_** them! **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N Welcome back! OK, so this chapter takes place in the same time frame as when Cam left the bedroom to fetch Angela. This is what was happening in the bedroom while she was gone. It deals with some real human-stuff and has a lot more dialog in it than previous chapters. **

**It's a much longer chapter than any others. I hope that's OK with you all! I was not comfortable splitting it at any point, so I let it be as it was. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones, but thoroughly enjoy incorporating the characters into my little imaginary world! **

_Meanwhile: "Alright, you two… I'll be back in a bit. Won't be long, but both of you just relax, huh?" Cam spoke as she exited the room, a slight grin on her lips as she thought about how they had danced around each other for so many years, while always watching out for the other, over-protecting each other, and yet had never vocalized for each other what their true feelings were. Their actions, however, spoke volumes if they would just listen to what the other was saying! _

As Cam left the bedroom, Booth's intense eye contact he'd been maintaining suddenly warmed. "Bones," he started, with a slight shake of his head, and a crooked grin on his lips, "don't worry about me eating, OK? I had lunch earlier; you need to concentrate on _you_ getting something to eat… I'm - "

Bones cut him off, calm and logical, her voice suddenly stronger, "Booth, look, if I am to expect you to help me get through this, then I expect you to be a healthy, strong and _well-fed_ partner, OK? C'mon, Booth," her voice suddenly softer, "eat with me, OK? I don't want to eat alone."

"Well, if you insist…" he replied with a knowing grin. She was using that as an excuse, he could see right thru her little cover-up story. She was actually worried about him… Here she was, laying on him because she was just tortured and can't even bring herself to lay flat on a mattress, and she's worried about his stomach… _This is why I love this woman_, he thought with a warm, wide grin…

"Booth?" Brennan interrupted the comforting silence that was hanging between the partners.

"Hmm?" Booth's humming voice vibrated through his chest and into Brennan's ears, bringing warmth and reassurance to her nerve.

"Um, I find myself in a quandary." She glanced up at his handsome face, her eyes searching, hoping for patience in this man.

"What's wrong?" _Dumb question, you jackass_, he thought. "I mean, what's wrong, besides the obvious?"

"I need to use the bathroom… and of course, I can't get there on my own… And if I am going to eat, I need to brush my teeth or wash with mouth wash. Please?"

He nodded, knowing that she hated asking for help under normal circumstances, and _this_ would probably be among the worst tasks for requiring help.

"Sure, Bones. I'll take you in there and let you have some privacy. I have an extra new toothbrush you can use."

"Thanks, Booth," she whispered as she blushed. She was slightly embarrassed… Slightly annoyed... And suddenly slightly ashamed.

"OK, let's see how we can do this…" Booth was thinking aloud. "Roll to your side, Bones, so I can roll off the bed, and then I'll carry you in there in the same way I carried you in here, OK?"

Her reply was a simple nod. As she started to slide off his chest, his left arm cradled her shoulders and neck to ease her down onto the pillow. She immediately missed the warmth of his body against hers. She gripped the sheet to cover her nakedness, pulling it with her as she made her move. She had a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach as she did so. He had been holding her against him so gently and carefully. She'd been naked the whole time and she didn't even register that fact until that very moment – when she was losing the heat of his body pressed against hers… He was, of course, a gentleman, and kept his eyes averted from her body, but continued to study her face, her eyes, her mouth. Once she was disentangled, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up as he turned back to face her.

"Ready, Bones?" he asked as he stooped to scoop her into his arms.

"Uh-huh" she mumbled as she raised her arms towards his neck.

"Here we go," Booth said with a slight strain in his voice as he straightened up, but once he had hold of her and was standing at his full height, all evidence of strain disappeared.

He walked her to the adjoining bathroom and placed her onto the toilet before moving back towards the door. "Bones, once you're settled and through, let me know and I'll help you with getting to the sink and I'll get your new toothbrush, OK?"

"Thanks… again, Booth." This time, as she replied to her partner, she was instantly humbled. _Here is this wonderful man. My partner.. My friend. He's taking complete care of me without question. He didn't try to take advantage of me, not even a little. He acts like it's the most natural thing in the world to carry me around, put up with my whining, and he hasn't even given any indication of frustration with me. How did I get myself into this situation? When did I become so dependent on him? __Why__ did I become so dependent on him? Does it really matter, Tempe? It feels good, right? Right. Just let him do this and one day I'll be able to repay him. I don't know how, but someday…_

She shuffled herself to unwrap her body of the sheet she had bundled around her aching frame. She let the sheet fall to the floor near her bootie-covered feet. _When did I get booties? They're medical booties. Cam, thanks Cam. _ Then, from her perch on the commode, she turned to see her reflection staring back from the mirror on the wall opposite her. She barely recognized herself. She was appalled at what she saw. Was she really only held hostage for 20 hours? Her face was bruised and spotted with dried blood. Her torso and chest were black and blue. She didn't realize she was crying until her eyes travelled back up to her facial reflection and she saw the tears spilling forth from her blue-green eyes.

_Oh my God... No wonder my ribs hurt. I wish I could see my back, Cam seemed really upset. Booth hasn't said anything, so maybe he's not as worried…? Or does he want to not upset me? He saw my back, I know he did. But he saw my whole body when he found me, didn't he? Yes, he saw me. But he didn't really tell me what to expect. He doesn't realize the extent, perhaps. He doesn't know what the implications of the wounds mean, maybe. Or maybe they really are not as bad as I think they are? Well, we'll see soon enough. _

"Bones? You OK in there?" Booth's voice was calling through the closed door.

She wiped her tears. She tried to not allow her sobs come through in her voice. "I'm – I'm OK Booth, just give me a few more moments. I'll call you." She felt like she was successful, but then she heard Booth's movement hesitate by the door.

"Umm, alright Bones, but tell me if you need something, OK? I'm right out here." He stated the obvious because he wasn't sure what else to say. He knew that she knew he was right outside the bathroom, waiting while sitting on the edge of the bed, but he just needed to say it out loud, just to reassure himself as well. It didn't really make sense, when he tried to rationalize it, but hell, he was never one to rationalize anyway…

Just then, Cam opened the bedroom door quickly, her hands full of food containers and a cup of tea. She was hurried, it appeared, and she rushed forward, kicking the door closed behind her. She was startled to see Booth sitting up, and Brennan nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Dr. Brennan?" her voice hitched with the concerned question.

"She needed to use the bathroom," he explained. "I carried her in there and am just waiting until she's ready to move back out. Cam, where's Angela?" He was helping to alleviate her hands of the myriad of containers and her burden.

"Thanks. I'll go back out and bring in the rest. Angela will be along shortly." Her sentences were harried and she was distracted as she turned back to the door.

"Cam wait," Booth grabbed her upper arm.

"What?" Her voice snapped a bit more than she had planned, her patience was thin, wanting to get back into the living room and entry way to see what the hell was happening out there. She wanted to know who was here. But she didn't want Booth to know anything was going on yet, he had enough to worry about just keeping Dr. Brennan at ease. "Sorry, Booth. I didn't mean to snap. What's up?"

"It's OK, Cam. We're all on edge. I was just wondering, is there something we can give Bones? You know, for pain? She was cringing a lot and really tense as you removed the shirt. I was just wondering, you know, can I give her something to help her relax, since you're going to begin actually working on her back?" He was clearly concerned about his partner's comfort level. His care warmed Cam's heart.

"Actually, Booth, I plan to give her a mild sedative before we begin. But since she's going to be eating, we will be able to give her a bit higher dosage since she'll have food to absorb some of the meds. Do you think you can get her to agree to take some now? That way she'll be more relaxed when we start." Her question was valid, about getting her to agree to take the meds…. Bones hated to take medication of any kind, Booth knew.

"Yeah, I think I can get her to take some. Where is it?" He decided that he _would_ make sure she took the medicine. It would be his dinner-time mission.

Cam moved to her medical supplies case, extracting a bottle of sedatives and handing it over to Booth. "See if she will take two of these. At the very least, try to get her to take one… OK, I'm going to get back out there and get the rest of your dinner, my drink and bring in Angela. We'll be back soon. I'll give you time to get Dr. Brennan to eat a little," She moved to the door and opened it just enough to allow her slight figure to slip through. She hoped she wasn't missing too much of the action going down out there in the heart of the apartment…

Booth thought it odd, how on edge Cam suddenly appeared. But he wrote it off as stress, given the amount that was weighing on them all.

He turned his attention back to the closed bathroom door. He approached and, while he didn't want to make her feel overcrowded, he needed to know that Bones was alright. She'd been quiet in there.

"Bones?" No response came from his partner.

"Bones, are you OK? Do you need anything? Cam brought in our food, whenever you're ready." This time, she didn't say anything, but Booth's ears filled with the sounds of _his_ Bones weeping on the other side of the door. "Bones, I'm coming in. I'm coming in there, do you hear me? Don't be startled, it's just me."

He opened the door to find his beautiful best friend sitting where he had left her, clutching her disrobed sheet to her front, as tears freely rolled down her soiled cheeks.

"Oh, baby, it's alright," he strode over to her, covering the distance in two steps, and palmed her cheeks while thumbing away the streams of sorrow rolling down her pale face. "Did you hurt yourself, or is it something else?"

"Boo—Booth-Booth… Look at me… Look at my face. My body… Look what's happened…" she could barely complete her sentences. Her thoughts were racing faster than she could enunciate.

"Aw, Bones, babe, you're going to be alright," he said softly as he cradled her head softly in his large hands, pulling her face towards his chest as he stood before her. He bent over and kissed the hair on the top of her head. _OK, strange place to be consoling her, _he thought, _with her sitting on the toilet, but hey, who am I to say when and where she can have a mini-meltdown…?_

Her body shook in quiet mourning sobs, and she allowed him to just massage her scalp. Her hair was dirty, her entire body was dirty, but she didn't care… He was touching her and his touch was easing her self-lamentation.

"Bones, c'mon. I'll get you a new toothbrush; you can brush your teeth and then get some of Sid's good food into your system. You're hungry, weak, hurting, and exhausted – both physically and mentally. It will make you feel better. And… I have some medicine for you to take with your dinner." He felt her stiffen slightly at his mention of medicine, but he didn't let her cut in or object, his voice became stern but caring, "don't bother to tell me no, because we're not negotiating on this matter. You _will_ take the medication and you _will_ eat and _we will_ get through this night, right? _Together, we will get through this night._" The last sentence was said in barely more than a whisper. He wanted to make sure she knew he was with her in this all the way. He would stay with her all night, or however long it took to get her on the right path. He was not going to leave her side. _Not tonight… Not ever_.

Stepping away from where she sat, he went to the closet and retrieved the new toothbrush he'd promised her and brought out the little stool he kept in there from when Parker was too little to reach the sink. Then he returned to her side and bent over to scoop her into his arms.

"Booth, I don't know how we're going to do this. You should probably just bring me a basin of water and the toothbrush." She dejectedly stated. Her situation suddenly caused more of a depression than just moments before. Before she was just appalled and upset at seeing herself for the first time in a full day's time, but once the initial shock wore off, she felt the depressing vulnerability that was her true reality settle into her bones, deep within her core.

"Nonsense, Bones, we're gonna do what I used to do with Parker. You'll see, it'll work just fine. C'mere," he lifted her firmly but gently.

She kept the sheet pulled close to her front, tucked under her arms, but the back draped low, looping just at the small of her back before curving back up and finding itself tucked tightly under her other arm. He was careful not to put any pressure on her back, instead, held her weight in his right arm, which was looped under her legs, and he supported her upper body's posture just by wrapping his left arm around her shoulders.

He walked them over to the sink and he lifted his left leg up to rest on the stool, and scooted her to a seated position, so she was resting on his raised thigh. He looked over to meet her eyes, and smiled. "See? There's no need for a wash basin when you have a perfectly fine sink here to use, Bones."

Balanced on his leg, Brennan gave him an appreciative smile and wondered at his creativity. "You used to hold Parker like this, too? When he was little?" She was trying to imagine Booth in the early morning, helping his little son start a morning routine. She was always impressed with him when she watched him interacting with Parker. Booth was so dedicated to Parker, so attentive to his needs; he was the epitome of what a perfect father looked like, in her opinion, anyway.

"Yeah, I wanted Parker to understand early on that it's really important to have routines. You know, a routine for doing school work, a routine for balancing fun and serious, a routine before bed and a routine in the mornings; those kinds of things. So, in order for me to be sure he was learning things the right way, this was my way to make sure… You know, I taught him and then I could watch him. Once he was tall enough to reach the sink on his own, well, then he didn't need me to hold him anymore, so I almost forgot about this stool. At least I did, until I was trying to figure out how to help you." His left hand cupped the back of her neck as his thumb danced along the base of her hairline. He smiled over at her, slightly self-conscious that she was the first and only other person, besides Parker, with whom he had ever shared his teaching methods. He didn't know if his stress on routines was good to instill on a child as young as Parker was when he started, but it was important to him as an adult, and Booth figured that if he could start Parker early it would be easier as he matured.

She smiled over at him, a warm and crooked smile, as she allowed her eyes to dance across his face while he spoke. "Booth – You're a really good father. Parker is really lucky to have you. Really lucky."

"Thanks, Bones. I'm lucky to have him, too. Here," he said with a faint smile, handing her the toothbrush, "it's new, it's yours now." She took it gratefully, and noticed that he grabbed his toothbrush as well, and then reached over and applied some toothpaste to her brush before applying some to his own. It was a strangely intimate arrangement, brushing their teeth side by side, but neither was uncomfortable; neither felt awkward. They were both at ease with their situation as their eyes met in the mirrored reflections above the sink.

When they were finished, Brennan looked at herself in the mirror, and squinted her nose. "Booth, I need to wash my face," she said as she pointed to a wash cloth that she couldn't reach from her perch.

"Yeah, we can do that in the other room. My leg's asleep now," he spoke through a wide smile as he grabbed the cloth and ran it under hot water. "C'mon, you." He picked her back up and walked back into the bedroom.

He sat on the edge of the bed and allowed her to sit on his lap, much the same way he'd held her just after finding her. She tried to reach for the wash cloth in his hand, but he pulled it out of her reach. "I'll do it, there's no mirror in here for you to see what you're doing." It was a poor excuse, but he didn't care. He had an unsatisfied need to continue taking care of her. And so far, she hadn't put up much of a fight, so he knew that she was OK with it thus far.

"Booth, I can wipe my own face, you know," her attempt was half-hearted at best, a weak rebuttal but she didn't reach for the cloth again.

"I know you _can_, but I want to," he softly replied as he brought the warm rag up to her cheek. Gently and steadily, he made light circles across her forehead, cheeks, and jaw line. He completely wiped her face clean of all traces of her recent Hell, with the exception of the physical evidence that was left behind – a couple of bruises, a split lower lip and small cut just near her left temple.

He focused his eyes on the path his hand was tracing; occasionally he glanced up to her gorgeous blues. Each fleeting moment their eyes locked, they both smiled a shy smile, neither spoke. When he got to her chin, he tipped his finger under it, indicating she should tilt her head back, to which she complied. She allowed her head to completely fall back over the crook of his arm that was steadying her, her eyes closed in surrender to his touch.

Never before had a man's touch done so much to her. Never before had she lowered her guard the way she did whenever he was near, and even more so now. She was at complete ease in his embrace, despite the pain she felt in her back and feet. Her breathing got heavier, and she mentally told herself to relax. _You need to calm yourself, Brennan. You don't know if he even feels the same or if he's just extra concerned. You know he's always been a very caring person. You know he's always been very tactile and sensitive; don't do or say anything stupid, Bren_.

Booth caught his breath as she bared her throat to him. His mind reeled; _she has the most beautiful throat I have ever laid eyes on. The graceful curve, her milky white skin, pure beauty – there's no other word. All of her, she is beautiful. Beautiful to look at, beautiful to talk to, beautiful to know. Say it! Say it out loud, damn you, say it – tell her._ But he didn't. He couldn't make his voice talk. He swirled the wash cloth across her throat repeatedly and finally back up to her chin once the dirt has disappeared, at which time she tipped her head back in his direction, meeting his warm brown eyes. He dropped the rag on the floor at his feet and just looked at her.

They were both holding their breath, faces were suddenly flushed, eyes were darkening.

He raised his thumb to her lower lip and brushed over it ever so slightly, his touch ghostly. "Does this hurt terribly?" he asked as he stared at the cut, his thumb stoking across it gently.

"It did, but it's not too bad now. The mouthwash burned it a little, but it's going to be fine." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

He nodded, then tilted his head and focused on the small cut above her temple, "how about this?"

She shook her head slightly, "I don't even feel that one." Her reply was breathy and she almost didn't recognize her own voice.

He stroked his thumb over her cheek. Gently, tenderly making little figure –eights along her smooth skin, he was conscious of his own rough callouses. She didn't pull back, however, so he didn't stop. In fact, she almost imperceptibly leaned into his touch.

She wanted very desperately to kiss him. Wanted to lean her head towards his and just brush her lips against his soft mouth. She remembered the taste of his kisses, the few that she'd had the pleasure of tasting…were delicious. But they were all spurred on by forces other than their own. She wasn't sure she should, wasn't sure he would want it anymore; she had thrown away her chance to kiss him at will when she turned him down the prior year, on the steps of the Hoover. So, she settled for lowering her head to his shoulder, allowing his arm to take a firmer grip on her own. She moved her left hand to rest on his chest, feeling his heat through his T-shirt. And his heartbeat… she could clearly feel his heartbeat drumming against her fingers.

"But your back hurts, and your feet, right?" His low murmur reverberated through his chest and connected with her hand, sending vibrations clear up to her shoulders. She reveled in the feeling.

"Yes, they both hurt. Not as bad as when you brought me here, but still, they hurt."

He nodded his head in understanding, and placed his right hand over her left resting on his chest. His left hand rubbed her shoulder as he lowered his head to rest on top of hers.

She tucked further into the crook of her partner's shoulder and neck, and spoke softly, "Booth, I just want to tell you thank you. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do, Booth, if I didn't have you as my partner; my friend; my _best_ friend. No one else would have done for me everything that you've done. No one. You've always helped me; countless times you've saved me. You've always been there for me, Booth. And I don't think I have ever _really_ told you, how much I have appreciated your friendship and your …" she paused while she searched her mind for the right word, "your _loyalty_, Booth." She raised her head back to look into Booth's eyes, which were trained on her, unwaveringly. "You are not only a superb agent and partner, Booth, but you are a superb man. And you've seen me for who I am and you've always forgiven me for all my faults. I don't want you to ever think that I don't see what you do for me. I want you to know that I am thankful for you. Everyday. And you saved my life today, I have no doubt that I would have died if you hadn't come for me, no doubt, Booth."

"Aww, come on Bones. I wasn't alone in the success in finding you. You have so many people who care about you. So many." He didn't want to take the credit for this save. He knew that what she was saying was not completely untrue – he had saved her many times out in the field, but he refused to take credit for all of the saves. He wove his fingers in between hers, keeping her hand pressed against his chest and feeling the electricity that radiated through her fingers to his. "Bones, you are an amazing woman, an amazing friend and even more amazing partner. If you want to talk about _loyalty_, then I need to be thanking you, not the other way around. You've stood by me, even after I've been a complete ass. Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder what I did to get a partner like you. I don't deserve you, but I am grateful for you. So grateful that I can't even put into words how I feel knowing that you're the one with me in the field. Even when we're just hanging out, Bones, I can't figure out why you're with me and not… I don't know… not with someone smarter, or more educated, or more worthy of your company. You astound me sometimes, Bones."

"Booth, you're too hard on yourself." She forced her voice to be clear and firm. "You don't give yourself enough credit, and you should stop doing that." She rested her head back against his shoulder and just sank into his hold.

After a few moments of silence, Booth looked down at her, "Are you hungry Bones? Cam brought in most of the food. She was supposed to bring in the rest, but who knows what's keeping her out there. They're probably eating the rest of our food, the vultures," he laughed. "But, hey, she brought in your soup and veggie dumplings. And it looks like she brought in my Lo Mein too." He grinned in anticipation as he waited for her to decide what she wanted.

"Yeah, Booth, I want my dumplings. That sounds good," she grinned up at him.

He handed her the container of dumplings and grabbed his own container, and they both dove in, hunger finally setting in as reality, especially for Brennan.

"MMmmm. Sid outdid himself this time, Booth. Those dumplings were just what I needed," she said as she handed him back the empty container. "I will save my soup for later, ok?"

"Sure, Bones, whatever you want is fine with me. Here," he handed her a cup of tea, "take this, you'll need it to wash down the medicine." He spoke matter-of-factly, expecting push back from her, but he wasn't going to allow it.

"Booth, I don't want to take the medicine, it dulls my brain functions." She was ready to argue with him, now she had a full stomach and she was feeling better despite the problems with her back.

"Not discussing it, Bones. You're going to take the medicine." He took a deep breath, he didn't want to argue, but _he_ was going to win this, "Look, Bones, Cam's gonna come back in here in a few and start fixing you up. It's gonna hurt and you're going to need this to ease the pain. She needs you to stay as still as possible, and this will help. Please don't fight me on this one, Bones. Please."

"Booth. I know what you're saying. I understand. But, I don't like what medicine does to me. It dulls me; dulls my thinking abilities; makes me groggy and I don't like it. I don't like not being in control of my own mind."

"Bones, what do you have to think about that you're so worried about? What are you scared of? It's just us, just friends, no one here is going to hurt you."

"I know. I know that." Her voice was almost inaudible. Her eyes were downcast and he could tell she was close to tears.

"Bones," he cradled her cheek and turned her face to look at him. "What is it, really, that you're worried about? Tell me, please, because I'm not a mind reader, but I can tell it isn't your wits that you're worried about. Please talk to me. Trust me, please."

"Booth, I do trust you! I've always trusted you." Tears were beginning to spill from beneath her lids, she could not stop them. She took a deep, shaky breath, "Booth, I'm afraid of closing my eyes. I don't want to sleep. If I close my eyes, I see him. If I fall asleep I am going to dream about him. I don't want that. I lived through it, and I don't want to dream about it, too. I just can't, Booth. I can't close my eyes and not control my mind at the same time."

He looked deep into her eyes, his own eyes conveying compassion and understanding. Without speaking Booth raised two pills to her lips. Reluctantly, she parted her lips and allowed him to place the pills into her mouth. Then he lifted her cup of tea, and held it for her to drink down the pills. As she did, tears continued to stream down her cheeks, not profusely, but steadily.

"Bones, you don't need to be scared. I'm right here, and he can't hurt you ever again. I shot him. Three times. He's dead. Don't be scared; I'm not going to let anyone ever hurt you again."

"Booth, in my nightmares, _that's_ where I'm scared of him. I know he's not _here_. I know that he, in particular, can't hurt me anymore. _There are_ other people here that can hurt us, though, that's the price we pay for the job we have. But, when I close my eyes, Booth, that's where he's going to hurt me again. It's behind my closed lids that he's waiting, with his whip…" She was talking fast, agitated, obviously distressed. She wasn't making eye contact with him; she was just staring at his chest, afraid of looking into his eyes, afraid of what he'd see in her.

"Hey, Bones," he spoke calmly and quietly, palming her cheek and tilting her head. His hold on her tightened. "Look at me, Bones." When she looked up, he held her gaze. "Listen to me. You don't need to be scared, baby. I've got you. I'll have you in your dream, too. I'll never let you go; I'll never leave you by yourself. Never. I need you to believe me."

"You'll hold me while I fall asleep? Like this? Please?"

"Yeah, Bones. I'll hold you as you _fall _asleep, and I'll hold you _while_ you sleep, and I'll be holding you still when you _wake_."

"If I have a nightmare, you'll wake me?" Her voice was becoming groggy; her words slurred; he knew the pills were starting to work. _Wow, they're good pills_, he thought.

"I'll wake you, Bones. But you won't have a nightmare. Not this night."

"You can't know that, Booth."

He reached over to the radio on his bedside table, and clicked it on, surfing until he found a soft indie-music acoustic station, hoping the music will help put her more at ease. "Bones, you won't have a nightmare tonight, _unless I_ am what your nightmares are made of…"

"Booth, don't be silly. You're the furthest from a nightmare, you know that."

"Well, Bones, then you'll be fine. It's a proven fact," he began to sway slightly to the music filling his room, "that when a woman falls asleep in the arms of the man who loves her, she will only see _him_ in her dreams." He ignored the confused look she was giving him, undoubtedly questioning his 'proven fact.' "A woman in that position will not have anything but good dreams that night. A peaceful sleep." His words were breathy as he vocalized what he needed her to hear. She stared up at him in disbelief as he continued talking; his words washed over her, and a lump developed in her throat. _Did he just say he loves me?_

"So, Bones, you are a woman, you are in my arms, about to fall asleep; we fit the criteria perfectly. Therefore you will not have a nightmare. Not tonight, and never again if I have anything to say about it." He lowered his mouth towards her temple, his lips brushed against the outer edge of her ear; the movement forced her face back into the crook of his neck. "Feel my arms around you, Bones. Feel my hands on you. Feel my chest against yours, my beating heart… Feel my warmth surrounding you. Feel my lips here, against your ear, my words filling your mind. Feel _me_, Bones, _just me_, _just us_, and don't think about anything else. You will _not_ have a nightmare tonight, Bones, I won't allow it. And if your brain forgets that it's not supposed to have nightmares, then just turn around and I'll be right there, behind you, in every dream. I'll be right behind you, waiting for you, with my arms open." He pulled his head back and looked down at her. She could see his eyes were wet with unshed tears, whereas her tears were spilling forth without abandon.

"You and me, Bones, _that_ is what you're going to dream about. When a woman falls asleep in the arms of the man who loves her, she will not have bad dreams, you need to remember that. I will never let you go, not here, in this life and not there, in your dreams. Nothing will ever come between us again. These are my arms, Bones, my hands, my voice, my love." He kept his voice soft and smooth, helping her body to succumb to the medication.

"Booth?" His name escaped her lips, before she could stop it.

"Hmm?"

"This is… well… thank you. I…" she stopped herself from saying what was on the tip of her tongue. _Did he really just tell me what I think he told me? No, it's the medicine; you're reading too much into his words. Just let it go._ Instead, she honed in on the music playing. "I like this song, Booth, but I don't know this arrangement." She put her head back down on his shoulder. "This is one of Angela's favorite songs, but not this version."

He focused on what she was hearing. It was Mick McAuley and Winifred Horan's acoustic arrangement of Garth Brooks' heavily covered hit, 'To Make You Feel My Love.' She was trying to compartmentalize what he was telling her, he knew that. She was changing the topic.

"Yeah, Bones, this _is_ a good song... Dance with me?" He asked with a dreamy smile, his eyes asking much more than his question. She looked up at his and nodded, her smile meeting his. She pulled her left arm higher, looping it around his neck and grazed the short hair at the nape of his neck, allowing her fingers to linger there, making little circles against his skin. He stood from their seated position on the edge of the bed, cradling her close to him; still with his left arm holding her shoulders and his right snaked over her legs and looped under to turn her torso towards his. He swayed in time with the music, enjoying the intimacy of the moment. Even though he knew he should not have told her so much until she was thinking clearly, until she was better, he simply couldn't stop himself. The words fell from his lips as easily as the small kisses he'd been planting upon her all night. And now all he could do was pray that she wouldn't run like hell the first chance she had.

Unknown to the partners, behind them, the bedroom door opened quietly as Cam and Angela entered silently. They were quiet because they were hoping that Brennan was asleep and they didn't want to wake her; but they were both breath-taken when they saw what would be a perfect romance movie, playing out right in front of their eyes, in the flesh. Unable to pull their eyes away, they slipped into a shadow.

"Will you talk to me? I don't care what you say, it doesn't matter. Just let me listen to your words; I'm so tired, and your voice… your voice is so relaxing, Booth." She spoke into his neck and the warmth of her breath sent shivers down his spine.

"You sleep, Bones. I'm right here with you. Remember, these are my arms holding you and swaying you to sleep, and it will be my arms holding you when you wake. I promise. Just let your body go, relax your mind, listen to my voice and _just sleep_. Feel the music… feel the dance… feel my heart beating… for you… I never stopped loving you, Bones. Never. My heart belongs to you and only you…" He felt her body slide into sleep. She slumped in his arms, and her head rolled slightly away from his neck; he hunched his shoulder to stop her head from falling back completely. Her grip around his neck loosened, but her hand remained on his opposite shoulder. "That's my girl… Sleep, Bones, and dream good dreams." He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the cheek closest to him. He let his lips linger there as he mentally reflected on what he had just told her. He didn't know how much of it she had been awake to hear, and it's likely she didn't hear the bulk of what he wanted to tell her, the bulk of what he said; but now he'd at least said it out loud, it would be easier the next time, when he told her eye to eye. "Sleep, baby, sleep. And know that I love you. Know that I am here for you. Know that I will _always_ be here for you, if you'll have me. If you'll forgive me, Bones."

He backed over to the edge of the bed and slowly sat back down, tenderly holding her on his lap again, hugging her close.

Angela stood there, staring with tears in her eyes, her mouth agape. Cam moved towards Booth, quietly so as to not startle him or wake her friend. She whispered, "Booth? Is Dr. Brennan sleeping?"

"Wha-?" he was slightly startled, but kept his voice down. "Oh, Cam, yeah, Bones is finally sleeping, she took both pills. I didn't hear you come in, when did you come in?" He wondered just how long she'd been in the room without his knowledge.

"We were quiet, when we didn't hear any movement from outside the door, we were hoping you'd convinced her to take the pills and that she was sleeping. I see you did a splendid job at that." Cam smiled, avoiding his question purposefully.

He turned towards the door and saw Angela in the shadows. He could see her watery eyes and knew they had been in the room for a while, but actually, he found that he didn't really care. His feelings for his partner were no different whether they were in the room to witness his confession or not. He met her gaze and they shared a knowing smile – she knew that _he knew_ that she knew… and what's more, she knew even more than he knew, because she knew that Brennan shared his feelings… He could only assume…

"Booth," Cam called his attention back, "Since she's sleeping, I would like to get some x-rays with our portable machine. I know that when she is awake, she won't lie on the bed for me to take the pictures, but with those pills, she will be out for a bit, so if you would lie her down, I'll take the ones I need, and then we can resume your previous position if you want, before she wakes."

"Cam, what if she wakes up while you're doing the x-rays? She'll be upset if I'm not here, I promised her I would be here when she woke up."

"You can stay here, Booth, that's fine. But I promise_ you_, she will _not_ be waking up in the next 20 minutes, which is all it will take for me to get the shots I want. Not if she took both pills."

He nodded, a little hesitant, but he knew that Cam needed the images. He stood and turned towards the bed, squatting down to lay his partner face down on his bed. He gingerly slid his arm out from under her and smoothed down the sheet that was covering her. He let his hand slide down her arm and stop at her hand. "I'm right here, Bones," he whispered, leaning close to her ear. "I'm not going far, I'll be real close." He raised her hand and let his lips brush her knuckles before backing away.

Cam was prepping the portable machine, dragging it over to position above her friend. "Angela, can you plug me in, please? Let's get this going, huh?"

While the two ladies prepared as needed, Booth excused himself to use the restroom, at which time he took the opportunity to change into sweat pants, his jeans were not comfortable for lounging in for long periods of time. He then gathered the remnants of their shared dinner to take out to the kitchen. "I'll be back in two seconds," he said to no one in particular, and he left.

As he entered the living room, he happened upon their friends, still hanging out, playing his Play Station and generally having an enjoyable time, despite the severity of the issue at hand. They all stopped and turned to Booth.

"How is she, Booth? How is Dr. B doing?" Hodgins was the first to get his sentence completed. Wendell and Sweets nodded, eyes eager to hear the answer.

"Well, she's sleeping finally. She's in pain, but actually her discomfort seems to have subsided a bit since we got home. Cam and Angela are taking x-rays now, but I have to get back in there, I promised her I would be there when she opened her eyes, and I won't let her down. She'll think she was abandoned."

He looked around the living room, "Where's Daisy?"

Sweets explained that she was very tired and went to lay down in Parker's room, he hoped that Booth didn't mind, but it was more comfortable than laying on the couch where a bunch of 'big kids' were playing games.

"Oh, no, of course I don't mind, man. No problem. Look, guys, it's late, if you don't want to stay, you don't have to. Bones knows you were all here for her, and we really appreciate it, but we don't want you all to be bored and just hanging out if you have other things to do, or if you just want to go home. We will understand."

His comment, however, was met with shaking heads and denials. "No way, dude, we're here for the night, man… Sorry you're stuck with us out here… Besides, really, where the hell else do we have to go?" Hodgins grinned.

Wendell agreed, "Yeah, I mean, you guys are my family and if I go home, I am just alone and would just lie there wondering what's happening with Dr. Brennan. That's not conductive to a good night's sleep, man."

"Thanks guys. Hey, you probably already have, but make yourselves comfortable, help yourselves to the fridge and cupboards. Mi Casa es Su Casa, as they say, huh?" He grinned at his friends. He continued out towards the kitchen, carrying the empty and half full take-out containers.

Sweets followed Booth to the kitchen, under the pretense of getting another beer, but he wanted to question the Agent.

When Booth saw Sweets following him into the small kitchen, he asked, "Sweets, did you get Zach back to the home alright? They let you sign him back in without a problem, right?"

"Oh, yeah, no problems with Zach, Agent Booth. He would love it if you guys could stop in and see him sometime, though, so he can give his regards to Dr. Brennan in person. He was truly honored that you requested his presence and assistance in this case."

"Oh, well, that was Hodgins' suggestion, Sweets. But I am glad he spoke up, it made a difference. And yeah, I'll definitely get Bones over to see him; we'll both go. Bones doesn't know yet that he was part of the team, I haven't told her. I will, tomorrow."

"Agent Booth, are you doing OK, you know, with everything? I know you had to take a life tonight, and although it was deserved, I know that you are often troubled by having to take another life."

Booth looked the man straight in the eye, unflinching, and dead serious. "I'm good, Sweets. I have absolutely no regrets for taking him down tonight. I would do it again if I needed to." He took a deep breath. Normally he would be annoyed at the young man for nosing into his feelings; but Booth realized today, just how much Sweets really did care about Bones, and he didn't want to give the kid a hard time tonight. "Sweets, you know that, right? That I would do it again if Bones was in danger? I wouldn't bat an eye… There's nothing that I wouldn't do for her, but you already figured that out, didn't you?" He gave Sweets a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I suspected as much. But _you_ knew that I had already figured it out, didn't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have told me." He smiled at his patient-turned-friend/family… Another issue was at the forefront of Sweets' mind, especially after the exchange they had all just witnessed a little bit earlier. "Agent Booth, it may seem like an odd time, but can you tell me, did you and Hannah part on good terms? What happened?"

"Oh, no, not tonight, kiddo. Not going there tonight. I don't have time, nor do I have the energy, Sweets." Booth stood there, hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Uh-uh, nope, ain't gonna happen there, little man…"

Sweets raised his hands in feigned defense, eyebrows raised, "Just-just, tell me one thing, actually just _confirm_ it for me. It was because of Dr. Brennan, right? She's the reason that Hannah decided to leave?"

"Hannah didn't _decide_ to leave, Sweets. And I didn't _ask_ her to leave… I _told_ her to leave. In no uncertain terms, it was time for her to make an exit from my apartment, and from my life. Period. It wasn't pretty. But yes, to satisfy your need for confirmation, it was because of Bones. But that's all I'm saying tonight, man, I have to get back in there, they should be about done with the x-rays." Booth finished his statement as he turned away from the young doctor, not allowing Sweets to get a follow-up question into the conversation.

As he crossed the living room, he talked to Wendell and Hodgins, "Hey, there are extra pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, and all, in the hall closet, in case you guys want to make it a regular slumber party out here. Make yourselves comfortable. And if you guys do decide to leave, just let me know so I can lock the door behind you, ok?" He received denials once again, from both men, "No way, man, we're not leaving." "Nope, we're here for the long haul, dude, now get back in there."

"Yeah, OK guys. Try not to beat my high score, huh?" He grinned at his friends as he made his way back into his bedroom.

Wendell and Hodgins turned to Sweets with questioning eyes. Hodgins' eyes lit up with the potential of some good gossip. He rushed forward as Sweets re-entered the living room.

"Soooo? What did he say? What happened with Hannah? Why was she so out-to-get-him?"

Sweets simply shrugged. "I don't know exactly, he didn't say. He did say they parted on bad terms; he pretty much _threw_ her out. And he did confirm that the parting did, in fact, circulate around Dr. Brennan. But none of us are really surprised at that, now are we?" The three men all grinned at each other, still terribly curious about what went down that made Hannah so viscous and hateful when she was confronted at the door.

"I guess we'll all have to wait until he's ready to talk, huh?" Wendell asked the question, knowing it was rhetorical and required no answer, but it was what each man was thinking. They all turned to look at the closed door leading to Booth's room, wondering what, in fact, had occurred here just a few short nights ago to have caused such an upheaval in their little world….

As Booth re-entered his room, he was quiet, hoping that his partner was still sleeping. He was relieved to see she was in much the same position she was in when he left, just her legs and arms straightened out, most likely for the x-rays.

Angela was wrapping up the portable x-ray machine, and preparing to roll it over to the door. "Booth! Oh, hey, can you help me please? We want to get this out for Wendell to take another look at the x-rays we did. All the images are saved in here. Cam seems really happy with what she saw, but wants him to take a closer look while she started on Bren's back. It's just that this machine is a little heavy for me." She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, which was unnecessary, because Booth would have carried it for her simply because she asked. She was his partner's best friend, and was always there for Bones. That made her special to him. And, after all, _he was_ a gentleman, and he prided himself on that fact.

"Sure, Ange, get the door for me?"

As they made their way out to the 'boys', as Angela so lovingly put it, Angela started to explain what they needed from Wendell. Once Wendell had control of the machine, Booth made his way back into the bedroom.

Angela stayed back just for a moment, "You guys didn't tell him about Hannah, did you? Tell me you didn't… he has too much on his mind right now."

"No, of course not Angela. We're not idiots, you know… Give us _some_ credit," Hodgins defended his little team of Play Station heroes… "But Sweets _did _talk to him a little and found out it was an ugly break up and it _was_ caused by Dr. B. That's all we know so far…" He was always eager to share a little gossip with his wife, pleased when he knew something before she did. She nodded and went back towards the door.

"I am needed back in here. I'll see if anything else comes out about it."

"Booth, I am really_, really_ encouraged by what I saw on the x-rays. But I did want Wendell's input as well, because he is a bone-guy, so that's why I wanted Angela to get that unit out to him." Cam paused briefly from her work on Brennan's back to look up at Booth as he entered the room. "And frankly, I think we all were a bit emotional and over-reacted at our first glance at Dr. Brennan's back. Don't get me wrong, she's been severely hurt, but not nearly as deep, you know, physically, as we originally thought. Look here, once we cleaned up the excessive blood that had pooled and dried, it is much more manageable." She smiled at him, a genuine smile of relief, before becoming serious again. "That said, however, I do still think she will have a bit of a ways to go in healing her feet. I am going to have Angela begin cleaning those wounds when she comes back in."

Booth had been listening to her intently, and he processed what she was saying. _Bones isn't as bad as we thought. She's going to be alright. That's what Cam is really saying, I know her. Bones, my Bones, is going to be alright_. The thought was exhilarating to him, and he cracked a grateful smile to Cam. "Thanks Cam. Oh, hey, I can clean Bones' feet. I remember those kinds of wounds. You know, that's what happened to me in the first POW camp I was held in. Don't know if you knew that… Bones did, we talked about it. It sucks. But Angela is still out with the guys, doing whatever it is they're doing, so I can help, you know, if you don't mind, that is." He was talking a mile-a-minute, having caught his second-wind and relief at Cam's good news, so far.

"Alright, roll this tray down there. Go wash up and change your shirt. Put this on," she tossed him a scrub shirt. Hot water, as hot as you can stand it – fill this basin with it and bring it back in." Cam began to prep the tray of materials Booth could use to cleanse Brennan's feet and begin applying the antibacterial cream that was required before she could begin stitching those wounds.

When she saw the seriousness return to Booth's eyes as he made his way towards his bathroom, she knew he was calculating in his head and comparing his own wounds to Dr. Brennan's. She _had_ known about Booth's injuries, she read his file, and they did, after all, share a bed for quite a while... And she knew that he went through hell to get back to normal; he worked hard and fast, and healed in a fraction of the time he was estimated to have needed. From what his file read, he was quite a determined man back then, and it seemed to her that over the years, he grew even more intense and determined. The good thing in all this was that since he was familiar with what Brennan was going through, physically, he would be there to help her, and provide understanding.

"Booth," she called softly, "take a deep breath, big guy; we're better than half-way through. And like I said, from what I saw on the x-rays, I am really encouraged. And that is very good news at this stage of the game." She let her words hang in the air as she returned to her task of stitching various wounds on Brennan's back, and when Booth returned, he looked more at ease with what they were facing as he took a seat down at the base of the bed and began his mission at hand.

**Postscript A/N**

**Awww, man, we didn't see the Hannah-confrontation yet! Ooohhh, my Muse is cruel… But fear not, we will all learn about it at the same time that Booth learns about it! **

**Whew, the wounds aren't quite as bad as initially thought, that's good news, right? **

**Please review and let me know how/if you're enjoying the story. I know there are a lot of readers out there that haven't left a review yet… I would LOVE to hear from you! You know who you are…! If you added the story to your alerts, you must like something about it, right? Please let me know! **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N Hello and welcome back! My sincere apologies for the delay in posting this chapter – between a hellish two weeks at work and computer issues, this was a slow chapter to complete! I will probably get the next one posted much quicker, it's half written already – I had to cut this chapter down some, because I was over 8000 words, so I broke it into two and will complete the next one soon. **

**Thank you all for your reviews. I tried to reply to them, but had problems with getting the replies to go through, so, please know that if I didn't get to you, it was nothing personal, just computer issues! I really, really appreciate all the comments, reviews and private messages you've all been sending. They make me want to continue creating and inspire me to strive for improvement in my writing. So, THANK YOU, so very much. **

**Disclaimer: Well nothing has changed since my last posting… I still don't own Bones or the characters, just this story line. **

Angela came back into the room and found Cam hunched over Brennan's upper body, and Booth sitting on the stool from the bathroom, down at the foot of the bed, cleaning Brennan's wounds. They both worked in silence and Angela busied herself by cleaning up and replenishing their supplies of towels, gauze and other necessities.

"Booth, you look exhausted, can I do this for you?" she was concerned when she saw him blinking to refocus on the task he had taken on. She squatted down beside her friend and rested her hand on his shoulder.

He looked over to her in appreciation. "Ange, I really wanted to do this for Bones, you know, to help her, but I can't keep my eyes open."

"Hey, Booth, I slept earlier, because I knew it would be a long night, so I'm alright. I napped once I knew you had Bren, and I knew I had some time before you got back. So, look, just go up there," she nodded towards the head of the bed, "lie down and close your eyes. Let me and Cam do our thing, OK?"

"Thanks, Ange. You'll probably have a tenderer, softer touch than my big fingers do, anyway." He looked down at his fingers and back to Angela, with an unsure smile.

"Well, Booth, I don't know about that, but I _do_ know a very tired FBI Agent when I see one." She was gently pulling him up, without much resistance on his part, and he moved aside so she could resume where he left off.

"I think I got all the slivers of glass out of her cuts. Actually, much like what Cam was pointing out on Bones' back, I don't think it's as bad as we first thought. There was a lot of dried and puddled blood, making it look like there were a lot more cuts than there were, in reality. Of course, I'm not a doctor; but you knew that…" He gave a crooked smirk. "Her ankle looks rough, though."

Cam straightened up and stretched her back, "Guys, I'm done up here, so actually I can take over, and just finish cleaning as I go. Then there'll be no speculating, huh?" She smiled at her friends.

Booth and Angela both nodded and Booth moved out of Cam's way. He moved to her recently vacated location and examined Bones' back. The ladies watched as he paled visibly looking down at his partner. As he held his breath, he stooped down beside the bed and tenderly ran his forefinger down her back, avoiding the numerous stitched wounds.

"Seeley-?" Cam stepped forward; she wanted to make sure Booth understood what he was observing.

"Cam, I'm fine. You did a good job; they all look clean, nice tight stitching." Booth knew his former girlfriend's tone of voice, and he knew she was about to try to console him with explanations and descriptions… He didn't want to hear anything; he didn't want to talk; he just wanted to look at his partner. He just wanted to study her condition, he wanted to memorize every single lash; he wanted to know where he would be able to - and _not_ be able to - touch her.

"Her scarring won't be too terrible, though, right? I mean, you know, after she heals, will the scars be very visible?" Booth knew how conscious Bones was of her existing scars, which displayed evidence of an abused childhood in the foster care system. She often wore clothing that hid her scars or detracted from their visibility. He didn't want her to become further withdrawn due to these injuries.

"No, I think she will heal well. The cuts were not extremely deep on most of the lesions, which will aid in their diminishing appearance over time. They won't be nearly as prominent as the other scars that you see there."

Cam recognized the look in his eye, the set of his jaw, the fine line of his pressed lips. She backed away to let him process what he was looking at and what she had told him. She nodded to Angela, letting her know silently that Booth was going to be fine.

He stood up abruptly, turning towards his bathroom, and shut himself in there without a word. _Ok, breathe, Booth. She's going to be fine. Cam did an awesome job; she's going to do an awesome job on her feet. You need to be strong, Seeley, you need to keep it together for Bones' sake._ He was talking to himself as he looked into his own stress-drawn eyes in the mirror. He stepped forward to the sink, and hastily washed his face, trying to calm himself. He pulled off the scrub shirt he was wearing and pulled on an A-shirt undershirt, one of his wife-beaters, as Angela called them. _Go out there, take her in your arms and just be there when she wakes up. She is going to expect you there, you promised. She is going to need you strong. She is probably going to be a bit disoriented when she wakes. You're the one who can calm her; you saw that earlier, she does relax when you're with her, so show her that you really are __with__ her… _ With his self-lecture complete, he turned back to the door and walked out with renewed energy.

He re-entered his room and noted Angela's eyes wandering over his chest with and approving grin. He cocked his head, and raised his eyebrow, "Shut-up, Ange…" he wanted to stop any comments before she even voiced them, because he knew where her mind was going. She just gave him one of her famous toothy smiles and dancing eyes.

He moved over beside the bed and looked down to Cam. "Is it OK if I lay down, Cam? I did promise Bones that I would be here when she woke up, and based on what you told me earlier, we must be getting close to that time-frame, right?"

"Yeah, Booth, she will probably be starting to stir in another 10 minutes or so. Yeah, you can lie down; just go easy. Are you going to let her lay on top of you, like earlier?" At his affirmative nod, she approached his side. "OK, do you have a T-shirt that I can put onto Dr. Brennan?" Booth smiled, and from his side, he raised his hand and presented her with the shirt that he had already taken out for his Bones. He stepped aside and turned his back while Cam and Angela carefully maneuvered the t-shirt over their friend.

"OK, Studly, come on over here and wrap those hot biceps around the woman that you love, she's gonna be looking for you soon." Angela's eyes sparkled in a way that belied the real reason that Booth was crawling beneath his partner's lax body, and her normally-charming look suddenly struck a raw nerve within Booth. He looked at her and just shook his head, "Angela, don't you _ever_ stop? I mean, c'mon, Bones and I are _not _crawling into bed together to begin a raucous good sex-session. I am here because she was kidnapped and tortured, _because of her relationship to me_, and she needs me here when she wakes up. I promised her I would be here, and I refuse to let her down." His loud whisper was irritated and his eyes stared deep and unrelenting into the artists shocked orbs.

"Whoa, whoa, Booth, take it easy. I didn't mean anything by it, you know. I am just trying to help; I was trying to wipe some of that stress off your face, hoping to make you smile, at least a little. You're completely freaked out, maybe not outwardly to someone who doesn't know you, but definitely inwardly, and if you think Bren's going to look into your eyes and _not _see the worry that's riddling your soul, then you're crazy. You may think that you're a master poker player, but guess what - _you're not when it comes to her_. Your eyes tell _everything_, Booth, when you're worried about Bren. I can see it, hell all of us can see it. You can hide your feelings about everything except her; well, her and Parker. I've seen you when you're scared about both, Booth, and you don't hide it as well as you think." She took a deep cleansing breath. "Look, Booth, I know you're worried. I know that you didn't mean to snap at me; and I really didn't mean to offend you, I'm just trying to help." She approached her best friend's partner and placed her hands on each of his shoulders and she stared at him straight on. She could see that he regretted how he had jumped on her comment; after working with him for so many years, she had gotten better at reading the tough-fronted Agent. "Go ahead, lay down, it's going to be alright, Booth."

"I'm sorry, Ange. I really am; I didn't mean it."

"I know, Booth. Go," she pointed at the bed with a warm and understanding smile.

"Really, Angela, I am sorry. I had no right to talk to you like that." Booth felt like a total ass and he hoped that she wouldn't hold it against him. "I'm just so -" he sighed, unsure of what was really going on inside his head.

"It, OK, Studly. Don't worry; you can make it up to me… I have some questions for you that I want answered. Soon, though... I don't think you have it in you to tell me now, so I will ask my questions later and look forward to hearing _your_ side of the story." She let her statement hang in the air, and turned away from the confused look that he was giving her, allowing him to see her grin before turning completely.

He started to ask, "_My_ side of the -" but just then, he heard a small whimper from behind him and he spun around simultaneously squatting down to be eye-to-eye with Bones. Her eyes were still closed, but he could see movement behind her closed lids. Slowly and carefully, he slid between the sheets and snuggled up to his beautiful partner. He slid his left arm along her collar bones and gently pulled her torso over his, turning her face towards his neck, so once again they were chest to chest and he allowed his left hand to stroke her hair. He snaked his left leg under her legs by pressing his deep into the mattress, giving him the leeway to fit their bodies together once again. He cradled her legs between his thighs, wrapping his entire body around hers in a loving cocoon.

A small cry emerged from deep within her throat and Booth leaned into her, allowing his lips to graze her earlobe, "Shh, Bones, you're alright. You're safe."

Her eyes fluttered open and he saw a flash of fear in her unfocused look. Her body instantly stiffened and she started shaking from the lack of recognition to her current location. He took his right hand to her jaw and tipped her chin up so she could look at him. "Bones, you're alright. Look at me, babe, you're not alone, focus. You're at my place, ok? Do you remember?"

"Booth…" she spoke in a quiet raspy voice, and she instantly allowed her eyes to close and her head to fall back onto his shoulder. Her body relaxed into his grasp and she exhaled a sigh of relief as he pulled her closer against him. "Booth, you're still here." She was dazed and disoriented, but comforted to know whose arms were holding her. "I'm so glad you're still here." She was whispering, aware that there were other people nearby, but unsure who. "What's going on, who's here?" She raised her eyes to his, but didn't lift her head from its warm place on his shoulder.

"It's Cam and Angela. Remember, they were coming in to help?" he raised his eyebrows at her while he asked his question. Instant recognition filled her eyes, "Yes, yes, of course I remember." She raised her head and turned it in their direction to look at them. Her intention was to thank them, but she was instantaneously attacked and gently hugged by her best friend... Well, her best _long-time_ friend; Booth had replaced Angela long ago as being her best friend, but the ladies still shared a closeness that no one else could touch.

"Sweetie, I'm so glad you're awake. You're doing great, you've been a super patient, Bren, and you're going to heal really well, you'll see." Angela was smiling and talking so fast her words were running together.

Brennan rolled her eyes, ever so slightly, at her friend's compliment of what a great patient she'd been. "Ange, I've been a super patient because I've been an _unconscious_ _patient_, thanks to the pills _Booth_ made me take. But now I'm awake and I want to know what's going on. So are you going to tell me, or Cam? Someone please tell me what's going on."

Just then a gentle rap on the door drew all their attentions that direction. A muffled voice called from the other side, "Dr. Saroyan?" Cam opened it just slightly and stepped out, closely followed by Angela, who turned back to Brennan and Booth, "It's Wendell, he was taking another look at the x-rays; I'll go with Cam so we don't miss anything."

Brennan turned her eyes back to Booth, who hadn't said anything during the exchange between Angela and herself. "Do _you _know what's going on? Any clue?"

"Yeah, a little. When Cam looked at your x-rays, at the time she said she was really encouraged because it was not nearly as bad as she expected. But she was so anxious to get to work on cleaning up your back, she wanted Wendell to take a closer, more detailed and in-depth look at your X-rays. Cam was happy with your back as well. There was a lot of blood_, a lot_. But it had pooled in such a way that it gave the impression that you would be much worse off, but the blood actually concealed the fact that there were many less lesions that she expected. So once she cleaned you up, she was able to stitch those that needed stitching. I don't know how many, though. But, it's still a lot, Bones, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to lie to you; you'll have scars and you'll be in pain, but it was not as bad as we thought, at least that's reassuring, that's good, right?" He took a breath, glancing down at her. She nodded against his shoulder.

"You know Bones, I made you take those pills for your own good, not just to be mean. You know that, right? I wanted you to sleep so you would not be in pain during the whole procedure. I know you don't like to take medicine, but it was important that your body was relaxed."

"I know, Booth. I didn't mean to sound so ungrateful. I know you meant well. But you're right, I _hate_ taking pills." She paused and took in a breath, continuing, "Booth, what x-rays? When did I have x-rays done? Where?" She was obviously confused, still not quite thinking straight and she wanted answers, even if she couldn't process them.

"Cam brought a shit-load of equipment from the lab, Bones… In case you didn't notice earlier, my bedroom is now your hospital room…." He swept his right arm out in a dramatic flair. "She's been monitoring your blood pressure with _that_ machine, your breathing with _that_ machine, entering stuff into her laptop over there, and the portable x-ray machine is now out in the living room, being scrutinized by your intern. She's been checking and monitoring your temperature using _that thing_, and I don't know what the hell else all the rest of these machines are for - - she's a regular resident doctor, Bones…" He looked back to her and saw her eyes getting more and more focused, showing she was starting to come further out of her fog.

"She just got done fixing up your feet. I helped her cleanse them earlier, taking out shards of glass that were imbedded into your skin. She stitched some of the webbing between your toes; the skin had been severed in a few spots; and there were a few cuts to stitch along the bottom of your feet, but mostly she covered you in a bunch of butterfly bandages. But, she's not done with your ankle yet, so, you still have to stay here, sorry." He wasn't sure if he should or shouldn't apologize. Now that she had a good sleep, he wondered if she was going to start to pull away from him, like she'd always done in the past; once she saw that the danger was no longer an immediate threat - that was usually when she would start to push him away again. He prayed that she would not. He truly wanted to help take care of her, he meant what he'd told her earlier, and he didn't want to leave her side.

"Why are you sorry, Booth? Do you want me to move? Are you uncomfortable?" her voice was insecure and vulnerable as she asked, not looking at him.

"What, me? NO, no, I'm in no rush, but I know you don't like being in one spot for too long, but you just can't move yet; Cam needs you to stay here. Like this." In all honesty, Cam never told him she had to stay _exactly_ as she was, but he didn't care. He didn't want his partner to be awake and without him, he made it his personal mission to be at her side through all of this, and he wasn't backing away now. He was going to fight if she tried to push him away. Almost as an affirmation of his silent determination, he tightened his hold on her shoulders and brought his right hand to her hip and snugged her closer. His thighs increased the pressure as they wrapped around her legs and he laid his cheek against the top of her head. "I don't want you to move, Bones, I'm fine. I want you right here, right where you are, so I can help you. I hope you're OK with that." His voice was soft.

He felt her head nod against his shoulder. Barely a whisper, she replied, "Just hold me, Booth. Please."

"For as long as you want, Bones. For as long as you'll have me." He spoke into her hair, his lips on the top of her head. His warm breath sent chills down Brennan's back and she tilted her head up, "Booth-"

The door opened, and Cam and Angela re-entered the room, both smiling.

"Sweetie, even though Cam only had time to glance at the x-rays before having Wendell review them further, her first instinct was right!" Angela was beaming; a big toothy smile greeted her friends. "Nothing's broken, just real bad bruises…"

"She's right, Dr. Brennan," Cam smiled, "you have some really bad bruises on your 6th and 7th right ribs and on your left 4th and 5th. Your right clavicle and scapula also suffered pretty deep bruises. Certainly nothing that won't heal with some time. Did you know that your left shoulder had been dislocated? Looks like it is back in place, but there is no doubt that it had been popped out of place. Do you remember that happening?"

Brennan had no recollection of said dislocation happening, and indicated as much with a small shake of her head. "No, I – I don't know when that happened…" She was feeling dazed and a little confused, unsure of exactly how much she had forgotten of the short time she was held captive.

"It's OK, Bones, don't sweat it. Look, I can tell you're worried; it's normal for your memory to block certain events that were traumatic, it's a coping mechanism that's automatic. I - - I learned about it after I was held captive and, you know, tortured…" Booth's voice was soft and understanding, soothing Brennan's worry.

"Dr. Brennan, we're just about done, you'll be happy to know. I do need to finish up with your ankle, though, and that's it. Then you'll be able to just rest for the remainder of the night… well, actually the remainder of the _day_, we're waaay past night… So, I have 2 options for you – either you can take another couple of pills and sleep through this, or I can give you a local, so we can numb your leg." Cam looked at her colleague with the question in her eyes, although she thought she knew what option Brennan would take.

Brennan turned her eyes to Cam, mulling over the choices given, then she looked back to Booth and replied, not to anyone's surprise, "Give me the local; the next time I sleep I want it to be of my own volition and not by the powers of pills."

"Very well, Dr. Brennan. Are you ready, or do you need the restroom?"

"No, Cam, I'm ready. Please proceed." Her answer was curt and polite, but definitely edging on impatience. She was thoroughly 'over' this patient-crap; she wanted everything to be done, so she could just move on with her recovery.

She looked into Booth's eyes, and then questioned, "Is that alright, Booth?" Her voice was suddenly unsure of itself and her vulnerability was showing in her eyes.

"Bones, it's whatever _you_ want, not what I want. So, if you want the local, of course that's alright, why are you asking me?"

"Well, seeing as how you are still an active part in this procedure, being my 'bed' and all, I wanted to make sure you were OK with my decision. I should have asked you first."

"I'm fine with whatever you want, Bones. I want you to be comfortable with your decision, and if that means a local, then that's what you'll get."

She nodded her appreciation at him and repositioned her head back into the extremely comforting spot of his shoulder that she had come accustomed to in these past few hours. He made gentle strokes with the thumb of his right hand, along her hip as she rested her weight against his body. It never failed to surprise him just how little she weighed for a woman of her stature. She was tall and lean, powerful and strong, yet so very light in his arms. He rested his cheek against the top of her head as he looked down at Cam's hands preparing to administer the injection into Bones' ankle.

Cam looked up and met Booth's eyes, just before she inserted the needle. He moved his left hand from around her shoulder and mirrored his right, by resting it upon her hip. He gipped her hips tightly, holding her flush against him to try to stop any involuntary jerks of her body. As his hands became firmer against her, she knew what was coming and squeezed her eyes shut while biting back a small cry when the needle broke her skin. Once the medicine was administered, it was only a matter of moments before the blissful numbness took over and she relaxed further into his protective arms.

Cam had Angela helping her while cleansing and preparing to repair the damage done to Brennan's ankle. "Angela, you've missed your calling, you should have been an Ops nurse; you seem very much at ease around these procedures. Not many people are cut out for this."

"Umm, no Cam, I _am not_ at ease. The only reason I am here, and not in the bathroom puking my guts out is because Bren's my best friend and I know she needs me. If it were anyone else, even Hodgins, I don't think I could do this. But thanks for the vote of confidence." She gave Cam a look with eyebrows raised and an apologetic smile painted across her face.

Cam nodded in understanding, "Well, I really appreciate you overcoming your discomfort here. You've been a great help to me."

The ladies continued to speak to one another quietly, discussing the next steps and what Cam needed as she began the task of stitching Dr. Brennan's ankle, while Booth and Brennan began a conversation of their own.

"Booth?" Bones voice was soft, nearly a whisper.

"Hmmm? Whatcha need, Bones?" Taking his cue from her volume, he replied just as softly, basically whispering into her ear.

"Umm, I can't really remember what was real and what was a dream. You know, from before, when I took the medicine and fell asleep. I know we were talking, and you said some things that I really wanted to reply to, but at the time, my voice wasn't working in cooperation with my brain. I couldn't talk, but now I don't know if it was a real conversation or an imagined one…"

"Well, can you tell me what you were thinking you should say? Maybe I will be able to offer some insight as to if it correlated with my side of the conversation…"

"Mmm…" Brennan stalled. "Um, well, if it was only in my mind, then I don't know if I should respond to what you said… if it was my imagination." She was totally confused and it was irritating the hell out of her. She _hated_ not being in control of her own thoughts. "You know, like, maybe I will say something that is stupid or that doesn't make sense or, I don't know, presumptuous."

"Bones, _nothing_ you ever say is stupid. You're one of the smartest women in the world, Bones… Nothing that is produced in that brilliant mind and comes out of that beautiful mouth of yours could ever be stupid." He had intended to sound light-hearted and nonchalant, but failed miserably as his obvious adoration of her came through loud and clear in his voice and choice of words. "Don't think too much, Bones, just say what you want and if it doesn't make sense, I'll tell you. Or just ask me something that you're remembering and I'll tell you if I said it." He tilted his head to the side, trying to look down at her eyes, but she kept her eyes trained straight, looking at nothing as she rested her cheek against the crook of his neck, just where it met his shoulder. She gained strength as she inhaled his scent, once again.

"Well," she began, tentatively, "I remember the music playing. And you asked me to dance. Didn't you?"

"I did. And we did."

"OK, so _that _was real… Umm… I didn't have any bad dreams, Booth. Well, I think I almost did, but then I saw you in my dream and my nightmare stopped…" She wanted to just come out and ask him if he really said what she was remembering, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him. She was trying to work out a way of asking him, without _really_ asking him.

"Bones, I told you that you wouldn't have any bad dreams. Only peaceful ones… and that if you _did_ start to have a bad dream, to turn around and I would be there, in your dream, so you wouldn't have to worry." He took a deep breath, wanting to repeat what he had told her, and suddenly afraid to. He took a sharp breath and decided to bite the bullet. He spoke to her, in a soft, breathy voice, close to her ear, wanting the words to be only for her, not for either of their companions to hear. "It was something that I read, I don't know if it was a study or something else, but it's a proven fact they said_… When a woman falls asleep in the arms of the man who loves her, she will not have bad dreams_."

Brennan jerked her head up and looked at him with questioning eyes. _He did really say that! He did! I wasn't imagining all that._ She thought her mind was about to explode, (metaphorically speaking, of course). "And, did you … did you ask me to _forgive_ you?"

"Yes, I did Bones." He ended his reply there. She was waiting for him to explain further, but he didn't expound.

She rested her head back against his chest in contemplation. He was quiet, knowing that she was processing her thoughts and that when she was ready, she would speak again. In the meantime, Cam was finishing up the job that would finally bring an end to the work for the evening.

Standing straight and stretching her back, she looked at the pair lying in the bed before her. They were quiet, her head resting on his chest; his head was tucked so his cheek rested against her forehead. Their eyes were closed, but she knew neither was sleeping. She had heard bits and pieces of the conversation and, like Booth, she knew that Dr. Brennan was formulating her next sentence or discussion.

Cam turned to Angela and softly told her that she could go to the other room and that she would stay behind to clean up what was necessary. Angela walked up to the side of the bed, and rested her hand on Brennan's shoulder gently. "Sweetie, I am going out to the living room. We're staying here tonight, so if you need anything just call me, OK?" She looked into her best friend's eyes, then looked up and met Booth's deep brown eyes as he silently thanked her. She nodded in his direction and patted the bicep of the arm that was draping down to Brennan's hip. "We'll be right out there," she whispered again, reassuring him that he was not alone in his concern.

As Angela left the room, Cam busied herself cleaning up the excess medical supplies that were lying about. "Dr. Brennan, your ankle is going to be fine. He didn't get deep enough to sever the Achilles Tendon; it was a rather shallow cut. It bled a lot, because it was very jagged, like he couldn't get a clean cut, but it should heal without many problems... as long as you don't push yourself… you need to get rest, stay off your feet. You have a fairly long road of recovery before you, between your feet and that ankle, but if you take care, you should be back up and running in, I'd say, 4 weeks or so. The thing that will take the longest is the webbing of your toes. You will be able to walk gently and with help, after about 2 weeks, but don't push it much faster than that, ok?" She knew that her colleague didn't like to be lectured, but she was here to do a job, and that job was to help her friend get better. She was sure, that by giving the talk to Dr. Brennan with Booth there, he would be sure she didn't do too much too soon… Cam knew that he would keep his partner in line when it came to this advice.

She finished up and pushed all the monitoring equipment back and out of the way, but had no intention of removing it from the room for another day or so, just in case. The Jeffersonian could do without it for a bit.

"Listen, guys, I am going to go home. I have to get back and make sure Michelle is OK. Actually, I want to make sure she came home last night – she had another date with this new boyfriend of hers, and you know teenagers and their hormones... But, listen, I am just a phone call away, so if things go sideways, just call, right?" She received a nod from both of her friends and she made her way to the door. She was a little surprised at the next question she heard Brennan ask Booth, but didn't dare stay in there uninvited to hear the answer, but inside she was dying to know where the conversation would lead… The question sounded a little harsh…

**Postscript A/N**

**A harsh question being directed at Booth? Why? Is Brennan pissed off? **

**Thank you all for reading this chapter, and PLEASE send me a review or send me a message! I love to hear your thoughts and feelings. I'll do my very best to get the next chapter posted quickly! **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Good evening all! Here is a short little blurb that I wanted to stand on its own as a chapter. I could have incorporated it into a longer chapter 22, but I felt that it was sweet enough to be independent in its own context.**

**No, we don't address the whole Hannah-scenario yet, but fear not, I have received your messages! It will soon be coming up! We will have to compare her side of the tale with his side… But just not in **_**this**_** chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Unless some genie came to me in the middle of the night, unbeknownst to me, and granted my wishes, I still don't own Bones…. But yes, this story is still all mine!**

"Booth, why are you here? What the hell is going on?" She spoke the words harsher, and louder, than she had planned. Her voice was angry. She was trying to understand his motives and she wasn't getting it. He was not making it clear to her, and she was getting anxious to know what was happening. "Booth, I don't understand, please, will you help me out here?"

Booth was taken aback by her tone. "Why am I here? Bones, this is my place. I am _here_ because we're at _my_ apartment."

She was shaking her head, "No, Booth, I _know_ this is your place, I am not _that_ out-of-it… That's not what I meant." She sighed in exasperation, before she began firing off sentence after sentence without breathing. "Booth, why are _we_ here? What are we doing? Why did you bring me here to your apartment? I have no place here... no right to be here... What's Hannah going to say when she comes home and finds me, here, with you, like this? You should have taken me to my place, so I wouldn't be in the way. I don't want to interfere with your life, now, Booth. And I don't understand why you're… why you're being so… so affectionate towards me." Her words grew softer and less confident, her voice was deflated. "I don't understand what's happening, here, Booth. I don't understand why you're asking me to forgive you. I feel like I don't understand _anything_ right now. And I am feeling…. Well, I am feeling _lost_, Booth. And usually when I am feeling lost, I turn to _you_ to help me find myself, but I don't know how to do that now… I don't know if you want to really help me or if you're just here out of obligation or guilt or… I don't know… _I just don't know_." Small tears began forming at the corners of her eyes, and she willed them to disappear, but she knew they would not obey. She was feeling so frustrated that she couldn't control her emotions and she couldn't voice what she was actually feeling – her words were failing her. A best-selling author and she couldn't even put into words her own feelings… _God, what a failure I am! What the hell is the matter with me? _

He tucked his head back and tilted down, hoping to look into her eyes, but she wasn't looking at him. "Bones, I am here because you need me here. I am here because you asked me to be with you, and I would _never _say no to you; I _could_ never say no to you. I am here because _I need to know_ that you are going to be alright, and in order to know that, _to truly know it_, I need to be by your side. I brought you to my apartment for a couple of reasons, Bones. First, I thought that going back to your own home, being in your own bed, might be a little traumatic for you, seeing as how you were just abducted from there. I was trying to make it easier on you. Second, I figured that you would be out of commission for at least a few days, and if I was going to be of any help to you at all, I needed to know where everything was; I need to know that I can put my hands on whatever you might need. I don't know where everything is in your place, but I _do_ know my own place." He still looked down at her, wishing she would look up at him, but she kept her eyes trained downward.

"Listen, Bones, I am _not_ here out of obligation or guilt or anything else your mind may be conjuring up. I am here because I _want_ to be here. I want to be with you. And I think _you _want me here, too, Bones. I don't think I'm wrong about that…" Booth reached his hand up and tipped her chin until she was practically forced to make eye contact with him, and he looked deep into her eyes, his own pleading that she would understand. "Bones… I ask you to forgive me for _everything_. Everything over the past 5 ½ months has been, I know, not easy on you. I know, because it has not been easy for me either. I've been an ass; and a jerk towards you when you didn't deserve it. I know that I can't expect you to forgive me immediately; I don't deserve your absolution that quickly, but if you can, somewhere in your _metaphorical_ heart, eventually find a way to overlook my idiocy and accept my apology, I would be eternally grateful to you."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Booth, you've done nothing that requires my forgiveness. You don't need forgiveness. I don't understand what you're saying when you ask me for that."

He took a deep breath. _This is it_, he told himself, _go for a different outcome_; he hoped he wasn't making a bigger mistake than he had the year before when he poured his heart to her on the steps of the Hoover.

"Bones, after we got back, you know, me from Afghanistan and you from Maluku, things changed." She nodded at him, knowingly, and looked like she was about to speak, so he put his finger to her lips. He needed to speak what was on his mind, and he couldn't do that if she was going to interrupt him. "Bones, the changes were not good. Not good for either of us. And I'm at fault for that. If I hadn't come back with - - with Hannah - - things would not have dissolved the way they did. I was not fair to you over the past 5 ½ months, Bones. I lost my temper with you a lot; we were not as proficient at solving cases, I didn't spend time with you like I should have – like I wanted to – like we used to."

She interjected before he could stop her, "Booth, the changes we experienced were _not _your fault. I am the one to blame for everything that happened. I pushed you away. _I _forced you to 'move on', if you recall. You needed to have someone who could return your love in a way that I didn't think I could." She once again lowered her eyes, feeling shame and softening her voice, "I know, _now_, that I made a mistake, Booth, but I realized it too late. I should have given 'us' a chance…I missed my opportunity with you, and I have _only myself_ to blame for that. I am glad that you're happy now. I am glad that you found love, Booth. It's important to me that you are happy and at peace, because you are my best friend…My partner… my - -" She stopped her thought before it materialized from her lips, then continued. "I don't ever want you to think that you did anything to me that I didn't deserve." She paused to swallow; Booth could tell she had more to say. "Booth, you _are_ happy, aren't you? I mean, with your life now, with her, you're satisfied and at peace, right? You're feeling good?"

He avoided the question he knew she was actually asking – 'does Hannah make you happy', and instead diverted momentarily. "Bones, what I am feeling _right now_, is just worried. I am worried about you. I am worried about us. I am worried that when you get back on your feet, that you will run again. You might run from what I want to tell you; from what I _need_ to tell you and what I am _determined_ to tell you. I am scared that I am going to have to watch you leave again, and I will be powerless to stop you."

Her chest tightened as her imagination started to spiral into a proverbial tail-spin. She was afraid that he was about to tell her just how in love he was with Hannah. That Hannah was everything to him that _she_ could never be. She had visions of having to wish her Partner congratulations on his impending engagement. Booth was the marrying-kind, and after all, Hannah _was_ living there, so it was the natural next step in their relationship. She knew that he was afraid she was going to turn away from their partnership, their friendship, when he told her of his undying love for the beautiful blond who followed him from a war-zone to D.C. Hannah had _followed_ him; Brennan had _run_ from him… Hannah was the woman who could give him everything that she, Brennan, had once thought she could never give; Hannah was the woman who actually got the man that she, herself, so desperately wanted for her own. Brennan knew she had missed her chance with him forever, she missed their moment. It was entirely her own fault that he fell into another set of welcoming arms for comfort. He told her he had to move on if she would not give 'them' a chance to be together; stupidly and stubbornly, she let him, hell – she practically pushed him to do it. But he deserved her support now. He was obviously being so gentle with her because he was nervous about telling her the truth, and she was being unfair to him by not letting him just come out and tell her.

As more tears started spilling, she lowered her eyes and spoke quietly, "Booth, I won't run anywhere. I am done running. I'm done. Please tell me what is happening with you. Please tell me what you're stalling to say."

He palmed her cheek, forcing her to look back up to him. He let his thumb wipe away the river of tears that was coursing down the side of her nose, dripping over her lips. "Bones, don't cry. Please don't cry; I don't want to make you sad. I just need to be honest with you. I need you to know the truth. I wanted to tell you at The Founding Fathers the other night, after everyone else left; that's why I asked you to stay behind, to sit with me a bit longer. But we were having such a good evening, I hated to bring it up and ruin what we had going. It felt like old times, Bones; you and me sharing drinks and laughing, enjoying each other. We haven't had that in a very long time. It felt… well… it felt like it was _supposed_ to feel. It felt like 'we' were back like before, only better, because we'd been missing it for so long." He took a deep breath and continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with pain, and it was killing him. _God, I'm making a mistake. She doesn't want to hear this. She doesn't want to know; but I can't hold it in, I need her to listen, to hear what I have to say…A different ending, that's what I need to try for..._ "Bones, I'm not with Hannah anymore. I told her to leave. She doesn't live here anymore; she has no place in my apartment or in my life anymore. She's gone, Bones. So I could really care less about what she would think about you being here with me." He looked into her watery pools and was baffled at what he saw. He saw confusion staring back at him. Confusion and misunderstanding.

"Wha – what? What do you mean? When did this happen? Booth -?"

"Three days ago, I told her to leave. Pretty much _kicked_ her out, actually."

"Umm… Uhhh…I don't know what to say, Booth. Do I say 'sorry' or 'congratulations'? Normally I would ask your or Angela's advice for a socially acceptable response to such a revelation, but since Angela's not here, and it's actually _happening_ to you, I can't really ask you what I should say…"

Booth smiled at her complete honesty and innocent awkwardness. He pulled her head to tuck under his chin, and spoke in a husky whisper, "Bones, you don't _have_ to say anything. There is no obligation mandated by society in such a matter. But_, I_ can tell _you_ that I am not sorry it happened. And I hope, deep down, that you're not sorry either… Bones."

"I thought… I mean…You're not trying to tell me that you're engaged or getting married? That she's everything you ever wanted and she's the best thing to ever happen to you? That she's all the things that I could never be?" She was sobbing openly at that point.

He looked at her incredulously, "What? What the hell are you talking about, Bones?"

"I – I thought that you were nervous about telling me how well everything is going, now that you've moved on. That you are so in love with Hannah, and – and"

Her words were cut off by his mouth crashing down on hers. Hard and firm, yet soft and sensual at the same time. He still held her cheek in his palm, and looped his fingertips into her hair and pulled her into him while he kissed her like a dying man grasping to his last breath. She parted her lips and welcomed him as he was seeking entrance. There was no alpha male/alpha female fight for dominance here. She simply granted him what he was asking for; she submitted, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth, tangle with her own, to claim her as his. She willingly let him take control of the kiss and she felt him moan into her. She reached her left arm up and let her fingers curl into the short hair on the back of his head. She gave to him freely, and he kissed her like no other man had ever kissed her. Through just his lips, she felt him telling her so much more than any words could ever communicate. As the kiss softened, he brought his whole hand back around to her cheek, stroking it gently as he continued to suck and tug at her lips. He pulled her top lip into his mouth, sucking it hard, and then let it go to grab the lower one, gentler, taking care near her cut, but took it in between his lips all the same, then moved back to the top again. She couldn't stop herself from groaning in pleasure as she tasted him over and over.

Slowly, he pulled back from her, and she missed him already, although their lips, technically, were still touching, albeit very lightly. "Booth – Booth," was all she could manage to verbalize, her voice breathy and her mind high on Boothy-ness. Her open mouth rested lightly against his as she tried to gather her thoughts into a coherent statement, but she couldn't think of anything other than the air she was sharing with this man. The kiss they had just permitted each other to experience washed over her and made her feel delirious. Wonderfully delirious.

"Bones, God, Bones…I'm sorry, I couldn't help it… I shouldn't have done that, but I just couldn't stop myself." He looked into her eyes, again seeking a form of forgiveness that he hoped she would grant him.

"Why are you sorry, Booth? I'm not. Unless you are sorry because it wasn't what you were expecting, in which case, I can change my technique to match what you want it to be, if that would make a difference." Her voice was soft and airy and oh-so-sexy to his ears, and only slightly insecure.

"Huh? Change it? Oh, Hell, no, Bones, you don't need to change a thing. You kiss… wow… um… Your kisses are amazing…" He pulled back so he could look into her eyes. "Bones, I meant that I didn't mean to kiss you so suddenly; I had no permission. Look, I remember what you said - I know that you only wanted a relationship based on our friendship and our partnership, and I don't want to overstep those boundaries, but … but Bones, when I thought I was going to lose you tonight, I thought about all of our lost moments. All of the 'could have been' chances that we missed. All of the times I desperately wanted to pull you into my arms and just smother you with kisses; all of the times I wanted to wrap my hands into your silky hair and just get lost looking into your eyes. All the times I just wanted to hold you close, to breathe the same air and occupy the same space…" He looked at her hard, his eyes moist with emotion. "Please don't run, Bones, I beg you. If all you want is friendship, then I will go with that. I just need you in my life. I need you by my side, as my partner and my best friend, as whatever _you_ want. I need to see you and talk to you every day; otherwise I think I will go crazy. I can't stand not spending time with you. And if the only way I can be close to you is to be best friends, then I will live with that. I've missed you so much, and I just don't want to lose you again. Bones, I never, _never_, stopped loving you."

"Booth, stop. Please stop." Her hand drifted from the nape of his neck to trace his jawline and she pressed her palm flat against his slightly stubbly cheek. "Listen to me, Booth, as far as I'm concerned, you haven't done anything that warrants my forgiveness, but if you feel that you need it, then you have it. I was not upset with you; I've never been upset with you. I've been upset with myself. Booth, there's so much I want to tell you. So much that I never said. I don't even know where to begin."

"You just did, Bones. You just did." He smiled down at her; now they were both shedding tiny tears. Tears of happiness, relief; tears that were 7 years in the making and were finally granted permission to break free. Their eyes locked on each other's and instantly, they both knew what was coming. They both knew this was their time, their moment; neither was willing to let it pass without reaching out and snagging it with all their might and hanging onto it for dear life. The Partners finally appeared to be not only at the same concert, but singing the same song. They smiled; the mirrored love they shared for one another was shining through like a lighthouse beacon on a dark stormy night. They had a lot to talk about, and for them, despite everything that had happened, the night was suddenly very young.

**Postscript A/N**

**Ahh… My muse is **_**finally**_** allowing B&B to speak the same language! Whew! **

**Thanks for reading and as always, THANK YOU for the review… the one that I just **_**know**_** you're dying to leave for me…. You **_**are **_**planning to let me know what you think…. Right? **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N Hello and welcome back! **

**Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone who has sent me PM's and reviews. I really do appreciate it so! I have been lax, once again in writing back, but I have had computer problems on and off and my focus was on writing the story before I crashed each time! **

**So, my Muse took a little detour on this chapter, but I hope you like it. A little bit of focus on Angela before turning back to B&B. It wasn't originally planned, but as I was writing, it just happened! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones, although I hear HH wants to buy rights to my story line…. Yeah right! Don't I wish! LOL **

"Hey, I'm not sure what's going to happen in there, guys, but Dr. Brennan sounded strangely upset when I walked out of the room. I heard her ask Booth _why_ he was there and _what the hell_ was going on!" Cam whispered loudly to her friends, who were crashed randomly around the living room.

Angela's eyes become the size of saucers as her jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? When I left they seemed fine, Cam, what happened?"

"I don't know, Angela. They were talking quietly, everything seemed alright. I interrupted them to give her an update on and instructions for her ankle and that I was going to head home, but that you guys were all staying. They seemed satisfied with the answer and I turned to leave when I heard her ask him that. I don't know if she thought they were alone already or what… but she did _not_ sound happy…"

"Aww, man, poor Booth. He's got an injured _and_ cranky Dr. B on his hands now…" Jack shook his head in sympathy. "He's in for a long night, man…" He looked to Wendell and Sweets, who both just nodded in agreement.

"Well, maybe you're right, maybe she's just grumpy. But, I do have to go. I want to get home and see Michelle for a bit. I will be back tomorrow, though. But you guys call if you need anything, OK? And if anything, you know, _juicy_ happens, be sure to let me know!" They all nodded in agreement as they walked Cam to the door, locking it securely behind her. For all the shared intelligence in that room, all the years of knowledge and research, none of them were immune to a bit of gossip; especially when said gossip was concerning their favorite couple/non-couple/just partners/soul mates.

The little group made their way back into the living room. Saying good night to his friends, Sweets stepped into Parker's room to join Daisy in hopes of getting some sleep to make up for his lost sleep since this whole ordeal began. Wendell crashed on the sofa, remote control in hand, as he flipped through 150 channels of uninteresting crap…

Angela and Hodgins snuggled up between cozy blankets on the air mattress that Jack found in Booth's hall closet.

"I hope Bren is alright," Angela quietly stated while resting her head on Jack's shoulder. "She seemed to be taking it all in stride, but we all know how she is… She keeps things buried inside until she either explodes or implodes." She felt Jack nod as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"If anyone can get through to her, though, you know it will be Booth. So, let's give them time, get some sleep and talk to them later, huh, babe?" He glanced down and she nodded in agreement.

"I feel bad about something, Jack..." Angela had been struggling with a torrent of emotions since Brennan had been back. "I used to be the one she talked to. I used to be the one she turned to when she needed help. And don't get me wrong, I know that Booth has been playing a large part in her life, and it's not that I begrudge them their relationship - - _whatever_ kind of relationship this is - - but I really kind of miss being the one she turns to… Is that selfish of me, Jack?" Angela was truly tormented by these feelings and for once, didn't have the answers to an emotion… something with which she was unfamiliar.

"No, Ange, you're not selfish. And you know that you're still Dr. B's best friend. But with Booth, she has something else. You know, when you and I finally got together, you pulled away from her, but you probably didn't see it, since you were so involved with it. But I could see the way Dr. B would look at you, sometimes. It was as if she knew the two of you were changing. Not changing in a bad way, or not drifting apart, per se, but your relationship with each other was just changing, maturing, evolving. You still consider her your best friend, right?" He waited for her agreement, then continued, "Well, tell me then, why do you come to me first to talk about things that are bothering you? Things that upset you or confuse you… it seems that you and I talk about those things much more than you do with her, anymore, hmm?"

"You're right, Jack. I guess that I just got so worried that Booth wouldn't get to her in time, you know? And then the flood of relief when he did reach her brought me down from that high. This emotional roller coaster we've been on over the past day and a half has just, I don't know, made me more introspective I guess. I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't been able to locate her."

He smiled at Angela, "I know, Ange. You have a right to feel upset, confused… I think it is all just human nature when relationships are altered by the circumstances surrounding us. You know, I just keep imagining how Booth was feeling. You _know_ he loves her. We all know. Hell, he had finally gotten his head out of his ass, kicked Hannah out and then Dr. B gets kidnapped, before he even had a chance to tell her. All that emotion he was feeling at the lab, while he was waiting for answers… God, I can imagine that it was killing him. He knew the woman he loved was being tortured and he was powerless to prevent it, to find her, to save her. I know that if I had been in his shoes, I would have been going berserk. He held it together, amazingly well, I think. And if anyone can get her through all this, it's going to be him. Right?"

"Yeah." She smiled up at him, a warm and loving smile. "Goodnight, Jack, I love you."

"Night, Angie. Love you too, babe."

**Meanwhile – in the bedroom - **

"Booth?" Brennan's head was once again resting with her right cheek pressed firmly against Booth's chest, his hands once again grasped firmly on her hips, making lazy little circular patterns with his thumbs.

"Hmm?" He was sleepy but alert at the same time. _Such juxtaposition_, he thought to himself, _how can I be both?_

"Can we talk about what happened? You know, between you and Hannah… Or is that topic off limits?"

"Bones, nothing is off limits as far as I am concerned. I don't want to have any secrets, I don't want you to be afraid to ask me anything you want or need to know. My life is an open book for you to peruse; so yes, we can discuss it." He took a deep breath, "What would you like to know?"

"Well, I would like to know what happened, exactly, when you told her to leave. What brought it on? There is actually a lot I would like to know about your relationship with her, but mostly, I want to know what happened that day."

"OK, well, you know that I had Parker for a few week nights last week, because Rebecca was out of town, right?" When she acknowledged that she remembered the days he was talking about, he continued his recount of that final night.

_**~~Flashback~~**_

Booth and Parker were laughing and enjoying their afternoon together as they entered his apartment, pizza box in one hand and a 2-liter of soda in the other.

"OK, Parker, go ahead and wash up for dinner, we'll eat now, and then you can do your homework after. That way we'll have time before your bedtime to watch a show I recorded on the DVR for you."

"What show, Dad?" Parker couldn't remember asking his father to record anything.

"It's a documentary that Bones said she thought you would enjoy. I don't remember the name, but we'll watch it together and then I'll let Bones know if you liked it or not. Of course, you probably will, since you're turning all squinty on me." He laughed good-naturedly as Parker rolled his eyes at his dad.

"Dad, I'm not all squinty! I just enjoy going to the lab and doing stuff with the squints. You know, they do interesting stuff. And cool experiments and all… But you're just giving me a hard time, aren't you?"

"YUP. Now, go wash up, I am hungry for pizza!"

They sat at the small table by the kitchen window to enjoy their dinner – just the 2 of them.

"Dad, will it be just us tonight? All night?" Parker looked at Booth with hopeful eyes, wishing that Hannah would not be back tonight. He continued hesitantly, his sentences forming slowly, as to not sound jealous or bratty. "Last night I hardly got to talk to you. Hannah kept interrupting and, well, I don't get to see you that often, and I just wish that we could spend time just me and you, you know?"

"It's just us, Pal. I, uh, told Hannah last night after you went to bed that she had to stop doing that. I told her that my time with you was very precious, since I don't get much of it. She decided she would be working late tonight."

"Was she – was she mad?"

"Well, Parker, I don't want you to worry about her. She was less than pleased, but I believe she understood what I was telling her." Booth flashed Parker a big grin to put his son's mind at ease. Truth be told, they had a huge fight after Parker had gone to bed, because Hannah was pissed that she was taking a back-seat to his son in the middle of the week. She always agreed to give them their father-son time on the weekends, but she had claimed Booth as hers during the week and didn't like sharing him. At times, she was more childish than his 11-year-old son.

"Cool, thanks Dad. I was afraid that you didn't want to spend time with me, now that she was here." Parker kept his eyes lowered and his voice barely above a whisper as he revealed his fears to his father.

Booth got up from his seat and walked over to stand beside his son. "Parks, I don't EVER want you to think I don't want to spend time with you. You are my number one priority. You are _THEE MOST_ important person in my life, and I don't ever want you to think any different. OK?" His eyes held Parker's gaze and Parker did truly believe what his dad was telling him.

Parker reached out and wrapped his arms around Booth's waist, burying his face into his father's abdomen. He was not a child who was into showing physical affection to his father any more, now that he was growing up, but he really needed a hug. He really missed the hugs he used to get when he was a little kid. He melted in relaxation as he felt his father wrap his strong arms around him in return, holding him close. And in truth, he was a _little _jealous of Hannah, and sorely disappointed that they no longer spent evenings or weekends hanging out with Bones. He has been wishing for as long as he could remember that his dad and Bones would become a couple. But his dad told him that he had to give up that dream; it was not going to happen. He said Bones did not feel the same way towards him as he felt towards her. But the thing that bothered Parker was that he knew better. Parker _knew _that Bones cared for his dad. But Bones was just afraid to show it. He just wished that his dad would give her more chance. Ever since his dad came back from the Army almost 6 months ago, Parker had barely even seen Bones, unless he was taken to the lab to work on a school project. And he missed her terribly.

Bones always had a warm smile and big hug for him whenever she saw him. She was always available when he had school questions and told him to call her if he had problems. He felt at ease with Bones and she had been an important figure in his life for a very long time. Parker felt that he had lost a family member when she and his dad stopped hanging out. He hadn't even been over to her pool in - what felt like to an 11 year old – _**an eternity**_.

"You OK, buddy? Is there something more than just last night bothering you?" Booth looked down, concerned at the concentration crease that had formed on his son's forehead.

"No, dad, it's OK. I am just, I don't know… Having trouble adjusting, I guess."

"Hey, Parker." Booth pulled his seat over to sit closer to his son while he talked to him, their pizza all but forgotten at this point. "I know that you don't really care for Hannah, yet, but I am really trying to make this work. I think she just needs as much time to adjust to you as you need to adjust to her. When a family is blending together, it is never easy, because a new personality is brought into the mix. But I really_, really_ appreciate that you're trying when she's here. It means a lot to me."

"I know dad. I know." Parker's eyes were once again, downcast.

"Hey – tell you what – how about if on the next weekend that you're here, we all do something together. I'll ask her to take the weekend off so you can spend more time with her than you normally do, since you usually only see her in the evenings for a little while. If we do something all day, it will help both of you." Booth looked to his son with an optimistic look in his eyes. He looked, perhaps, more optimistic than he really felt, but he wanted to put his son at ease.

"OK, dad. That's fine. Whatever you decide is fine." Parker looked back to his father, and made a decision to try to be more patient for both their sake.

"Great, pal. Now, are you finished here? Do you want to go do your homework so we have time to watch your show?"

"Uh-huh," Parker nodded enthusiastically, wondering what Bones had recommended that his dad record for him to watch.

"OK, go into the other room and get started, I'll be along after I clean up out here."

Booth ruffled Parker's blond curls and the younger Booth rolled his eyes again. "Dad! Stop that!" He pretended to be upset, but they both knew it was just an act; in reality, it was an action of sentiment they both enjoyed.

Parker moved into the living room, flopped down to the floor and spread his school work onto the coffee table and began working on it, anxious to finish in a hurry.

He heard the front door open and looked up, disappointed to see Hannah walking in_. I thought she was working late,_ he thought. _She probably came home just to mess up my evening with Dad_; he frowned and went back to his school work without even saying hello.

"Hey-a there little one!" Hannah announced, wearing a fake smile as she walked through the living room towards the bedroom.

_I hate that she calls me 'little one' all the time. I'm not a baby._

Booth stuck his head out from the kitchen, "What are you doing home tonight? I thought you were working late?"

She turned back to him and smiled, "Well, my story didn't pan out, so I am home for the evening with you boys! I saw no sense in just wasting time at work when I had nothing concrete to work on. What's the plan for tonight?"

Booth looked down to his son, where Parker sat on the floor, leaning up on the coffee table. The elder Booth didn't miss the glare he was receiving from his son. Parker's head remained down, as if looking at his homework, but his eyes were upturned towards Booth, staring through blond curls that hung down. Booth looked back to Hannah, a bit annoyed himself that she had interrupted what he had planned would be a boys-night.

"Well, we already ate; we had pizza, but there's some left over in the fridge if you want some. And when Parker is done his homework, we're going to watch a show I recorded for him; a recommendation from Bones that he would like."

At the mention of Bones recommending a show for Parker to watch, Hannah's face turned to stone. She just stared at her boyfriend and squinted her eyelids as she glared his direction. Without a word, she abruptly turned and walked into their bedroom with a loud sigh of frustration.

Booth looked down at Parker, "Go on and finish your homework, kiddo. I'll pop some popcorn for our show."

"We're still going to watch it? Really?" Parker smiled, relieved that his evening with his dad hadn't been totally thwarted.

Booth smiled at his eagerness and happiness, "Sure we are, Pal. I told you we would, right?" Parker nodded earnestly and got back to work. "While you're finishing, Parker, I'll put the popcorn in to cook and then I'm going to sort some of our laundry. Let me know when you're ready, OK?"

Parker wasted no time getting down to business. He finished his spelling and English assignments quickly and without problems. As he was starting his science homework, Hannah emerged from the bedroom, having changed from her work clothes and instead donning one of his Dad's t-shirts. _She has her own clothes, why does she have to wear dad's?_ She flopped down on the couch behind Parker and started to ask him about his day. He was annoyed at being interrupted while he was trying to understand a challenging topic. He gave one-word answers to her questions, never looking up to meet her eyes, as she continued to break his train of thought. He was hoping that if he was short with his answers, she would just leave him alone, but it didn't seem to be working. She was only asking him questions, he was sure, to try to get a rise out of him. She was never really interested in anything he was doing in school and he couldn't understand why all of a sudden she had an interest in what he was studying.

Exasperated, he sighed loudly and turned to her, giving his best I'm-just-an-innocent-student-needing-help-look, "Hannah, did you know that human beings have been affecting and changing the earth's environment since prehistoric times? And studies show that animal bones found in rubbish pits and shell middens give historians and scientists a lot of insight regarding how our ancestors lived. What I _don't_ understand, though, is how they determine domesticated versus wild-caught animal remains when they're excavating these locations. Can you help me?" He spoke the words quickly and concisely, letting her know that she was interrupting his learning process.

Parker had to bite his tongue to not smile as Hannah stared at him with a blank look in her eyes. She creased her brow and stuttered, "uh, well, Parker. I don't, uh, really know how they can tell the difference. Maybe you should ask your dad."

He just gave a crooked, almost frustrated half-grin. "Naw, Dad hates helping with my science homework." Without saying another word, he rose from his spot on the floor and walked over to the phone on the end table.

"Parker, what are you doing? Who are you calling? It's late." Hannah demanded as he picked up the receiver.

"Bones. I'm calling Bones. She always helps me understand my science when I've read it and re-read it and still don't understand it." He shrugged his shoulders, raised his eyebrows and spoke to her in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. It was true, he called Bones often for help on his school work, and she was always happy to help him. She talked him through whatever topic it was and helped put it into everyday terms, so he could grasp the concepts better.

"Parker. You are _not_ calling Temperance for your homework help. Go ask your father." She tried to make her voice forceful and dominating, a voice of authority.

He turned to her, looking at her like she was crazy. "Hannah, Bones doesn't mind. She told me I can always call her...no matter what. She helps me. She even helps me sometimes with my math if I have a problem that dad and I can't figure out together. But I know already, that dad will tell me to call Bones for science, so that's what I'm doing." He turned back to the phone and started dialing the number he knew by heart.

Parker then flinched as a hand came around him from behind and slammed down on the disconnect buttons on the old-fashioned rotary phone, ending his call mid-ring. He turned and looked up at her, fury blazing in his eyes. "HOW DARE YOU," he screamed. "You can't come over here and cut off my call to Bones! I am calling her for help, what's your problem, Hannah!"

"I told you, to go ask your father. You don't need to be calling Temperance every time you run into a difficult problem with school. She won't be around forever, you know, you're going to have to eventually work through your school work on your own, or with help from your _family_. So, start now, huh? Go ask your father!"

"Don't you tell me what to do or how to do my homework! You are NOT my mother and you cannot tell me who I can and can't call! I've been calling Bones since long before you came along and I will be calling her still long after you're gone, Hannah. I can _always_ count on Bones to help me. She told me so, and she wouldn't lie. She wouldn't offer to help me if she didn't mean it, so you don't know anything about how long she'll keep helping me! You just don't know anything!" He was so angry as he screamed, that tears were streaming down his bright red cheeks and he spat as he yelled at her. "You're just jealous because she's smarter than you and you know that Dad loves her more than he loves you!" With that final statement, he turned and ran to his room, leaving the receiver hanging off the end table, its spiral cord stretched almost straight.

"What the hell is going on in here!" Booth came rushing in from sorting the clothes from his bathroom hamper. "What's all this yelling?" He got out to the living room just as Parker's bedroom door slammed shut.

"That _brat_ of yours seems to think he can just pick up the phone and call Temperance whenever he wants to, just because he doesn't understand something he's reading. He won't even talk to _you _about his homework; he immediately turns to your 'partner', _if that's all she is!"_ Her words flew from her mouth, dripping with disdain as she glared at her boyfriend. "You need to start to control that boy now, if you're going to have any control over him as he gets older, you know! He can't go running to other people, outside the family, and expect _them_ to drop everything and help him. He needs to learn the truth, Seeley! That he has to learn to handle stuff on his own and depend on his _family – not outsiders_!"

"Hannah, you'd be wise to shut your mouth right now," Booth did his best to keep his temper in check.

"Oh! So you're in _favor_ of him calling your 'partner' way after business hours and asking her for help! That's OK with you? He has to realize, Seeley that you are with me, _not her!_ He has to get that through his thick little skull!" Her voice was about an octave higher than normal and she was all-out screaming at him.

"That's ENOUGH, Hannah! _ENOUGH!_ Number one, _my_ son can call Bones anytime he damn well pleases, whether it's about school or just to talk. He can call her _whenever the hell he feels the need or urge to_. Bones is not just another 'acquaintance' and, no, she is _not_ just my 'partner' – she is part of our family, whether you like it or not. She's been a part of my family for years, and has been a major part in Parker's life as he's grown up. Do not try to tell my son he can't call her when it comes to getting help with homework – or for any reason he wants to. Hell, sometimes I come out here and they're just talking to talk. That's how I know my boy is getting the best attention possible. He will tell her things he won't tell me or Rebecca; things that we need to know about in his day to day life. And in him confiding in her, we know that he's getting excellent advice on handling whatever the situation is. Bones has made it perfectly clear that she is _always_ available for him." He sucked air into his lungs through clenched teeth. "Number two, my son is not a brat. He does not have a 'thick skull' as you put it. And I have perfect control over my son, and you have no right to indicate that I don't. He's a good kid and works hard, so you can just shut your fucking mouth right now, Hannah!"

"OH, so you're _supporting_ his fantasies that Temperance will always be part of his life? Or is it that you're planning to maintain her as part of _both of your lives_? Is that what it is? What, am I just a bump in the road until she's ready to have you? Are you as in love with her as your son is? Are _you still_ in love with her? Tell me Seeley, please, because I am tired of hearing how _wonderful _'Bones' is; how _smart_ 'Bones' is; how _giving_ 'Bones' is; how birds sing her name and halos surround her wherever she goes! I am _through_ listening to your son rave about your partner when he should be growing closer to _me_! _I'm _the one who's here with you, Seeley! _I'm_ the woman who gave herself to you. In case you forgot, _she_ turned you down and didn't show any interest in you until she knew she couldn't have you. You're MINE, Seeley, not hers!"

"Hannah, Bones will _always_ be a part of our lives. She will always be an integral part of _my life_. I will not erase her from our family just because _you_ can't handle your jealousy. In fact, Hannah, I am sick and tired of your attitude whenever Parker mentions Bones, or hell, whenever _I_ mention her for that matter. Your snide little remarks and spoken venom are _not_ welcome in my home, Hannah. This is _my_ home, dammit, and ever since you moved in here, you've been trying to control who I have over, who I call, what we watch on TV, _everything_. That's not working for me, Hannah. I tried. I tried to adjust to your shitty demeanor and I had hoped that you would get along with Bones, but you just insist on contaminating my relationship with her. It's one thing for you to try to control _my_ relationship, but I'll be damned if I let you to control Parker's. Period. Parker is _my_ son, and he's _my_ responsibility, and I will _not_ hinder his relationship with someone who's been a major influence, _a positive influence_, for the better part of his life."

"Seeley, you have to know it's not fair to me for him to be so obsessed with her. You _must_ see that! You're not a stupid man. I have been playing second fiddle to both your son _and_ your partner since I came here. I am tired of being put on the back burner until it's convenient for you."

"No, I'm not stupid, Hannah, but I _have_ been blind." He took a sharp intake of air, "Hannah, Parker will _always_ be first in my life. Always. He is the most important person in the world to me. And any woman with whom I am involved will have to understand _and accept that_. And as far as you being second to Bones, well, she and I have been partners for a long time. She and I have been through a helluva lot together; saved each other; supported each other. She will forever own a part of my heart that no one else will be able to fill. _No one_, Hannah." He shook his head in disbelief that this was all coming out now. "Hannah, we're done here. You need to pack your things and leave. I will no longer tolerate you being in my home and trying to control me or my son. I will not have you continue to interrupt my time with my son, as you have tended to do. My time with Parker is more important to me than _anything_. You will never be able to handle that. You will never be able to accept that part of my life, it is quite obvious. And I am done trying. You've been making my life difficult enough with your jealous ranting all along, and frankly, Hannah, I am through." He turned towards Parker's room and paused to look back to her. "Leave your apartment key on the kitchen counter on your way out."

She rushed forward and grabbed his bicep, suddenly desperate to make things right between them. "Wait, Seeley! Wait! It doesn't have to end like this. We're good together! We belong together. I can get used to Temperance being more involved if that's what I need to do. Please, Seeley, don't end it like this. I'm sorry, I _am sorry_."

"It's not about Bones, Hannah. It's about me and Parker. I am not a person who will be controlled by temper tantrums and guilt-trips. They seem to be your main MO. I'm tired of the negative comments, the crap-attitudes when I come home late, and the jealousy of my son... and so much more. I'm done, Hannah. I can't keep this charade up."

"Seeley, I don't have any place to go tonight. Please don't make me leave." Hannah hoped that if she could get him to allow her to stay tonight, she could show him just how good they are together. She would remind him of all the passion they had shared in the bedroom when they first got together nearly 10 months prior, even though it's diminished a bit since. Well, quite a bit…

"Hannah, there are plenty of hotels in the DC area, they can't all be full. Good bye, Hannah; go. You were never happy in DC anyway, and there is no way in hell I would ever go back to Afghanistan like you want to do. I will not leave my son again; nor will I leave my partner again." With that, he pulled his arm from her grasp and turned back to Parker's room.

As he entered his son's space, Booth found Parker lying face down on his bed, crying into his pillow. When Parker heard his dad open the door, he tried to control his emotions and stop crying. He hated to cry in front of his super strong father.

Booth sat down on the side of the bed and rubbed his son's upper back. "Hey, hey, Parks. It's OK, shh." He tugged on his boy's shoulder and pulled him into his chest. Parker folded himself into his dad's hold. "It's gonna be alright, Parker. Take a deep breath, buddy, ok?"

"Dad-Dad, I'm sorry. I lost my temper. I just, I just got so mad when she told me I couldn't call Bones. You _know_ that Bones told me I can always call her. She doesn't mind, Dad, _she told me_!" He was gasping for breath in between sobs, speaking quickly and trying to make sure his father knew he wasn't doing anything that he wasn't allowed to do. He was afraid that his father would take Hannah's side of the argument.

"I know, Parker, I know. You are _always_ allowed to call Bones; you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry that Hannah jumped on you like that, she was wrong to do that."

Parker looked up through his tears, meeting his dad's brown eyes. Booth brushed aside some of his son's blond curls which had stuck to his forehead during his emotional melt-down. "Dad, I didn't mean to make things worse for you. I know that she's gonna be mad at you now, because of me. Just like she always does. She is mean to you when she gets mad at me and I didn't mean for that to happen. Honest, dad. I'm sorry. I know you're probably really upset with me."

"Parks, relax, buddy. I'm not upset with you. Hannah doesn't get mad at me when she's upset with _you_. Hannah gets mad because it's just what she does." He took a deep breath before continuing. He wanted to make sure that Parker knew the upcoming changes were his choice, and not Parker's fault. "Listen, pal. Hannah's leaving. I can't be in a relationship with a woman who treats you like that. You are the most important person in my life and I need you to know that this change was _my_ choice, Parker. I know you, and I know how you sit and think and ponder events leading up to changes. I want you to remember that this is not your fault and that I brought this on myself. Okay?" He raised his eyebrows to his son and waited for acknowledgement.

"Dad, what do you mean when you say Hannah's leaving? Like, she's leaving for the night or she's leaving for good?"

"For good, buddy. I told her I wanted her to go. She's no longer welcome here."

Parker lunged up and wrapped his arms around his dad's shoulders. "Dad, I know I don't hug you anymore, but I really need to hug you right now."

"Hey, Parker, you are welcome to hug me any time. I know you're growing up, but as far as I am concerned you will never be too old for hugs. OK?"

"Thanks Dad." Parker smiled up at Booth and backed away, scooting to sit further up towards his pillow.

"Hey, do you need to finish your science work tonight, or can you finish it tomorrow night? You don't have science class tomorrow, do you?"

"No, I can finish it tomorrow. I will need to call Bones, though, but I don't really want to right now."

"Alright, then, what do you say we go back out to the living room and watch your show? Then, when you talk to Bones tomorrow, you can not only talk about your science homework, but you can let her know what you thought of her recommendation."

"Sounds good Dad, thanks."

Booth and Parker made their way back to the living room just as the front door was closing. Booth looked to the kitchen counter and saw the spare front door key resting on a note (which incidentally, still remained unread and unmoved from where she left it). He walked over to the door and locked the dead bolt and set the chain and then rejoined his son back in the living room as they crashed on the couch and turned on the TV, ready for whatever documentary was recorded. He felt a little torn; he should feel remorse from an ending relationship, instead he felt a jolt of energy, a renewed sense of calm.

"Dad, what's it about?" Parker was anxious to know what they were watching.

"Something about a frozen prehistoric guy that was found in the mountains somewhere… You know I don't know, but Bones said you'd like it and made me promise to record it." He smiled over at his boy and Parker started to bounce in place.

"You mean the Ice-Man? The ancient mummified remains they determined were those of a murder victim rather than a natural death?"

Booth raised his eyebrows at his son's excitement and was surprised that he already knew so much about this guy, without even seeing it yet. "Yeah, I guess that might be the one, let's find out, huh?"

They turned on the TV, turned off the lights and grabbed the bowl of popcorn, setting it between them on the couch. Booth winked at Parker as the show began, and smiled in contentment. He felt strangely at ease; happy that his son was at his side, happy that he didn't have to tip-toe around a woman who didn't understand his lifestyle, eager to call Bones and talk to her about the events of the evening. But he knew he should talk to her in person instead. There were some things he wanted to discuss with her regarding this very recent change, and some things should be done in person, not over the phone.

**~~End Flashback~~**

"So that's it, in a nutshell, Bones. You are a major, _very major_, part in my life and in Parker's life. You are our family, and you have been for a long time. Honestly, you and Parker are thetwo most important people to me, and I was not going to permit Hannah to dictate how we were to treat you. How _I_ was to treat you. I had enough of letting her get between you and me. You're too important to me, Bones, _far too important_." He pointedly emphasized the last part of his statement. He wanted Bones to know that _no one_ would dictate how he, himself, would treat her, ever again, because she meant too much to him.

"So, what else do you want to know, Bones?" He looked down at her with bright eyes, conveying that he truly was open to share whatever she wanted to know. "If you don't speak up, then I have a few questions of my own… for you." He flashed her his special Boothy-charm smile – the smile he now saved _just_ for her – no one else was privy to this look.

She smiled shyly up at his dancing eyes, resting her chin on his pec. "Well, Booth, I think it's only fair that I take a turn answering one of your questions. Something tells me that we have plenty of time ahead of us, to share all our stories. We do have a future, right?" She looked to him hopefully and her smile grew when he nodded the affirmative. "But first, I want to roll over and lay on my side. But... will you keep your arm around me? Let me lay on your shoulder?" She raised her eyebrows in question, hoping that he would be fine with it.

"Bones, you can lay any part of _your_ body on _any part of my body_ whenever you want. I'm yours, Bones. All yours." He smiled a sweet and honest smile down to her.

"Booth, I don't own you. No one person can own another, you know that." She suddenly turned all anthropological, and rolled her eyes at him.

"You're wrong, Bones. You own me, like it or not. I am completely and totally _yours_ – for as long as you'll have me - and I am good with it. I _want_ to be yours, and yours alone. You own my heart, you have it in your grips and I don't plan to ever pull back. _I'm yours._ And… I dare say… _You are mine_, Bones. You just might not realize it yet, but I plan to remedy that misunderstanding on your part." He kissed her forehead and spoke against her skin before pulling back, "We belong to _each other_, Bones, and we have belonged to _and with_ each other for years now."

His warm breath caused shivers to riddle her body as she slid to his side, snuggling into his neck and inhaling deeply. "So, Booth, you're turn, what do you want to know?"

**Postscript A/N **

**So, was it OK? I know a bit different from the previous chapters, but I hope you liked it anyway. **

**Please review and let me know! THANK YOU!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N Welcome! Thank you so much for coming back! **

**And wow! There are 150 reviews on this story, I am TRULY HONORED! Thank you so very much! **

**So, this is a bit of a short one, but I hope you find it a good turning point. I felt good writing it and have the next couple of chapters loosely sketched in my journal, so they will be along soon! **

**Disclaimer: I still only own this story line. Someday I want to be a writer and develop my own characters… until then I will continue to borrow HH's characters! Thank you to Hart for having such delicious characters with which to work. **

"Bones, if there's anything you're not comfortable telling me, you don't have to. I mean, I know sometimes it takes you longer to process thoughts, and that's fine, so don't be afraid to just tell me 'no', OK?"

Brennan shook her head against his shoulder, "No, Booth, I am good with whatever you ask me. I've never kept secrets from you anyway. Sometimes I don't know the right way to say things, but I have never actually kept a secret from you."

Booth looked down at her through his lowered eyes and smiled gently. "Well, then, I would like to know when you realized your feelings changed. You know - your feelings for me, for us…"

Before speaking, Brennan thought about her words, choosing them carefully. She didn't want to sound cliché and she didn't want to make her response too wordy and lengthy. _Short and sweet, as Booth would say, that's the best way to say it_, she thought to herself.

"When I boarded the plane leaving for Maluku." It was a matter of fact statement and she had spoken it so quietly that Booth actually thought he heard wrong.

"What? When, Bones?" He wrinkled his forehead at her; he was sure that he misunderstood what she said.

"At the airport, Booth…after we said goodbye… before the plane even left the ground. I boarded the plane, sat down in my seat and just…sobbed…" Thinking back to that moment brought renewed tears to her eyes, and she desperately blinked them away. "I knew I had made a mistake. I knew that I was wrong to not give us a chance and that I was chasing you off to Afghanistan and that I was, essentially, running in the complete opposite direction. Of course, I could not admit these feelings to anyone. I wanted to tell you, but I thought that if I told you before we parted that I would make things worse." She looked up into his deep brown eyes and begged silently for his forgiveness.

"Bones," he barely whispered, "how would – why would you think it would have made things worse if you had told me?" He simply could not believe he was hearing this from her. _She changed her mind __**that **__long ago? And all this time, she never said anything. Why, oh sweet Jesus, why didn't you help me see this?_ He thought to himself.

"Well, Booth, you were going off to a battle-zone… A war. You had to be above your game, and I didn't want to mess with your emotions any more than I already had done. I knew that I had thoroughly screwed up."

He smiled at her, despite what she was saying, "Bones, it's '_on top of_ your game,' not '_above_ your game.' You're so adorable. BUT, I still don't understand why you didn't just _tell me_, Bones. I wish you had…"

"Booth, you were already committed to the Army. You had to go; there was no way around it; no way to back out of it. If I had told you, then we would have wanted to stay together, and neither one of us could back out of our commitments. We had to go our separate ways, Booth. And if we went those different ways, and you were distracted by what I wanted to tell you, then you could have been at greater risk of being hurt. You may not have been able to compartmentalize home and work, in a sense. If it had been my fault that you got hurt, I never would have forgiven myself, Booth."

While Booth did not agree with _what_ she was saying, he did understand _how_ her mind worked and he understood how she would have come to that conclusion, no matter how irrational it was. He let out the breath he had been holding while listening to her speak and he pulled her tighter to his side, planting a firm kiss on top of her head.

"As it turned out, Booth, I guess I made a bigger mess of things by _not_ telling you. But again, I thought I was protecting you, just like why I originally didn't agree to give us a shot. I wanted to protect you from being hurt. To protect you against me. It's always been my intention to keep you from being hurt, Booth. Always." Her voice was soft and gentle, vulnerable and honest.

"Bones, don't protect me so much, huh?" He gave her a heart-warming smile. He didn't want to upset her any more than she already was, given her current state. He wanted to be supportive but at the same time tell her that he was not as fragile as she maybe thought he was. "I am a big boy; I can handle the truth, I promise you. I would rather have known the truth as I went off to war, rather than think that you didn't care for me. It would have given me more hope than I had when I left; as it was, I wondered if you would have really felt a difference if I never came back. I didn't know if you would even miss me." _Damn, I shouldn't have put it like that. Don't be an ass, Booth!_ "Aw, God, I – I didn't mean it like that, Bones. I'm sorry, that was harsh."

"Sometimes the truth _is_ harsh, Booth. I understand that, and believe me - I have lectured myself countless times about what I did and why it was wrong. I should have handled it better, Booth, I am _so sorry_. I have such regret built up inside, that I just don't know what to say; even if I did, I wouldn't know how to say it, anyway. I desperately want you to forgive me and my faults and all the terrible things I said to you." By this time, her tears had sprung loose and were flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Bones, please don't cry. You never said anything that terrible to me. You never said anything hurtful towards me, Bones. You were honest with how you were feeling at the time, and it was my fault that I took it as hard as I did. I knew, _I just knew_, that I should not have pushed you when I did – you weren't ready. I _never_ should have listened to Sweets. I was an idiot to do it, Bones; and the way things went down – well that was as much my fault as it was yours, Baby – uh – Bones." He gave her a sheepish grin as he slipped with her nickname – again…

She ignored the newest nickname he'd decided to give to her. "I talked to you every day, Booth, while I was in Maluku. I carried on conversations in my mind; Sweets would probably want to analyze my mental state if I told him that." She smirked awkwardly as he raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Really, Bones? What did we talk about?" He smiled at her blunt confession. _That kind of came out of nowhere. _ _We were just discussing hurting each other and taking blame from each other, and now she's telling me that she made me into her imaginary friend while she was away. Cute._

"Well, mostly I told you about my day, and explained to you about what I was working on. We bickered, and mostly I won. I did let you win a _couple_ of times, though." She smiled sweetly up at him before putting her head back to his shoulder. "I wrote letters to you almost every second day, all of which are still in my field satchel. I never sent them because I was afraid to." She took a deep breath before continuing. "There were some days when I was confused about what to do in a certain situation or a circumstance, and in my mind, I would ask you what I should do or say; in most cases, your advice was really welcome and worked. So, thank you, even though you never knew." As she spoke, she kept her voice steady and soft. It felt strange and good at the same time, to be making these confessions to him. She had often wondered to herself if she would ever tell him about the letters, and until that instant, as she was talking, she hadn't made up her mind.

"I would like to read the letters, sometime, Bones. I mean, if they were really meant for me, I would love to read them. I often wished I knew how to send you a letter. I wrote several to you, but ended up throwing them all away. I'm sorry now that I didn't keep them. They would have afforded me some additional insight as to what was going through my mind at the times they were written. So much happened in those 7 months that now it seems like some of it wasn't real. But what I do know was real was the emptiness I felt when I thought about you. I wondered how you were. I wondered if you were successful in finding proof of the dawn of civilization, or whatever you were looking for. I wondered if you thought about me as much as I thought about you – or even, if you thought of me at all."

"I dreamt of you almost every night, Booth. Sometimes just little snippets of you, other times full-blown dreams, full of content and plot lines. I think I could count on one hand the amount of nights that I _didn't _dream about you. And I wondered the same thing, if you were thinking about me... I assumed that you were not, though, given the stress of your job combined with the fact that I was sure that I had hurt you, emotionally, beyond any true repair to our friendship, or our relationship to each other." In her eyes, he saw sadness, but it was combined with something else. Something that he didn't necessarily recognize, but it resembled acceptance. _Acceptance of what?_ he wondered.

"I talked about you to some of the guys in my unit. They ribbed me about being partners with a woman – they were mostly pretty narrow minded kids, really. But I told them about our partnership and about how we had the highest solve rate. I told them about how you were a famous author and you sometimes drove me nuts, but that I wouldn't trade your friendship for anything. Some of them said that they couldn't see that working with a woman would be conducive to success, but I lectured them and set them straight. Told them that I would never want to partner with anyone else ever again." He grinned as a memory graced the corners of his mind. "Huh, one of the guys saw through me immediately. He told me, after hearing about you for 15 minutes, that I was a fool for not being with you, because it was obvious that I was in love with you. I told him that his theory may have at one time been the case, but no longer, because we were not compatible. But he just laughed off my rebuttal and told me I was wrong and that, as long as I got home from that hell we were stuck in, that you and I would end up together, romantically." He laughed to himself, but out loud. He closed his eyes and thought, _Wow, Smitty, you were right. What til I call you, you psychic sonofabitch_.

"Booth, I'm sorry I pushed you to find refuge with another woman. I never thought, I never really thought that you would meet someone overseas… someone like Hannah." Her demeanor suddenly seemed very tiny, her voice small and afraid and Booth felt her body tense under his fingers.

"Bones," he choked. His gut wrenched when she mentioned his reckless relationship with the media reporter. "Bones, I'm so sorry that I did that to you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I – I just felt so… _lost…_ when I was over there, and I really thought that I would never have a chance with _you_. You were the one I always wanted… Just you. But I thought, at the time, that you didn't care about me and I got wrapped up thinking that I had finally found someone who _could_ care for me. She _seemed_ to care for me, anyway. But, Bones, I could never, _never_, love another woman the way I love you. I was such an idiot, Bones, such a fool. And I am so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out." He had tears in his eyes that had yet to escape from beneath his lids, but he was close – so close to losing them.

"Booth, let's just_ both_ share the responsibility for what happened. You were not alone in bringing this on, and neither was I. But it affected _both_ of us, deeply. We need to move on, agreed? I mean, we _can_ move on, right? Please? Booth, I truly believe that you were correct when you said we were right for each other. I believe you. I believe _in_ you. And I believe in _us_, Booth. Please tell me we're not too late. _That I'm not too late_… I don't want to have missed our chance completely, Booth, please tell me we didn't."

Her pale blue eyes pleaded with his warm browns, looking deeply, searching, and hoping for answers. Hoping for the answer she wanted to hear. When his growing smile reached his eyes, and the glimmer of hope started to shine through, she knew. She knew that there was a real chance now. He had forgiven her, she had forgiven him, and now, it was their time. Finally. No more fear, no more doubt, no more dancing around the truth. She knew they were finally going to make a go at 'them.' And suddenly, everything felt perfect, just like it was always meant to be. And 'they' were going to be fabulous… She just _knew_ it.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, was it OK? Again, I know it was short, but I hope you still found it acceptable!**

**Please review and let me know your thoughts. ;) **

**We will soon be hearing from the group about the visit from Hannah. We will also have a visit from Max. And I think that Parker needs to contact his father too… So many plans in the making, please keep an eye for the next chapter! **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N Welcome back! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. My muse was trying to break through and write all week, but my real work was interfering too much… something crazy about having to pay a mortgage took precedence over creative writing… Go figure! I did try to post this the other night, but I seemed to have been having issues with FF... It kept making me log in, then wouldn't let me post my story! Gggrrr... But alas... here it is! **

**So, you may remember my disclaimer from the previous 23 chapters… Nothing as changed. Sadly I only own the story line. Oh, and also Bones' kidnapper – he was all mine. Oh, how proud I am…. LOL **

**I hope you're still enjoying this story! You know, my original plan for this little tale was only about 9 or 10 chapters… but jeez, it just keeps going, doesn't it! The independent Muse playing inside my brain took the story in a totally different direction than originally planned... I do hope that you are not disappointed thus far! I must say, I am a little happy that my intent changed, because I think I am liking it better this way. **

**Thank you all for continuing to contact me with your thoughts. Your PM's and reviews are invaluable to me. Thank you, again. **

**Please tell your friends and enjoy the latest installment! **

"Booth?" she quietly broke the silence that had settled over them. She was settled next to him, her face still cushioned against his chest as she enjoyed the intoxicating scent she just came to accept as 'Booth'.

"Hmm?" It was a lazy response, but he was feeling a bit lazy as extreme fatigue was finally setting in. He was over the moon happy about the progress in their relationship, but physically and emotionally, he was beat. His hand made easy strokes on any part of her skin he could reach, her arm, her back, her shoulder... It didn't matter to him, as long as he was touching her and she was letting him, he was a happy man.

"What time is it?"

He craned his neck to see the clock on his nightstand. "Ugh, no wonder I'm exhausted. It's 4:53, Bones!" He looked down at her with a defeated grin and met her shocked eyes.

"Really? That late? Well, uh, early, really, I guess I should say… Oh, Booth, you've been awake since you found out about my kidnapping, haven't you? You must be weary. I'm so sorry, Booth, I slept earlier thanks to my pills, but you didn't, did you?"

"No, Bones, I didn't. I wanted to be awake in case you needed me. In fact, I only had about an hour's sleep the night before you were kidnapped too… Yeah, that explains why I feel like I could pass out for a year," he gave her his Boothy half-grin, the one he only ever showed her.

"Booth, let's sleep. I'm tired, you're tired and we'll have plenty of time to discuss everything else. You know, to discuss… _us_, and if we…uh, if we have a future…together."

"Oh, Bones, we have a future. There's no 'if' about that, my girl." He gave her a wide toothy smile, waiting to be reprimanded for his newest moniker for her.

She tried in earnest to look stern, "Booth! I know that I eventually accepted, and dare I say, became fond of, your nickname for me. '_Bones_' is my nickname, Booth! _That's_ what you call me. I can even see myself learning to…tolerate… 'Babe' or 'Baby,' because while I am not a child, I do find it somewhat endearing when I hear you say those words. But, Booth, I draw the proverbial line at 'my girl'." She met his gaze, doing her best to not give into the grin that was threatening to break through her tight lips. But the more he smiled down at her, his entire face dancing with happiness from his sexy, firm lips all the way up to his deliciously warm eyes, the weaker she felt against his charm. She couldn't stay angry at this man, she adored him too much. Her forbidding scowl turned into a warm and loving smile, beaming warmth directly into his soul. He couldn't resist pulling her closer and planting a loud, smoochy kiss on her forehead.

"OK, Bones, I'll behave. Let's get some rest; we'll talk more later on, okay? Do you need any of your pain pills?"

"No, Booth, I don't want any more pills. Just… will you, will you keep holding me?" She was, once again, feeling vulnerable and a bit nervous about going to sleep.

"Of course I will keep holding you, Bones. I'm not letting you go. _Ever. _And if you need anything, if you get worried or scared, don't hesitate to wake me. I'll be right here, I promise." He spoke softly and squeezed her shoulders, keeping her firmly in place where she'd settled after sliding off his chest – close to him, her chest flush against his side, with his left arm cradling her head.

She once again settled her head back into the crook of his neck and rested her left hand on his chest, drawing lazy circles with her fingers as she drifted into a hazy sleep. Contentment and happiness washed over her; both were feelings that she was not intimately familiar with, but they were feelings which her body and mind innately recognized. And she knew they were meant to feel good. And she also knew that the man holding her was the only man with whom she could ever experience these feelings.

At 6:25am, Wendell and Hodgins were awoken by heavy knocking echoing through the quiet apartment, and a man's voice calling through the closed door. "Booth? Booth, are you in there? Wake up, open up! Let me in, Booth!"

Wendell looked over at Hodgins and silently agreed that he would get up and see who it was, since Hodgins was currently hindered by his sleeping wife being sprawled across his chest.

Wendell looked through the peep hole and saw Max Keenan, Dr. Brennan's imposing and slightly scary father, standing on the other side, impatiently waiting to be granted entry. Wendell removed the chain and unlocked the door, only to see Max's eye grow in surprise and confusion.

"Wendell? What are you doing here? Where's Booth?"

"Hi Mr. Keenan. Come in, please." He opened the door wide and stepped aside for the man to enter the apartment.

Max was not in a patient mood, and became increasingly confused when he saw Hodgins and Angela stirring on an air mattress on the floor. "What's going on? Where's Booth? I have 4 missed calls from him on my cell phone and only one message that said to call him back. But he's not answering his phone. Is everything alright? I tried Tempe's phone and she's not answering either."

"Max, sit down, please," Angela spoke softly but firmly, letting Max know she would explain what was happening. She clambered off the air mattress, very ungracefully, and tried to regain her balance by grabbing hold of Max's arm.

Max grabbed the young artist's biceps and helped her straighten up, "Angela, what's going on, why aren't Booth and Tempe answering their phones, and why are you all here?"

"Max, first of all, you need to know that everyone is alright. But listen, there's no easy way to say this - Bren was, well, she was kidnapped last night. No, the night before, sorry, I'm out of sorts. But before you panic, Booth got to her, he saved her and she's going to be alright." Angela let that sink in a little, waiting for Max's worried and wandering eyes to turn back to hers. Then she continued, "Bren was hurt pretty bad, Max, and she's going to need you to keep calm. She's going to be fine, but she looks a little rough right now. She-"

Max cut her off, jumping up from his seat. "Angela, where is she? Where is Booth? I need to see my daughter, tell me where they are. Where did he take her?" Max was in a hyper panic mind set, assuming the Partners were at a hospital or care center – someplace he needed to drive to.

Angela continued to speak slowly and calmly, in an effort to calm him. "Max, sweetie, they're here. In Booth's room, probably sleeping. Booth's been with her since they came home. The whole time she was having her exam and getting cleaned up, he's been in there wiht her. Listen, before you go in there, let me tell you a little of what happened."

"No, tell me later. Or better yet, _they _can tell me. I want to see my baby girl. I _need_ to see her." He was already heading towards the door he assumed let to Booth's room, since it was the door Angela gestured to when she spoke.

"Max!" Angela whispered loudly, "Don't wake them up if they're finally sleeping! They've been awake for HOURS!" But Max wasn't listening; he was focused on entering that room and finding out what the hell happened.

Max didn't have to worry about waking Booth up, because Booth was awake the moment he heard the banging on the front door. Completely exhausted or not, his sniper instincts went into full alert at the new noise introduced into the otherwise quiet apartment. He heard voices in the other room, but he couldn't make out what they were saying, and he couldn't quite figure out who it was. But he knew that if his friends needed him, they would come get him. He remained where he was, because that is where he needed to be, the sleeping woman in his arms was his priority.

As Max pushed his way through the door into the darkened room, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He looked around the shadows and was surprised to see all the medical equipment filling the vacant space of the orderly room. He spotted a chair in the corner, empty of an occupant. He wondered where Booth was, Angela had indicated he'd been keeping vigil since he brought Tempe home, but there was no sign of him.

Turning his attention to the large bed, he could see a lump in the middle of the mattress. The sleeping form of his daughter draped in blankets, no doubt. But then, as his eyes travelled up towards the pillows, he saw the tops of _two_ heads peeking out from beneath the bedspread. _Hmm… There he is… I should have guessed…_ Max thought, then noticed four feet intertwined with each other and poking out from the base of the covers. He paused, staring at the jumble of toes, and it was then that he noticed just how tiny Tempe's feet were, in comparison with those of her 'partner.' _Partners- They always say they're 'Just Partners'… how accurate is that claim?_ He wondered momentarily. As he silently studied the small and fragile feet, reality hit him when he noticed that they were heavily bandaged. He made a move towards the bed, intent on pulling the covers back a bit to get a better look at his daughter's injured feet, when he felt, rather than saw, two eyes observing him.

Paused in his tracks, he allowed his eyes to travel up the sleeping forms, and he was startled to meet Booth's piercing and darkened brown eyes, peeking over the hem of the blanket, fixed on him. The intensity of his stare combined with the difficulty of the situation caused Max to back up suddenly and straighten to a defensive stance, but just for a moment, before he relaxed again, realizing the Agent didn't mean any harm to him. But still, he was disgruntled at how intimidating Booth could be, just by making eye contact. Max started to move around the bed, towards Booth's side, hoping to get some answers from the alert man who was holding his Little Girl so intimately, and so protectively.

After placing a small, lingering kiss on Brennan's forehead, (which did _not_ go unnoticed by Max), Booth slowly, gingerly, rolled away from the position he'd been enjoying for the better part of the past hour, carefully slipping his arm out from under her head. Once Bones had fallen into a deep sleep, which was just about 5:15 am, he had turned from his back onto his left side, facing her, and kept his left arm cradling her head and shoulders. But by facing her, he was able to look at her while she slept. Yes, he was dead-tired and desperately needed to close his eyes, but something from deep within overrode his sleep deprived state and the desire to keep watch over her won. While the sky outside slowly turned from night to dawn, small streams of light filtered through the closed slats of his Venetian blinds, casting a golden morning glow across her peacefully sleeping face; she looked so young while she slept. He had watched her in silence, every now and then reaching up with his right hand to gently draw his thumb across her cheek bone, or along her jaw line; he peppered her forehead with tiny, soft kisses and ran his fingers lightly through the soft curls that fell over her shoulder. At each of his feather-light touches, she stirred just a little, but not enough to awake. It was more like she knew he was there, knew he was touching her, and she just murmured and cooed little sounds, welcoming his fingertips; subconsciously welcoming his care and love. His body had just decided it couldn't fight sleep any longer, and he rested his forehead to hers to doze off, not 20 minutes before Max started banging on the front door. So, Booth's nap was cut unfavorably short, but at least he'd had those few moments. And for those few precious moments, he slept with Bones wrapped safely within his embrace.

Sitting up slowly from his reclining position, Booth looked at Max, and whispered, "Max, where the hell were you? I tried calling you, I don't know, 3 or 4 times, man. I needed to talk to you!"

"I know, Booth, I was out of a service area and it wasn't until I got out of the woods that I got a signal again. I tried calling you back, but your voicemail kept picking up. And Tempe's too. What's going on? What happened to my baby?" Max's eyes were glancing back and forth between the agent sitting on the edge of the bed and his daughter, sleeping soundly, still snugged beneath the blanket covering most of her head. Max could not see her face; it was sheltered by the draped sheet that Booth reset when he moved from her side.

"Max, the night before last, Bones was abducted from her place. Some bad stuff happened, to her, but she's going to get through this; I'm going to make sure of it. I promise."

"I know, Booth, just tell me what happened." Max placed a hand on Booth's shoulder, showing the younger man that he believed in his devotion to his daughter.

Booth nodded his head over towards the chair across the room, indicating that Max should go sit. Booth got up from his perch on the edge of the bed and, after making sure the covers were still protecting Bones from the cool air and filtered light, he made his way back into the bathroom for the little stool, which he brought back out to sit on, so he could talk to Max, but be a bit further away from Bones, hoping to not disturb her. On his way over towards the chair where Max settled, Booth stopped and brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen across Brennan's nose. He didn't want her to wake up from a tickle on her nose, and be startled. Max smiled at the tenderness that the otherwise tough agent displayed for Tempe; of course Booth had always showed a great deal of care when it came to Temperance Brennan, but it meant so much more right now, while Max was witness to it, because he knew that his daughter would be cared for as much as humanly possible.

Once Booth settled next to Max, still facing the bed, he began a summary of the past day. "The night before last, Bones was taken from her apartment, Max. I don't know exactly what time. I know it was after 11:00 pm but before 3:00 am. I found out about it because the asshole who took her decided to play some sick fucking mind games, and texted me a little after 3:00. It was a threatening text that if I didn't see to it that his demands were met, he was going to kill Bones. It was basically a ransom note, but with a message behind the action, and I didn't understand the message until later, when I finally got to her." He looked over to see Max staring back at him, anxious to find out what had happened to his daughter.

"When I got to her apartment, I could see that her place had been breached and after calling in back-up, a forensics team and then getting _our_ team assembled over at the lab, we began what turned out to be an ass-long day of stress. We received texts, emails, videos, pictures… man, and it was pure Hell, Max. He was hurting her; we were witness to it, via technology, and we couldn't do anything_**, I**_ couldn't do anything, not a _damn_ thing, until we could locate them, which was the main problem – we had _nothing_ to go on as far as location. He sent pictures to Bones' email address, knowing that_ I_ would get them. He _knew_ that she and I were close enough that I would have her passwords and that I would start investigating by looking at her emails… _So he knew us_… knew how we worked and knew I would be the one on the case looking for her. I figured it was a sick fan of hers or something. You know she gets some seriously fucked up psychos sending her shit… But after I saw the pictures, I was physically sick, Max. This bastard had been following us, both me & Bones… _and _he had followed my son. He was after _me_, and in order to get me, he was going after the 2 people I love the most."

Max's eyes were wide with concern and compassion. He could tell the Agent was beating himself up inside for being the cause of Tempe's abduction. He placed a firm hand on Booth's shoulder for the second time that night, "Booth, it wasn't your fault, you can't blame yourself. I can see that you are, and you can't do that."

Booth didn't acknowledge the man's statement, but he did hear it. Max was right; he did feel responsible for Bones' predicament. Baker was after him, for being the Agent who put him in prison. _If Bones wasn't involved with me, this never would have happened to her_.

He continued, "So, I got Parker into protective custody and the team worked like dogs until we had a direction. We only had a limited amount of time - he only gave us 18 hours to get his demands in order before he threatened, promised, to kill Bones." The statement made Booth shudder. The idea that his… _what is she now?... she's definitely more than a 'partner', but what exactly are we…?_ Well, whatever she was, the idea that Bones could be dead at that moment made him nauseous.

Max waited while he watched the younger man beside him sorting through his tortured reflections of the past couple of nights, giving Booth time to get his thoughts in order. When Booth didn't proceed, Max prodded him a little with a whisper, "Booth, what happened? Tell me what happened."

"Through whatever magic the team does, I found myself in Maryland, in a town about 45 minutes from here. Bones was being held in the lower level of an old cook house on an historical plantation-turned-garden down there." He took a deep breath, mentally reliving the long walk it took for him to get to the cook house. The stress of the stalking was still present in his shoulders and back. "I went in there with my rifle and staked this guy out. I heard what he was doing to her, Max." Booth was choking back tears. He wasn't ashamed to cry, he was comfortable enough with his masculinity to show emotion, but he wanted to get through this so Max would know what happened.

"I heard Bones' cries; he was hitting her and whipping her. I heard him telling her that she had been abandoned, that no one was coming to save her. He told her that she was not loved, thus, she was a useless prisoner. He specified _me_, Max, I heard him tell her that _I would not_ come for her." Booth lowered his head while he took a long, deep breath. "He was playing terrible mind games with her…. When I was just about to head downstairs to confront this guy, he started to come upstairs, so I hid in the shadows and waited for him to emerge. As soon as he did, I knew who he was. His name was William Baker. He was the first perp I put away after I came out of the Academy. He had a really twisted past; thief, arsonist, serial murderer by torture. Led a life of crime since he was a kid. _I_ had been the one who put him away, a rookie Agent, and he was out for revenge against me."

He looked up to meet Max's eyes. Bones' father was silently pleading to know the outcome of his confrontation. "Did you - - Did your people arrest him again, Booth?"

Booth's eyes turned the darkest shade of brown that Max had ever seen – they were nearly black. The look in his eyes turned Max's blood cold. "No. I put a bullet in his head and two more in his heart, just for good measure. He wasn't going back to prison; not after what he did to her. Prison would have been too good for him. No way, not after he threatened my son and fucking _tortured_ my partner. I was taking him down. No matter what, that asshole was _not_ going to walk away from what he did."

The enormity of Booth's statement washed over Max, "Booth, you – you killed for my little girl…? You took a life in order to save hers." Booth recognized the question and its following statement as rhetorical; he didn't need to answer. But Max knew how Booth felt about taking lives. Tempe had told him about how Booth struggled that, in the past, even though the men he had been charged with the task of killing were all evil, they, too had families, and those families were often innocent. It was the vision of those innocent families that kept Booth awake at night. It was those faces that haunted his nightmares. Booth avoided taking a life as much as possible. He would most often take a shot to incapacitate; he would use physical assault or brute force at other times. But rarely did he aim to kill anymore. The fact that he had immediately killed _for her_ proved to Max that Booth had much stronger feelings for his daughter than 'just partners.' He could have shot the perp in the leg or rendered him unconscious, but he didn't. "Thank you, Booth. I wish I had better words…" Max stood up and gripped Booth's strong biceps, pulling him to his feet and into a big bear hug. Booth could see tears shining in Max's eyes as the man pulled back from his strong 'guy hug', and Booth just nodded.

They resumed their seats in silence. Max broke the silence a few moments later, choking on his words, "Did he… did he…uh…" his voice dropped off, afraid to ask the question that was praying on his mind.

Booth didn't need Max to finish the question. "No, he didn't. It was one of the first questions I asked her, too. Rape was never one of Baker's MO's, but I wouldn't have put it past him, he was so fucked in the head. I was so worried when I saw that he had stripped her. Hell I was certain it happened when I received the package that was sent to my office. It contained her panties, among other articles." Booth looked over to meet Max's eyes, "I was terrified, Max. I was terrified of what she was going through. I didn't want to imagine, but I've seen too much to _not_ imagine the worst." Booth looked back over to where Brennan lay, still sleeping soundly, and he sent yet another silent prayer to the heavens that she hadn't been hurt as badly as she might have been. "In the event that she had been unconscious when, and if, the deed happened, Cam performed a rape test on Bones while she was sleeping from the pain pills. It came back negative, so she was right. He didn't do that to her." Booth's explanation brought a world of relief over Max. He was far from calm, but he felt better knowing that his baby hadn't been sexually assaulted on top of everything else that she'd been through.

"I love her so much, Max." Booth's confession to his companion was barely more than a whisper, and his gaze remained fixed on her. "So much... I don't know what I would have done if we didn't find her. I don't know how I would have lived with myself if I had been too late – or if Baker had decided to end it earlier than what he originally stated – or if he had heard and seen me approach." He turned back to look at Max again, "I have no doubt that he would have killed her if he had seen me staking out his hide-out. I love her too much to lose her, Max. So, yes, in response to your previous statement, I killed for her; and I would do it again in a heartbeat if she's ever threatened. There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep her safe. On that, you have my word, Max. I've loved her for a long time, and I will continue to love her until I cease to breathe." Booth's eyes were clear and it was evident that he was comfortable with finally admitting the truth out loud. The truth that Max had _always _known to be fact…

"I know, son. I know you love her. She loves you too, you know. She's just afraid of admitting it. Her mother and I thought we were doing the best thing possible when we left her and Russ, but in the end, I guess we did more harm than not. It's our fault that she can't trust now that she's an adult. But, there's no doubt that she loves you as much as you love her." Max smiled dreamily at Brennan's sleeping form, bundled in blankets. "She gets the same look in her eyes when she looks at you as Christine & I used to get when we looked at each other. That look – it's nature, not nurture, Booth. It comes from deep within, naturally, my boy, and she glows with it when she's watching you. I may have been a shit-father to her growing up, but I know her better than she thinks I do. She's more like her mother than she realizes. Don't give up on her, Booth."

Booth gave him a half smile, "I know, Max. She has trouble saying the words, but she tells me in different ways. We had a good talk tonight, a couple of real heart-to-hearts." Booth's eyes danced as his smile spread across his face. "We'll, ah, probably be taking that next step… We're both finally ready to admit, _to each other_, that we're singing the same song." Max admired the man's contented look. It was obvious that Booth adored his daughter, and it filled Max's heart to know that she would always be taken care of, as long as she let him into her heart. And, it would seem, she already had.

After a few moments of silence, Max asked, "Why didn't you take her to the hospital, Booth? Why come here and then move all this equipment in?"

"She wouldn't go to the hospital, Max. I tried and she refused. She was distraught; she didn't want people looking at her. She didn't want EMT's, nurses, doctors all asking the same questions over and over and repeatedly examining her. So, on our way back to DC, I called Cam, she agreed to meet here to give Bones an exam. She brought all this stuff with her from the lab. She took care of stitching up Bones' back and feet, administering antibiotics, making sure the wounds were cleaned properly, all of it. I'm glad she did, because Bones was far more comfortable with Cam taking care of her than she would have been with strangers." Booth made eye contact, "and besides, Cam let me stay with her, and I am sure that would not have happened at the hospital. So, for that, I am grateful. And I think Bones was too."

Max nodded in understanding, his eyes told Booth he understood perfectly. Then he creased his brow and diverted his gaze back to Tempe, while still talking to Booth. "Booth, umm, what about Hannah ? The last time I spoke to Tempe, she told me that Hannah had moved in with you, that it was pretty serious. What happened with her?"

"Well, I finally pulled my head outta my ass and saw what a huge mistake I had made. I settled for second best when I couldn't have what I truly wanted." A deep intake of air filled his lungs. "My heart always belonged to Bones, but when she rejected me, I simply _settled_. I hate to sound cliché, Max, but I was broken hearted. I put it all out there for her, on a silver platter, offered her everything I had and all that I was, and she didn't want anything to do with any of it. The idea of working, side by side with her every day, and not being able to act on my feelings, was just too overwhelming. I needed to be with someone who made me feel loved…someone who helped to heal the scar that had been carved into my heart. I know it sounds harsh, but that night, the night that Bones told me no, it literally felt like she had ripped my heart out and shredded it. I had a terrible time recovering, but I never let on to her what a tough time I was having." Booth gulped, hating to admit what he had done, in desperation, but knowing it needed to be said. "I started gambling again; I thought about drinking, even went on a couple of binges, but I refused to become like my father. So I just stuck with the gambling. I found myself in a dark place, emotionally and it took me a long time to find my way back out. For a little while, Hannah made me forget about the pain I was feeling; I was able to forget about how badly the rejection had hurt. I stopped gambling, so that aspect of the relationship was a positive outcome. In the end, I found myself again. I knew that I was not meant to be with anyone except Bones." Booth took a deep breath, finally getting back to Max's actual question. "Hannah left, for good, a few days back, at my very… _strong _insistence." He looked back over to Max, and saw the man's knowing look and undisguised smirk at Booth's 'insistence' comment. "The final straw came when she challenged my dedication to Parker; which immediately followed her objection to the relationship that both Parker & I share with Bones." Booth's eyes darkened once again, with seriousness, "Parker & Bones are the two most important people in my life, and I won't allow anyone to alter that. I will _always_ put them first, above anyone else. After being with Hannah for a while, and still working with Bones, the desire, _the need_, to rekindle and _move beyond_, what Bones & I had once shared, resurfaced with a vengeance, Max. I couldn't deny it any longer."

A sudden cry from the bed brought Booth to Bones' side in an instant. He sat down next to her, one hand stroking her silky hair, the other hand pulling the covers back gently. Her eyes were still closed, but a worry frown had formed on her forehead, causing a crease to mar her flawless skin. He could see her eyes moving rapidly behind their lids, and another small cry escaped her lips while her arms lashed out at an unseen tormentor. He gently held her wrists so she wouldn't hurt herself, or clock him while she was at it.

Bending his head and scooting down to lay beside her, he brought his lips to her ear, kissing her cheek on the way. "Shh, Bones, you're alright. Don't cry, Bones, I'm right here, Shh." She continued to whimper softly, in her sleep. He released his hold on her wrists and brought his palm to her cheek. Immediately, her hands reached out in a flash and grabbed his t-shirt, fisting it tightly and drawing her face close to his chest.

He carefully slipped his arm under her neck and continued to caress her hair as it fell through his fingers. He brought his other hand to her hip, pulling the rest of her body towards his, so that her whole being was flush against his, her face still buried against his chest. He kept his mouth close to her ear, "Bones, sweetie, you need to wake up. You're having a bad dream. Wake up, Babe, you're alright now, wake up." Gently, he rocked her back and forth, cradling her close, holding her protectively. "Bones, come on, wake up, hon. Come back to me, open your eyes and look at me."

Brennan's eyes fluttered open in confusion. Momentary panic was overridden by immediate comfort as she looked up and found Booth's loving eyes trained on her. She could see his concern, but more importantly, she could instantly and unmistakably see his feelings; they were written all over his face and shining in his impossibly sexy eyes. _Yeah, it should be illegal to possess eyes that irresistible._ She smiled up at him and snuggled her face back into his chest, inhaling his Boothy essence, and hummed in happy satisfaction.

"Where were you? Where did you go? I got cold without you near me. ..I missed you." She murmured sleepily.

"I'm sorry, Baby; I didn't think you'd miss me. I didn't mean to wake you." He smiled down at her, warmth spread through his chest at the thought that she actually missed him being there.

"Of course I'm going to miss you, Booth. I always miss you when you're not with me. Even on a normal day." She turned her face so her cheek was pressed against his beating heart. She loosened her fists, at last, releasing his shirt from her grasp, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I dreamt that you didn't come. I was still tied up, on the mattress, and you didn't come. He was telling me that you wouldn't and he was right, Booth. He told me you didn't care."

Booth could feel her tiny tears wetting his shirt. "Aw, Bones. Don't ever dream like that. I will always come for you. _Always. _I will never leave you behind, I promise you. And I will forever care about you. For the rest of my life, I swear I will love you." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her hip slowly, his hand splayed across her soft skin with care. "No more bad dreams, OK? No more."

"Booth, I can hardly agree to such a superfluous suggestion. I have no control over my subconscious while I am sleeping." She looked up at him and saw she was grinning down at her. "What is so humorous, Booth?"

"I'm just so glad to know that you're still you." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Booth, you need sleep; you're talking nonsense. Who else would I be?" Her voice was matter-of-fact and it warmed Booth's heart to hear her interject her squinty talk to his attempts to soothe her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Bones. But I never left the room. I was over there… talking to your dad." He wasn't sure how she would react to the news of Max being there, and he looked at her cautiously.

"My dad? My dad is here?" She tried to look around Booth's body, but she couldn't shift herself that far without causing pain, and she settled back against his chest.

Booth glanced over his shoulder, silently inviting Max to come over.

"I'm here, honey. How are you feeling? I didn't want to disturb you, and I'm sorry I took Booth away from you for a little while. I was just so worried about you that I had to see you. I hope you're not mad." Max knew that his daughter had a very private side, and that very few people ever saw her hurting. She usually kept her feelings buried and her injuries hidden.

"No, dad, of course I'm not mad. But, how did you know?" She looked from Max to Booth and back. But it was Booth who spoke up.

"I tried calling him a few times yesterday when we were working to locate you. I thought, you know, he's your father, he should have been aware of what was going on. But I couldn't reach him, so I just left a generic message for him to call me."

Max continued, "When I couldn't reach Booth by phone, and kept getting his voicemail, I tried your phone, Tempe. But I was only getting your voicemail as well, so I came over here. If I had come past your apartment building first, on my way back into town, I would have stopped at your place. I am glad I didn't, though, it sounds like I would have had a rude welcoming at your place. I would assume your door is still busted in."

Brennan rested her head back onto Booth's chest, snuggling against his warmth and relishing in the feeling of being with him, and she just looked up at her dad with clear eyes. "It's good to see you dad. I'm sorry it's like this, though."

"I know, Sweetie, I am just so very grateful that you're safe again. And that you're being well cared for." He gave Booth a knowing grin before looking back down to Tempe, only to find her also looking up at Booth adoringly.

"Bones, are you hungry? Do you want something for breakfast? Or coffee?"

"Coffee would be great, Booth. Maybe a little something to eat… I am a little hungry, yes."

"OK, do you want to go out there and see everyone? Have a bite to eat out in the kitchen, or do you want me to bring something in here for you?"

"They're all still here?" Bones looked up in surprise.

"Everyone except Cam, yes. They're all worried about you, Bones. They care about you; we're all family, you know. A family of sorts…"

Max stood back, quietly observing the pair and their peaceful interaction, and he smiled calmly at the tranquil scene. His daughter was very lucky to be with this man, and Max hoped that she would realize that fact. She had fought against Booth's love for so long, fought to keep her walls up, but it seemed that Booth had finally broken through. Never in a million years would Max have expected to ever welcome a distinguished FBI Special Agent into his family, but as he stood back in the shadows, his chest filled with pride that his daughter was taking the next step with Seeley Booth. They were good together, worthy of each other, and Max knew, based strictly on what he was witnessing, that no one would ever come between Booth and Tempe again. And he knew instinctively that Booth would fight for her, fiercely, and not back down when it came to her safety and happiness.

"I have to use the bathroom, Booth, and brush my teeth. And then, maybe we could see everyone for a little while and eat something." Then the little worry-wrinkle reappeared between her eyebrows.

"What's wrong, Bones?"

"How – how will I get out there, Booth? I can't expect you to carry me everywhere."

"Of course I'm carrying you out there. You think I'm going to make you crawl?" He smiled, trying to put her at ease. "They all want to see you with their own eyes. Especially after seeing how roughed up you were last night when I brought you home."

_Home… when you brought me __**home**_, she thought, dreamily. Clearing her head, she spoke in a quiet voice. "OK, can you take me into the bathroom, please?"

He scooped her up into their now-well-rehearsed embrace and carried her to the restroom. Upon setting her down, he told her he would find a pair of elastic waist pants, hoping he would have something in his closet that would be small enough for her. After she agreed to call him when she was ready, he left her to her privacy, rejoining Max in the bedroom.

He flicked on the overhead light and headed into the closet, in search of something for his partner to be able to wear and still allow her a certain amount of dignity. Max stood at the door of his closet and spoke as Booth continued his rummaging.

"It seems you two already have a routine down pat… What happens now, Booth? Wouldn't Tempe rather have one of her girlfriends in here with her?" Max accepted that Booth and his daughter were finally becoming intimate, but he had trouble digesting that she allowed him to be _**so**_ close to her that he even assisted her in the bathroom. _I know it doesn't make sense, _he told himself_, but she should have a lady helping her…_

"Don't worry, Max, I give her plenty of privacy. We've been through this a couple of times already, we're good." Booth gave the older man a sideways grin, and allowed himself a good belly-chuckle before pulling out a lightweight pair of gray sweatpants. They had an elastic waist, but also a pull string, so Bones could tighten them as she needed. He scooted out past Max, who was still standing in the entrance of his closet, patting Bones' father on the shoulder as he smiled at him again. "Relax, Max," Booth allowed himself another little laugh at his little rhyme, "I respect Bones too much to do anything to piss her off. Besides, she would kick my ass from here to Virginia if I did anything that she didn't approve of, you know that." He flashed Max a toothy grin and waggled his eyebrows as he moved towards the closed bathroom door, through which he could hear Bones beckoning his name.

Max stood, slightly stunned, and watched as the young agent disappear into the private bathroom, carrying a fresh set of clothes for his daughter to don. It suddenly registered in his brain, that when Booth had carried her into the bathroom she wasn't wearing any pants – at all… _Just how close have they become in just a few hours?_ Max worked to clear his mind after a few moments, he didn't want to imagine anything else… It was too much for his brain to process. He moved to leave the bedroom and headed out to the kitchen, aiming to make something that his little girl would eat. He had plenty more questions, but they would have to wait; it was more important that his child have some nourishment before he subjected her _and_ Booth to another Q&A session. Absent mindedly, he made his way through the living room, ignoring the scientists' stares as he walked past. The pleasant smile on his face indicated to the eclectic little family that all was well in the bedroom, and they simply resumed their discussion, waiting for further news once either Max was ready to share or their friends emerged from their hiding place.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, what did you think? Please let me know if you liked it or hated it. I hope you liked it! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N OK, I am sorry it took so long to update! I have had a terrible couple weeks at work, and it took my attention away from my creative writing hobby! My Muse was not very happy with me either…. :-/**

**Thank you for sticking with me and the story. I hope you still like it, please let me know! I continue to appreciate all the reviews and PM's you are sending my way. After those difficult days at work, they don't fail to bring a smile to my face, driving away the stress of the previous 12 hours! So PLEASE AND THANK YOU! **

**This might not be the most exciting chapter, but it was necessary in moving the story along. **

Angela could hear Max out in the kitchen shuffling pots and pans, opening and closing the fridge. She looked at Hodgins with a grin, excused herself and worked her way towards the noise, intent on giving him a hand in whatever he was doing.

"Max? What's going on out here?" She looked at him skeptically, as he rummaged in Booth's pantry.

"They are gonna come out for something to eat. Tempe's hungry and they're gonna come out, but I can't find anything here that she will like!" Max was obviously frustrated at Booth's lack of Tempe-appropriate food.

"Calm down, Max. Under here," she motioned to the island, "is where Booth keeps his entire vegetarian stock; just for Bren." She winked with a twinkle in her eye and a big toothy grin.

"He has an entire section of food just for Tempe?" Max was slightly stunned. Wow, he really does care. _What red-meat-loving- all-American man would dedicate an entire pantry to house food that only his 'partner' enjoyed?_ The more Max got to know Booth, the more he approved of the relationship that was blossoming between his daughter and the agent.

"Oh, _absolutely_, Max. As soon as Booth and Bren started hanging out after work, Booth called me and asked what kind of food and snacks he should keep around for her. I thought that was the sweetest sentiment. He actually _cared _about what she would and wouldn't eat. I have known Bren a long time and I can tell you that most men that would go out, or hang out, with her usually tried to force her to eat meat or they would take her places that didn't generally cater to vegetarians. But here is Booth, willing to keep food around that she would enjoy, and always checking that restaurants offered vegetarian-friendly menus before suggesting they patronize those places. He's cared for her for a long time, you know?" Angela got a far-away gaze in her eyes, and a devilish grin appeared, "Can you imagine the riff that it caused between him and Hannah? I would have LOVED to have been a fly on the wall for _that_ conversation!" She beamed in imagined excitement. "I mean, I don't think _I_ would take too kindly to my boyfriend housing food for another woman if I was living in his place." She grew serious for a moment. "But I am really glad he did it, and still has the stuff. It shows that he never really lost faith, you know what I mean, Max? I mean, we've all known for a long time they belong together. Now, if only _they_ would realize it themselves!"

"Oh, Angela, I think they have finally realized it. I think they've finally _both _come to realize it, from the interaction I saw in there." Max's face was alight with happiness, his smile reaching all the way up to his hairline. "I'm glad. He's good for her. They're good for each other, really. They're very much a Yin and Yang combination, complementing one another."

"I have to agree, Max. Now, let's just hope that as Bren heals, she doesn't start to pull back, away from Booth. She tends to retreat when emotions get to be too intense. But then again, if anyone can bring her out of that shell, it will be Booth." She gave him a small, closed lip smile, a genuine fondness for the couple showing through. "Now, c'mon, let's make something to eat. I think we all could use something, right?"

Together, Angela and Max started whipping up a breakfast large enough to feed an army. Vegetable omelets, wheat pancakes, hash brown potatoes, toast and jelly; the whole works. As soon as the aroma started to waft into the living room, Hodgins and Wendell followed their noses out into the tiny kitchen, only to be shooed away by Angela with instructions to go wake up Sweets and Daisy and to set the table for everyone to be able to sit. She informed them that Booth and Bren would be coming out, so they would have enough seats.

Sweets and Daisy were already awake by the time Wendell knocked on the door, both having stirred from the smell of nourishment. They greeted him with smiles and made their way out to the little dining area. As soon as the spread made it to the crowded table, Angela turned to see Booth carrying Brennan out of his room, both looking tired, but oddly content. Angela pulled out the one and only padded chair, intended for Booth to place Bren onto, so she could sit in semi-comfort.

"Mornin', guys," Booth spoke first, quickly followed by Brennan's "Good morning, everyone." The partners were greeted with "good mornings" all around, along with words of encouragement of how good Brennan was looking, how happy they were to see her, how scared they had been for her and how relieved that they would all be sharing breakfast.

"Wow, look at all this!" Booth's eyes were just about bugging out of his head, as he set himself down in the chair immediately to Brennan's right. He looked over to her and smiled, happy to receive a weak smile in return. They got lost momentarily in each other's eyes, both smiling warmly, as the rest of the room faded from their view. Their friends just quietly looked on, not wanting to interrupt, but happy when Booth finally reached over and gave Brennan's hand a squeeze before breaking their staring contest to refocus on food. "Let's eat" he said with a wide smile, to which everyone readily agreed.

As everyone happily ate, making small talk and basically enjoying each other's company, Booth kept a close watch on Brennan. She was quiet, understandably, but she looked uncomfortable. She kept shifting in her seat, trying to find a better sitting posture, hoping to figure out a position that would alleviate the pressure she was feeling on her back and neck. But without using her feet to push her body weight around, it was difficult for her. With a silent glance and a feather-light touch if Booth's fingers to her thigh beneath the table, Brennan answered his unspoken questions with her own silence.

_~~Are you OK?_

_***No, I am not; I can't get comfortable_

_~~Are you done eating? Wanna go into the other room?_

_***No, I'm still hungry and I am enjoying being with our friends._

_~~Wanna sit over here, on my lap?_

_*** You could sit here, on the cushioned chair. Would you mind? _

_~~Of course I don't mind, c'mere._

_***Thank you._

Their friends looked on in slight astonishment as, in between conversations, Booth quietly scooted over, picking up Brennan and seating himself in her chair before positioning her across his lap, so his left arm cradled her hips, holding her close. They pushed their dishes close together and resumed eating, all without ever saying a word.

"OK, whoa - " Jack said, "What just happened here?" He looked around, to see if anyone else found this action unusual.

"What?" Brennan looked at him. "I was having trouble getting comfortable, but I find that I am very comfortable when my seat is cushioned by Booth." She smiled shyly. "So, when he asked if I wanted to sit on his lap, I said yes." Her answer was concise and evenly spoken.

"But, Dr. B, umm, Booth never said anything. We were all sitting here, talking, and you and Booth haven't spoken for at least the past 15 minutes." Hodgins' eyebrows were raised, one higher than the other, in a quizzical fashion. "And all of a sudden, he just gets up, picks you up and plops himself down into your chair, taking you with him. I'm sorry, did anyone else here them speak?" He looked around the table in wonderment.

Before anyone else could voice their opinions, Booth did. "We didn't really _talk_, Jack. It's just…well…we know each other. We can read each other pretty well, you know?" He looked to Bones, as if for confirmation, and she bobbed her head in agreement, her cheeks now bulging with a mouth full of maple-syrup covered pancakes. He grinned and looked back at Jack's disbelief. "I looked to her, she wasn't eating, and she was shifting in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. Her look told me she was still hungry and I figured she would be more comfortable like this." His gaze turned once more to Bones and he smiled. "Was I right?" She nodded happily once again, in agreement, her cheeks still imitating those of a chipmunk. "See? It's all good." A big grin fanned across his face and she bumped her head sideways to his.

The little group laughed and continued their meals with comfortable conversations centered on neutral topics, ensuring that any one of them could be included. Booth and Brennan were both quiet with their contributions, however they were enjoying themselves as they sat and listened.

With breakfast complete, Angela rose to clear the table and start the dishes with Jack's help, as the rest of the friends retired to the living room to relax and be together. Booth called out to her, "Angela, don't worry about washing the dishes, just leave them in the sink; I'll do them later. You cooked, come in and sit with the rest of us, come relax."

But Angela was set on completing her task. "Booth, you have enough to worry about later, we can do these, and it won't take long, anyway."

Wendell went about clearing up the remnants of his sleeping attire, to clear the couch of his blanket and pillow, making room for everyone to sit. Sweets and Daisy moved the stadium seats a little closer to the sitting area, so everyone would have a place to sit and be included in whatever was happening. Booth asked Bones where she wanted to sit, on the couch or the lounge chair, and she simply replied, with a shy smile and downcast eyes, "with you." Smiling, he nodded and opted for the lounge chair, holding _his_ Bones on his lap so she could either sit across his thighs, dangling hers over the over-stuffed arms; or perhaps atop his body lengthwise if he lay back; or simply snugged close to his side with his arm cradling her; whichever was most comfortable for her with was perfectly fine with him.

Just as Booth got himself settled in the chair, with Bones opting to sit crosswise across his thighs, his landline phone rang. Of course, it was clear across the room from where they were seated, but before he could shift to move, Angela made a quick appearance, skidding along the floor boards and stopping in front of the phone.

"Booth residence, Angela speaking." She turned her back to the partners, trying to keep her voice low, but Booth clearly heard what she was saying. "No, he has no comment at this time, and as I have told all of you people, do not call again." She quickly hung up the receiver and turned to see Booth's intense brown eyes boring into hers.

"Who was that Angela? What was that about?" He was not sure how he felt about her answering his phone and dismissing someone in such a manner without checking with him first.

Angela flicked her eyes to Hodgins and then to Wendell before answering. "Umm… Well, Booth, it was another media call. Looking for a comment from you regarding the story that ran last night…" She faltered her eye contact slightly, going from Booth's eyes to Brennan's, both of whom were looking at her questioningly.

"Angela? What do you mean another media call? What story last night?" Booth asked her, a frown appearing on his forehead.

Simultaneously, Brennan interjected, "Ange, what are you talking about? Who was that?" Brennan's eyebrows were cocked, one higher than the other, quizzically.

Nervously, the little squint squad looked at each other, not sure which one should speak. Finally, Sweets broke the awkward pause.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, let me try to explain." He paused, not really sure how to go about approaching the meat of the matter. "Uh, well, last night on the 11:00 news, the story of your kidnapping, Dr. Brennan, was made public. And it was widely 'speculated' by the reporter, that it was you, Agent Booth, who rescued her. After the news broke, your phone was, well, for lack of a better phrase, your phone was ringing off the hook. We kept them at bay by refusing comment on your behalf… well, we kept them _mostly_ at bay." Sweets scrunched his face, mentally preparing to break it to the partners that Hannah had paid a visit to the apartment last evening.

"Sweets, what do you mean 'mostly' at bay? What happened? And how did the information get out, anyway?" Booth questioned the young doctor carefully, not feeling particularly comforted by the obvious discomfort Sweets was currently experiencing while trying to piece together his thoughts.

The next sentence spoken was done so without pause; spurted out without breathing and without warning. "Hannah is covering the story and she showed up here last night looking for details and ammunition to use against the both of you!" Daisy could not contain herself any longer. It was a sheer miracle that she lasted as long as she did, but still, the rest of the team all turned to her, mouths gaping in disbelief that she just blurted it out, without any warning, no building up to it, just 'wham- bam- thank- you- ma'am' style.

Several outbursts were heard at once:

"Jeez, Daisy, way to break it gently!" Hodgins looked at her in disgust, shaking his head.

"Daisy! Shut up, crying out loud!" Wendell could hardly believe his hears.

"Daisy, wait! Arghhh" Angela wanted to strangle the impish intern.

"Hannah-as in Booth's-ex-Hannah?" Max was just as confused as the partners were.

Sweets exhaled slowly in exasperation as he turned to Daisy. "Really, Daisy? Really babe, just blurting it out like that doesn't help!"

Booth and Brennan just looked at her wide-eyed, stunned into silence.

Bones turned to Booth; both confusion and concern marred her beautiful face as she met his eyes, "Why - why would Hannah come here, Booth? What business does she have here anymore?" Her voice was uncharacteristically possessive (which secretly gave Booth a little thrill) and the look in her eyes seared into his soul.

The shake of his head was barely noticeable and he unintentionally whispered, "I don't know, Bones. I don't know."

Together, the pair turned their eyes to the group of friends, waiting for someone to speak up. When no one proffered an explanation, Booth raised his eyebrows and spoke up. "Well, would someone like to clue _us_ in on what the hell is going on here? Hello-o-o-o-….What's Daisy talking about?"

"Well, Booth," Angela spoke up. "Umm, let me just start at the beginning."

"Gee, ya think that's a good place?" Booth replied sarcastically.

Angela just gave him a knowing look and continued.

"OK, so last night, when you guys were in the bedroom, we were channel surfing and stopped on the WDCN 11:00 report. We were all, well, kind of stunned, when we saw Hannah on the screen reporting on Bren's kidnapping."

Booth interrupted, "What the hell? We're not a political story, why was she reporting about Bones? She's up to something…"

"Simmer down, there, big guy, I'm getting to that." Angela cut him off. "In her report, she kept saying things speculating where Bren was, that she was with you, that you reportedly the one who rescued her, all kinds of crap. She claimed that she had reports about where she could locate the two of you, because she, thus far, hadn't been able to reach you guys for comment." Angela took a breath, wanting to get her thoughts straight. "She was spewing a bunch of bunk and her story was really unprofessional. It was very obvious that she had something personal against the two of you. Her voice was dripping with distain and she said she was basically determined to get a quote from you guys before the end of the broadcast."

Brennan looked from Booth to Angela, "Is that when she came here? Daisy said she came here."

"Yeah, she showed up shortly after her report ended, but we were not about to interrupt you guys. No, we took care of getting rid of her…" Angela's eyes glinted with a bit of mischief.

"Spit it out, Angela, what happened?" Booth inquired, suddenly looking forward to the tale she was about to tell.

"Well, a loud bang echoed through the hallway and Jack answered the door…"

~~Flashback~~

"Wendell should know he doesn't have to knock; hell he only went downstairs!" Jack was quietly laughing at the young intern's insecurity at re-entering the Agent's apartment. Wendell had just gone downstairs to the liquor store to replenish the multiple beers that the group had consumed out of Booth's fridge.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Hannah blurted out unceremoniously in Jack's face, when he opened the door, instantly he let his smile fall to a scowl.

"I was invited here, but I should ask you the same question, because I don't believe you were invited to our little gathering, nor are you welcome." Jack retorted.

"Yeah, Hannah, what the hell are _you_ doing here?" Angela asked as she opened the door wider, meeting the journalist with a cold stare.

Hannah assumed that the squints hadn't heard her news report. She pushed away the cameraman who was standing next to her, giving the illusion that she wanted privacy, but the cameraman continued to roll. "Well, I heard about Temperance's terrible incident and I wanted to get Seeley's take on what happened. I am sure he can offer insight on what happened to her, and, you know, I wondered where Temperance is staying, because WDCN would love to have a quote from her. I mean, being that he's her 'partner', I am positive he knows details, right? Where is he; are you guys having a party or something?" Hannah stumbled over her words, obviously covering up her true motive, while she tried to look past the pair standing in her way. What she saw beyond Angela & Jack, however, was just more squints, no sign of Seeley anywhere.

Angela pushed Jack aside gently, "Oh, Booth knows _exactly_ what happened to Bren, you can bet on that. But you're not getting any information about it. It's none of your damn business, you nosy bitch." She spat her words at the ballsy blond standing in the doorway.

"Angela, that's not necessary. I am worried for Temperance's wellbeing, as is her public. We all just want to know that she's safe and healthy. Why are you being so hostile?" Hannah feigned concern, albeit poorly.

"I am hostile because was saw your bull-shit report, Hannah. All your 'speculation' and 'sources'; what the hell kind of reporting is that? You were on the TV saying a bunch of _nothing_ other than your piss-poor interpretations about Brennan and Booth. It's none of the public's business, and none of your business, if they are more than partners or not. It's none of the public's business the reasons behind Brennan's kidnapping and how her fame may or may not have been of relevance in this issue. And it's no one business where she is. And you have the balls to come here and ask for details? You spew a bunch of shit on live TV and then expect to be welcomed and have your questions answered? What's your real motive, Hannah? What do you really want?" Angela's eyes bored into Hannah's, making the reporter slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Hannah, tell us the _real_ reason you're here." Hannah spun around on her heels to find Wendell standing behind her and her cameraman, holding a case of beer under one arm and dangling a couple bags of chips from his fingertips.

"I – I don't know what you're referring to, Mr. Bray, I am here out of genuine concern." Hannah stammered indignantly.

"Bullshit," Wendell answered bitterly, as he pushed past her towards the door. "I heard what you said to your friend over there on your way upstairs." He nodded his head towards the cameraman and he spoke. "You didn't know I was behind you, did ya?" He grinned knowingly.

"Wendell, what are you talking about? What did you hear?" Jack interjected as the young intern placed his parcel just inside the kitchen before turning back towards the door.

"She plans to get information and '_ammunition_', I believe was her word, to use against Booth and Dr. Brennan, in order to get the FBI to sever their partnership." He turned towards Hannah, "Isn't that right, Hannah?"

"What the hell!" Jack blurted. "What's your problem, lady?"

Hannah steadied her features, glaring at the group in front of her.

Sweets broke the stagnant silence that had settled at the threshold of the apartment.

"Hannah? What is Wendell talking about? What did he overhear you saying? I think we all have a right to know, given that we are all involved, in some way, shape, or form, with both Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan."

"_Look_," Hannah began, hatred seething through clenched teeth as her pretense of compassion fell away, as if it had never existed, which, technically, it hadn't. "Seeley Booth is going to get what he deserves. He's an asshole and he is going to pay for what he did to me. He thinks that he can use his 'Special Agent' FBI status all the time, to get what he wants; or his 'decorated war hero' bullshit to get people to side with him when they normally wouldn't give him the time of day. He throws his weight around like a cocky sonofabitch and ends up with people eating out of his hands. Seeley is going to regret throwing me out of his life. He is going to regret all those nights that he screamed out "Bones!" while he was having sex with _me_. He is going to be sorry for all those nights when I found him sleeping on the couch sporting a hard-on while he probably dreamt of his 'partner', instead of sleeping in bed next to _me_. For months, I put up with his shit; patiently waiting for him to come to his senses that _I_ was the one he was meant to be with. _I_ was the one who followed him the hell here to DC. _I_ was the one who accepted his heart after _she rejected him_… But no, he still wants to run to her… to the one person who he couldn't have because she didn't want him… At least she didn't want him until she _couldn't have him_. Well, if Seeley is so keen to ruin my happiness, then I am going to see to it that _his_ happiness is taken away. I am going to ensure that the FBI finds out about his true feelings for Temperance, because then, they will be forced to break up the partnership. Without their partnership, they have nothing in common; nothing to keep them together. And he will become miserable." Hannah's eyes flashed with near-insanity. She was spewing jealousy that the squints never would have imagined she possessed. "And his _damn_ little kid…. Eeeerrrrrggggghhhhh, that little brat did nothing but try to ruin the attempts I made to have a quality relationship with Seeley. He's always ranting on and on about the _fabulous _'Bones', the '_smartest-person-in-the-world-Bones'_. Ugh, it's disgusting that Seeley would let him get away with it, let alone to let him get away with it when _I_ was there. He is always trying to monopolize Seeley's attention; trying to push me away. As if his father didn't have the right to be with a woman… I tried to pull Seeley to me, once I knew Parker wouldn't accept me, but he refused to give up his weekends with the kid… Such a little bastard."

"Enough!" Angela growled through clenched teeth and she got right in Hannah's face. "You shut your mouth, you tramp! It's bad enough that you would hold anything against Booth, but you shut your trap when it comes to Parker. He's a little kid. _He's Booth's kid!_ He has the right to want Booth's undivided attention, and Booth has the right to devote as much time as possible to Parker. Booth has fought for the precious little time he gets with Parker, and if you think, even for a moment, that you would be able to take that time away from him, then you're even more delusional than you first appear. Do you actually think that Booth would ever choose _you_ over _Parker_, if given the choice? Do you think he would choose _anyone_ over Parker? If you do, you are, my God, you are flat-out crazy, Hannah. Booth's dedication, his full affections will always rest with Parker. _Always_." Angela was furious and it took all her control to not reach out and slap this woman in the face, bringing on what would surely be a satisfying cat-fight; but she restrained herself. "And as far as his feelings for Bren? Well, you'd have to be blind to think he would ever stop caring for her. You seduced Booth, even after he told you he was a broken man. You _knew_ he was in love with another woman, yet you still took advantage of the situation that he was vulnerable; in a war; missing his son. You've done nothing but bitch to him since you've been in DC; telling him how much you hate it here, begging him to go back to the war. _To the war_, you nut-job! You've tried to pull him away from us – his friends – repeatedly, just because you wanted him just to yourself. You're a stupid, selfish woman, Hannah. Narrow-minded and immature, and Booth's better off without you."

"Yeah, well maybe you think he's better off without me, and you're entitled to your opinion. But when his partnership with Temperance is forcibly severed, and he's once again wallowing in self-misery, I'll be the one waiting to pick him back up. I'll be the one putting his life back together." She sneered at Angela and spoke in a quiet, strained voice.

Sweets had enough. "Hannah, you need to leave. Now. Get the hell out of here and leave Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan alone. You need to seek help, professional help, to overcome your anger issues. And you need time to come to terms with your break up with Agent Booth. I can't be the one to help you, but I am certainly qualified to identify when someone is not in control; and you're not."

"Shut up, Dr. Sweets. You think you're so smart, huh? If you're such a boy-genius, how come you were the one who screwed with their relationship to begin with, huh? How come you pushed Seeley to make declarations to Temperance when you should have known she would push him away? You're the reason, _Dr._ Sweets. You're the reason Seeley found comfort in my arms, _in my bed_."

"Hannah, that's neither appropriate nor accurate. But you are entitled to your opinion, as well. But fact of the matter is you need to leave. If you don't we'll report you for harassment. It's a simple choice, Hannah." Sweets' voice was calm and even, although the wheels in his mind were turning. He wondered if Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan really blamed him as well, but he couldn't focus on that right then; he needed to be supportive first, then they can work to heal the wounds.

Hannah grunted and spun on her heels. "I don't know what he sees in you people, bunch of asses," she grumbled as she shoved past the cameraman, demanding he cut the recording as she headed to the stairwell.

The little group all looked at one another as Angela closed the apartment door.

"Anyone ready for another beer?" Wendell asked as he stalked out to the kitchen. There was a unanimous "yes" resounding as everyone worked their ways back to the living room.

~~~~ End flashback~~~~

"She, she really said all that about Bones? About _Parker_?" Booth was slightly stunned; stunned and furious. He knew she was jealous. He knew she had issues since coming here from Afghanistan. But he never thought she would resort to attempting to turn him against his own son; nor was he prepared to let her ruin what he had with Bones. His Bones.

He knew he would never lose his relationship with his son. It was inherent that he will always have a good relationship with Parker. But Bones… His relationship with Bones, his _real _relationship with Bones, was just getting under way. And their partnership was precious to them both. Hannah was right, that if the FBI saw due cause, they might be forced to sever their professional ties, and that thought terrified Booth, and not just a little.

He looked down to meet Bones' eyes as she stayed snuggled to his side, her head on his left shoulder. He could tell from the concern that stared back at him, that she was thinking that same thoughts. She didn't want their partnership severed any more than he did.

"They won't split us up, Bones," he assured her softly. Pulling her weakened body tighter to his, he continued, "I won't let them, Bones. I won't let them separate us. We're the best team they have; it has to count for something." He hugged her tight, bringing his right arm across his chest and resting on her waist, as she fisted his t-shirt and pushed her face into his chest.

"I don't want to lose our partnership, Booth," she mumbled against him, so quiet that only he could hear what she was saying.

He lowered his mouth to her hair as he responded, "They won't, I promise, Bones. I promise." He continued to rub her shoulder and grip her waist, trying to silently convey to her his devotion and dedication to not only protect their partnership, but their blossoming love as well. He felt gentle, wet tears leaking through his t-shirt and spreading across his chest. "Shh… shh… Bones, it's OK. There's no way I am letting them pull me away from you. We've come too far, been through too much, I won't work with another partner."

"Neither will I, Booth. I won't work with another agent and they will lose the whole Jeffersonian team. I swear it, they will lose us."

"Shh... it's going to be alright." He wanted to reassure her; he was having doubts as well, but he didn't want her to see them. He needed to be her rock, her pillar of strength. Deep down, he needed to be her _everything_.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, now Booth knows the truth of how Hannah really felt, the squints feel better about telling B&B the truth, and Booth continues to sooth Brennan, letting her know he's still there for her. Hannah was a little psycho, but you know the fury of a scorned woman….!**

**Please don't read and run, please review and let me know your thoughts! **

**I expect my next chapter to be better, but I do hope that this one was not terrible for you all to endure! Reassure my Muse, please! **


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N Welcome back! Thank you all for your reviews and messages from my previous chapter! I still can't believe that I am up to chapter 26…. My Muse is having quite a good time with this story, she has completely re-written everything my conscious mind wrote in the original rough draft of the story, and I actually think she did a better job (But I won't tell myself that…. I don't want to be jealous… I do not look good in green….) **

**I'm getting really excited for the spring premier, coming up in just a couple short weeks! But I do admit that some of the spoilers I've heard make me a little anxious for the season end. Claims of disappointment or disbelief at the end of the season, linked with non-confirmation of an 8th season makes me nervous that they are going to end the series with season 7. Please say it isn't so! **

**In the meantime, I will continue to feed my Muse chocolate and peanut butter and encourage her – "Write my Muse, write!" lol **

**OK, so I joined Twitter. I still don't know what the heck I am doing on there… I don't get the whole Tweet thing, but when I figure it out, I will be Tweeting with the best of them, I assure you… LOL. You can find me as jazzyproz. (To answer a couple of people regarding my user name... I took it from 2 of our cats who are no longer with us. My cat's name was Jazz and my husband's cat's name was Prozac. They both lived long and wonderful lives and we wanted to keep their spirits alive by adopting it as part of our email address and now my user name on here.)**

**OK, something else...I caught myself in an editing error, but I don't know that if I go back to change it, if it will mess up the reviews I received on a previous chapter…Originally, I did not have Wendell leaving the apartment to go down for more beer; it was in my rough draft, but it got changed in the finished project that actually got posted; then I followed my rough draft closer for that last chapter, when I took Wendell back down to the liquor store. For that error, please forgive me! It was originally set for Wendell to go downstairs, as seen in chapter 25, that's how he was able to get the jump on Hannah. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except for this story line. **

As the little eclectic family settled in various seats around the living room, falling into comfortable conversations, Booth and Brennan remained in quiet contemplation together. They laughed gently at jokes and answered questions when asked, but did not offer much in the way of introducing new conversation. They were simply enjoying the experience of having their friends around them, knowing that they cared.

When the conversation lulled, Booth asked Angela to go into Parker's room and take a gift bag down from the top of Parker's closet. Brennan looked up at him curiously, her eyes asking 'what's going on?' but Booth simply smiled down at her and raised an eyebrow, silently telling her 'you'll see.'

Angela returned and handed the bag to Booth as everyone looked on. He smiled and handed the bag to Bones. "This is for you, from me and Parker. It was supposed to be for your birthday, but I'd like you to have it now."

"Aww, Booth, thanks. But if it's from Parker too, then I should wait until I see him before opening it. That's the socially acceptable thing to do…" She looked up at him with innocent eyes, secretly really wanting to open her gift.

He jostled her a bit, very gently, taking care to not hurt her. "Open it, Bones, Parker will be fine with it. Hell, he'll have fun going out and buying something else for you. He _loves_ to shop for you." His eyes smiled and danced.

"He does?" Bones was slightly shocked, by two things; first that Booth had thought far enough in advance of her birthday to have something for her already wrapped, and second that he takes Parker with him to buy her present. She was touched with emotion that she didn't immediately recognize; a warmth spreading through her chest and a tightening under her eyes, bringing gentle tears their rims.

Booth nodded with a smile, "yeah, he _lo-o-o-oves_ shopping for you. Even when we're _not_ shopping for you, _he_ is shopping for you. He always finds something when we're out, brings it to me and asks if I think you'll like it and can he buy it for you. It's cute, actually, I must say." He grinned proudly, thinking about how much his son loved his partner.

The team sat in silence, listening to the exchange. They all oohed and aahed at the story, thinking about how adorable the two Booth's must be when they're out at the store or the mall.

Bones opened her bag and squealed in excitement, as she pulled out two items. The first item was a set of her favorite bath gel, conditioning shampoo and body lotion - lavender and vanilla. The second item was the DVD box set of Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth."

"Aww, Booth, thank you. How did you know I wanted this? I don't remember telling you." She was touched to know that he not only knew her favorite bath items, but also that she really wanted this DVD set.

"I remember you saying that you wanted to watch it when it was on TV, but I also remember that a case interfered with you getting home in time to see it. So, I used my excellent deductive reasoning and investigative skills to determine that you would like to have the set for your very own." He grinned a cocky smile, but one that was warmed by the love in his eyes.

"Thank you, Booth. I love all of it. Thank you." She threw her head to his chest and inhaled deeply. She could still smell a faint trace of his cologne, though it was fading. Her eyes caught those of her best friend's, as Angela was perched on the edge of the couch, and the ladies shared a secret, knowing smile.

"You're welcome, Bones. I'm glad you like it all. I thought maybe, since we're all hanging out, you might enjoy watching an episode of your show. Knowing that these guys are all squints, I would assume it would be enjoyed by everyone?" He glanced around the room, looking for affirmation, which he received from everyone.

"That sounds great, Booth. But first, I'd like a shower… with my new gel and lotion. Besides, I know I really _need_ a shower."

"Bones, you're not allowed to shower. You can have a sponge bath, but you can't go in the shower or sit in the tub until your stitches have had longer to heal."

Angela spoke up, "that's OK, Sweetie - I'll help you! If we can abscond to Booth's private bathroom, I'll help you."

"Thanks, Ange, that sounds great." Brennan smiled up to Booth once again; affection for her 'partner' was shining bright in her clear blue eyes as they held his chocolate brown ones. "Would you mind? I mean, would you mind if we took over your room for a bit?"

"Not at all, Bones. I'll take you in, let you get settled and you girls do your thing. I think that while you're doing that, I'll grab a shower in Parker's bathroom. Then we can all veg-out and watch your new show, huh?"

"Thanks, Booth." As she put her face to the crook of his neck, she reached up and wrapped her fragile fingers around Booth's nape, grazing against the small hairs, sending shivers down his spine. He steadied himself and started to rise, bringing Bones with him, and he started towards the bedroom, Angela trailing behind.

Booth placed Bones in the bathroom, on the bench-edge of the bathtub and turned to leave. "Towels 'n all are in there," he indicated to the bathroom closet, "and I'll leave some clothes for you on the bed. Call me if you need anything, K?" He smiled at Bones and nodded to Angela as he moved off, leaving the ladies to their privacy. After he left the promised clothes on the bed for Bones, he grabbed a fresh set of sweats and a t-shirt for himself and moved into Parker's bathroom, inviting the gang to hang out if they wanted.

As Booth stood under the steaming jets of water, he worked is mind around the happenings of the past few days. He was eternally grateful that the team was able to point him in the right direction to find his partner. And he truly didn't know what he would have done if they hadn't found her. He would have lost his partner and his best friend… his potential lover. The thought alone of not reaching her in time brought a pain to his chest and he forced the image from him mind. He reveled in the fact that Bones had a team of friends who cared so much for her that they had worked tirelessly to uncover and decipher all the clues they had uncovered together. He knew that both he and Bones were extremely fortunate to be part of this small group.

He found himself a bit surprised that he didn't mind them all being in his modest apartment. He could clearly remember a time that he couldn't stand to be around them… any of them, even Bones to a certain extent. But over the years, he had formed quite a close bond to each and every one of them… Well, almost each and every one…. He could do without Daisy, but, as he chuckled to himself, he thought 'there's one in every crowd…' He thought back to the other day when he defended the team when the FBI forensics team frowned upon them, and again when Hacker was dissing them. Deep down he felt really bad for the way he treated them, early on in their professional relationship. He had never really expressed aloud his regret, and he wondered if they knew how much he appreciated their dedication to the team, but especially their dedication to Bones. As he moved further into the stream of steaming water to finish his shower, he allowed his mind to wander back to the time he had spent with Bones since they've been back. He replayed their conversations; the curve of her body against his; the softness of her beautiful ivory skin beneath his calloused fingertips; the depth of her blue eyes when she looks at him; how perfectly she fit at his side; the feel…the taste of their kiss.

With a groan, he looked down and saw that his mind wasn't the only part of his body thinking about his gorgeous partner. The tightness of his groin was almost painful as his arousal at the mere thought of her became apparent. Turning to face the stream of water pummeling his body, he reached out and grabbed the shower knob, extinguishing the hot water altogether. As the raining water turned cold against the front of his body, he mentally chastised himself for not being in control of his bodily reactions. _But, sweet Jesus, I can't imagine a man who __could__ control the natural urge to be with her; especially after seeing her and tasting her lips… Come on, Seeley, get a grip! She needs you to be strong for her, not a freakin' horn-dog!_ As his body started to shiver in the cold water, he turned off the shower and reached out for his towel. He roughly dried his body and hair, threw on fresh clothes, and headed out to rejoin his friends in the living room.

_Meanwhile, in Booth's bathroom…_

"Sweetie, why don't I wash your hair first, then we'll finish the rest. Sound OK?"

"Yes, Angela, that sounds fine… Ange, thank you for helping me. I feel so dirty and disgusting, I just… I just… want to wash it all away, does that make sense? I want to make it all go away." Brennan stifled the tears that were threatening to spill, but her voice was quaking all the same.

"Honey, it makes perfect sense. You went through a terrible experience; and it's only natural to want those memories to go away. You know, though, that this is only the surface, don't you? You will still have a difficult journey before you heal completely, and wash those hours from your mind."

"I know, Angela, I know. But I feel so… so… I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. And you know what, that pisses me off! I can't say what I feel and I don't know how to handle that. I am a best-selling author, for crying out loud, and I can't convey how I feel after being abducted." The frustration of her emotions was evident and all Angela could do at that point was hold her friend's hands.

"You _will_ be alright, Bren. You will get through this. You're surrounded by a strong network of people who love you. One particular person, I dare say, will not let you down during your recovery… I doubt he will even leave your side while you recover…" She gave Brennan a sly smile, and witnessed a momentary transformation in her friend's demeanor.

"Ange, Booth told me… he told me he loves me. He said he still loves me, that he never stopped loving me." Brennan's voice was quiet, nearly whispering.

Angela had been in the room when Booth declared his love for her best friend, but she didn't want Brennan to know that she knew. She wanted Brennan to have the experience of talking about it. "What did you say, Bren? Did you tell him that you love him too? Because you do, you know… You _do_ love him…" She smiled warmly as she moved to stand behind where Brennan was seated, so she could begin washing her hair.

"I don't think I did. I don't remember, Angela. The medicine made my brain foggy, and right now I can't remember. Is that terrible?" Angela could hear the worry and concern in Brennan's question.

"No, sweetie, it's not terrible. Pills do that. But it's OK; if you didn't tell him yet, you can tell him later. You will have plenty of opportunity in the years to come; I think that's a pretty safe bet." She smiled at her friend in the mirror's reflection when their eyes met. "How did it feel? When he told you – how did you feel?"

Brennan leaned her head back into Angela's hands as her friend started to wash away the grime of her recent hell. "It felt, warm. Like a dream, almost. It felt new, but familiar. Natural. I don't know if that all makes sense, but that's how it felt." She crooked her eyebrows, wondering if what she said sounded logical to her long-time friend.

"It sounds beautiful. It sounds perfect – just like it's supposed to feel. You _have_ to tell him, Honey. The next time he says he loves you, just come out and tell him that you love him too. Or better yet, blow his mind and tell him _first_, before he has a chance to say it again. It's hard to render Booth speechless, but I promise you that if you beat him to the punch, he will be stunned." Angela's smile beamed bright.

"Angela I don't want to punch him, and I certainly don't expect him to hit me!" Brennan retorted, repulsed by the idea that Angela would bring up violence while they were talking about the elusive emotion of 'love.'

"Bren, sweetie, it's an expression. Don't really punch him. 'Beat him to the punch' just means that you tell him before he tells you."

"Oh, well, I will certainly take your advice under consideration. Thank you, Ange."

They settled into a comfortable silence while Angela finished washing Brennan's hair and moved on to gently washing her shoulders, arms and back, careful to go around the stitches and injuries. She understood, however, Brennan's need to feel clean, after seeing what she had gone through.

"Cam did a really nice job, you know."

"Do you think, Ange? Does it look like I will have a lot of scars? I hate having scars, they're ugly."

"No. They don't look bad, Bren. The stitches are close together and clean. She did a nice job."

"I don't want to have so many scars. They're – they're embarrassing."

"Bren, don't be embarrassed. You don't have to be ashamed; it was not your fault that you got the scars."

"I don't want him to think I'm repulsive. If he looks at me, I don't want him to just see injuries… I want him to see _me_. And I'm more than injuries; I'm more than scars." Her voice remained quiet, her concern evident.

Angela suddenly understood her friend's worry about the scars. She came around and sat down next to her, taking Brennan's hand in her own. "Sweetie, listen to me. Booth would never, _ever_, think that you're repulsive. He loves you. He has loved you for years, just the way you are…" She chose her next words carefully. "Scars, both physical and emotional, make up who we are. They tell our stories; whether they're beautiful stories or terrifying stories – it doesn't matter – they're ours all the same. Honey, I promise you, that when Booth looks at you, he doesn't see the scars on your body; not the way you see them. He sees a beauty that goes far deeper than your skin; he sees a companion with whom he is completely at ease; the woman with whom he is completely and hopelessly in love. The woman to whom he devoted his heart years ago, he just got a little side-tracked for a bit. He's a good man, Bren; please don't run from him anymore. He is good for you. He is good _to_ you. And you're perfect together."

"I won't run anymore Angela. I'm done running. I really do care about him. I _do_ love Booth. And I don't want to take the chance of losing him again. Ever." Brennan's eyes were bright and it was clear to Angela that she was _finally_ being completely honest about her feelings for her partner.

"Well, you have no idea how excited that makes me, to hear you say that, Bren." Angela beamed a bright toothy smile, as she relocated herself behind Brennan once again. As she finished washing down body parts that Bren couldn't reach, she could see that something else was on her friend's mind. "So, Bren, I can smell the smoke in here, you wanna tell me what's going on?"

"What? What do you mean, Angela? If you smell smoke, we need to tell Booth. Booth! Booth!" Immediately Brennan started calling out to her partner.

"No, no, Bren, I don't mean literally." She turned to the bathroom door, which had just burst open, and she glanced down at her friend who had hugged a bath towel to her chest.

"What Bones? What's wrong? Are you alright?" Booth's eyes were frantic and he knelt down in front of his best friend, gently grabbing her biceps in his large hands.

"Booth," Angela spoke before Brennan could. "Nothing's wrong; Bren just misunderstood a turn of phrase, is all." She smiled down at the Agent, who met her eyes with understanding.

"Oh, ah, OK, then." He replied and took a deep breath.

"No, wait, Angela said she could smell smoke in here. That can't be good. Angela, what are you talking about?" Brennan was looking between her friends.

"Sweetie, I meant that I could tell you were deep in thought about something. It means that the metaphorical wheels in your brain were turning in overdrive… It's just a phrase." She smiled warmly down at her friend, taking just a second to glance at Booth, who had to turn away completely in order to avoid laughing out loud.

"I don't know why you people can't just say what you mean. Why do you have to use stupid phrases that are so easily misconstrued?" Brennan looked between Angela and Booth in turn, looking at them both as if they were crazy.

"OK, well, sorry to burst in like this, ladies… I, uh, I thought something happened. I was afraid that… you were... hurt or something… Let me know if you need anything else, OK?" As he stood from his squatting position in front of Bones, he brought his fingertips to her cheek, and followed the length of her jawbone until his index finger curled beneath her chin. He paused, locking eye contact with her and giving her a warm smile, which she reciprocated. He softly graced his thumb over her injured lower lip before turning away to leave. "See you in a bit." He closed the door quietly as he left.

Angela became as giddy as a school-girl. "Oh…MY…GOD… Bren, he wanted so badly to kiss you… you KNOW he did! He is hot for you, Bren. Ohmygod, that man loves you. Did you see his eyes? The way he was looking at you? I think that if I wasn't standing here, ohmygod, he would have SO ravaged you."

"Oh, Ange, stop being so dramatic. He would _not_ have _ravaged_ me. C'mon, he is not that crazy for me. He was just concerned because I yelled out."

"Nuh-uh, he is _nuts_ for you. He was practically salivating just looking at you, I'm telling you Bren!"

"Oh, whatever, Angela, just let's finish up so we can go back out there. I want to watch my new show."

"Alright. Just about finished. What were you thinking about anyway? What had you so deep in concentration?"

Brennan contemplated whether she should or shouldn't bring up her further concerns. She decided it would be wise to talk it through, because Angela often saw things from a different perspective that helped Brennan weigh out her true options. "Angela, do you think the FBI will _really _break my partnership with Booth if we, you know, move beyond just partners? If they will, then I am going to put a stop to this immediately. I don't want to get involved and then turn around and have that involvement ripped out from under me." Brennan's eyes turned down in sadness and her voice quieted in slight fear. "Everyone I care about leaves me; everyone I _ever_ cared about found a reason to go; or they're taken from me. And if there's even a little chance that a relationship between Booth and me will result in separation, I don't want to do it." She met Angela's gaze, once again in the mirror's reflection.

"If they try, you can bet that Booth won't let them do it without a fight. _And_ you guys have Sweets on your side, too. After we got rid of Hannah, he assured us that Cullen wouldn't make any changes without consulting with him first; and he is all about you two moving forward and being together. Sweets recognizes that you two complete each other; you work better as a team than not. So, don't let your worry drive your actions, ok? Just…enjoy how he's taking care of you; _let_ him take care of you. He's a giving man… he needs to know that he can give you comfort and strength and a shoulder when you need it. Go ahead and concede to his needs, at least a little bit, and let him coddle you for a while. Enjoy your time together. And don't let your concern about what the FBI may, or may not do, interfere with that." She wrapped a soft towel around Brennan's shoulders, joining the edges in the front, and rested her arms across Brennan's collar bones. She remained behind Brennan, locking eyes with her in their mirrored images. Angela brought her face down beside her friend's, resting her left cheek to Bren's right, and her chin laid gently on Bren's right shoulder. Softly, she concluded her little speech, "_Love him, Temperance_. Love him and let him love you. You're perfect for each other and you need each other. Don't let _what if's_ get in the way. Promise me."

"I promise, Angela. Thank you." She replied in whispered tones, fighting the tears that once again threatened to spill. "Thank you."

"Your partner needs help getting out here into civilization, Agent Studly. Your damsel awaits…" Angela bowed melodramatically, waving her arms in a flourish, as Booth moved past her towards the bedroom.

"I don't know how you do it, Hodgins, living with a woman with such an overactive imagination." Booth laughed as he stepped around the curtsied artist.

"Oh, man, you have noooo idea." Hodgins called after Booth, a comment for which he received a good solid slap in the chest.

Booth tapped on the bedroom door as he poked his head through the crack, "Bones? Can I come in?"

"Yes, Booth, I'm still in here."

Booth's vision filled with the angel before him. Brennan remained seated on the bench seat on the edge of the tub, where she had remained during her wash-down, but now she was dressed in a clean FBI t-shirt and lightweight sweats. Her mere image took his breath away. She was fresh-faced and her hair was still lightly damp. Loose, wavy curls draped lazily across her shoulders. She looked refreshed, he thought, even though she was bruised. She definitely looked younger. More beautiful, if that is even possible. _If I died right this moment, I would die a happy man to have been privileged enough to see her like this. She is, very simply put, lovely_. Once again, he sent a silent prayer of thanks to God for guiding them to her last night.

"Booth? What are you smiling at?" She looked up at him with a shy glimmer in her eye.

"Uh, sorry, you just… you just look… Well, you look like you feel better. Do you?" He didn't want to drown her in compliments, he still didn't want to scare her, and with her fragility at the moment, he wasn't about to take any chances.

"I do, Booth. I feel a lot better, thank you. And thank you for the bath gel set. It's my favorite. And it was _very_ much appreciated tonight." She smiled back at him as he approached her.

He squatted down before her once again, "You're welcome, Bones. I remembered that you had that scent when we went to your high school reunion. And I, well, that's when I discovered that I really liked the scent too, so it was easy to remember." He grinned as he reached out and gently touched her cheek. "I'm glad you feel better after your wash. Do you want to go out and watch your show or are you tired? If you are, we can hang out in here and I can bring in the DVD and watch it in here. They can leave. Hodgins already said they'd leave whenever we wanted them to." He wanted his Bones to be as comfortable as possible, so he was willing to ask people to leave if that is what she wanted.

"No, Booth. I mean, yes, I am tired a little, but I want to go out there. Strangely enough, I am finding that I have enjoyed everyone around me this morning. I don't fully understand it, usually when I don't feel well, I want to be alone. But I would like to go back out there, with our friends."

"OK, then, off we go," he said as he rose to scoop her into his very willing arms.

As they moved from the bathroom towards the bedroom door, Bones placed her hand on his chest, as if to stop him, and he understood. "Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?" Their faces were close in the position in which he held her, and their eyes locked.

"Just for a moment, can we – can we sit for a sec?"

"Sure, Bones. You OK?" His concern for her showed clearly on his face and in the crinkle of his eyebrows. He backed up and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, Booth. I'm OK. I just, well, the medicine that I took, it made things a little blurry for me and I don't remember everything that I said. I'm not sure I remember everything you said, but I remember enough." She smiled a gentle, shy smile as she met his eyes. "I just want to say something. I don't know when the right time is; if it's now or if I should wait. But I know I have to tell you something."

"Bones, you can tell me anything, at any time. I don't care about 'the right time' for stuff, you should just say it if it's on your mind…Are you upset with me? Did I aggravate you by being too close? I'm sorry if I did." The sudden self-doubt in his tone made her fall in love with him a little more. The normally cock-sure agent was, without warning, vulnerable.

"Booth, I love you." She blurted it out as if her life depended on it. "I love you and I don't remember if I told you. I can't remember. I'm sorry. But I need you to know that I do. I love you." The stunned look on his face as he listened to her words gave her heart a little flutter. _Did I do it wrong? Is it too soon? Maybe he didn't really want to hear it from me; maybe he's having second thoughts. Oh God, I messed up. What do I do now? Angela said I'd render him speechless, but I'm not so sure that's a good thing… _Her mind was racing and trying to wrap itself around the possibility that Booth was changing his mind, when he leaned closer, pulling her to meet him halfway by tightening his hold on her shoulders.

Booth brought his hand up to cup her cheek, tilting his head. He brushed his lips lightly against hers, and just inhaled her. Keeping his mouth against hers, his lips parted, he spoke softly, as a lover would do, "I love you too, Bones. I love you so much that it sometimes hurts. Sometimes it scares me; but there is no denying that I love you, too."

They met for a passionate kiss, their lips parted to each other, tongues danced and moans exchanged as their kiss deepened. It was neither frantic nor aggressive; neither partner fought for dominance. It was give and take; offer and receive; an expression of pure passion and desire; a demonstration of love for both parties involved…An equal partnership that turned into so much more, finally the two were crossing that line together.

As they parted, oxygen becoming necessary, their eyes met and two very happy smiles greeted one another.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to finally realize that love is more than just a chemical reaction, Booth. I should have listened to you long ago. Forgive me?"

"Bones, there's nothing to forgive you for. You learned on your own time; processed it like you process everything; and it was worth the wait. I will never tire of hearing you say those words to me. The fact that you didn't let me sway your beliefs when you were not ready makes it all the more worth-while. I love you, Bones. And I always will. You have my promise."

"I believe you, Booth. I do. Thank you." The smile she rewarded him made his heart flutter in excitement and joy. "Now, take me out there and let me enjoy my other birthday present!" She demanded gently, with a laugh. "After all, if you insisted that I open it, I want to make use of it right away!" She met his eyes with a devilish, impish look. "I love presents… It was a long time that I didn't receive presents; until you started giving me things, I guess. But I find that I really like getting surprises!" They laughed out loud at her childish demeanor and Booth adored her just a little more, loving that he could bring out such a carefree spirit in his logical science-based partner. After sharing one last, deep and loving kiss, he moved them from the edge of the bed towards the door, so they could rejoin their friends, who all seemed more than happy to simply spend the weekend day hanging out in his tiny living room. They had all come so far in their years together; and they were all so very grateful for one another.

**Postscript A/N**

**Another one down and who-knows-how-many to go! **

**I still have a premonition that we will be seeing Parker again soon… and I think we're going to have some visits or appearances from some possibly unwanted guests…. And OMG, my Muse and I came up with a very exciting event that will occur once Bren is healed! Can't wait! **

**What did you think? Is it still OK? Please let me know! Click on the review button or send me a PM message. Would love to hear from you all! I know there are more people out there following the story than reviewers, so please please please, if you are following it, pop me a little note and let me know what you like about it? PLEASE? **

**Thanks to you all. You're awesome. **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N Welcome back! **

**It's time to see a little bit of Parker, don't you think? **

**How old is Parker, anyway? I don't know for sure, so in my story, I imagine he's 11. If anyone knows differently, and my assessment is way off base, please let me know! **

**There is a lot more dialog in this chapter, than in most of my others, but it felt like the right way to go, so my Muse went with it! I hope you enjoy!**

**WOW, I am SOOOO close to 200 reviews! Thank you! I know there are a lot of stories out there with way more reviews than this, but for me, it is REALLY exciting! This is only my second story, and I am so very happy that you are all enjoying it! **

**Diclaimer: I STILL don't own any of the characters… Can you believe it! After all this work and I still get nothing… UGH! LOL **

As the couple made their way from the bedroom back out to the living room to rejoin everyone, they noticed a lack of two.

"Where are Sweets and Daisy?" Booth looked around, wondering if the pair had just relocated themselves.

Wendell looked up at the couple, "Dr. Sweets got a phone call from one of his patients, having some identity crisis or something… He said it was an emergency, and he had to go right away, so they just left a few minutes ago. He said he would give you call later or tomorrow and see if there's anything that you need. And, of course, Daisy went with him…" Wendell gave a crooked smile before he added, "thankfully… I don't think I could have made it through even one episode of 'Planet Earth' if I had to listen to her comment on everything."

The group all giggled, and subtly agreed with his analysis.

Booth moved them over to the lounge chair where they were sitting that morning. "Is this OK again, Bones? Or did you want to sit on your own?"

She just smiled, meeting his gaze with warmth and tenderness, "No, I'd like to sit with you again. Is that still alright?"

"Hell yeah, it's fine, Bones… Thanks." He just grinned as he lowered them to the chair. "Alrighty, I think it would be better for you to stay on my left, because you'll be able to see the television better," he was really just talking out loud to himself, because she was pretty much at his mercy as to where she sat. When he looked down at her, he found her quizzical stare waiting to make eye contact. "What? What's that look for?"

"For what?" She simply asked, thinking he would understand her question.

"Right, for what?" Obviously he wasn't with her on this…

"Booth, 'thanks' for what?" _That should be a clear enough question_, she thought.

"What?" He looked at her like she grew an extra head. "thanks for what, what Bones?"

"Thanks for what?" She repeated herself, _again,_ but she could see from the distant and lost look in his eyes, he wasn't following her question. "You just thanked me, and I didn't know why, so I asked you 'what' and you then you asked me 'what', and I don't think you knew I was asking you 'what' to your original 'thanks', and then you said 'thanks for what', but that's what I really want to know…'thanks for what'?" She scrunched her nose; even _she_ was getting confused at this conversation.

"Oh," Booth smiled a big Boothy grin, looking down at her, talking through a hardy laugh; "Thanks for wanting to sit with me again. It's nice."

"Wait a minute!" She looked skeptically at his laughing eyes, "You _knew_ what I meant! You knew all along, didn't you?" She squinted her eyes at him as he nodded, and she relented and joined in the laugh, but only after playfully smacking him in the chest; _it was pretty funny after all_, she thought… Quietly, she finally replied, "Well, in any case, you are very welcome. I find it very… comforting to sit with you."

They shared a loving smile before Booth leaned in and gave her a big, loud smoochie kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad, Bones. I like it too."

Max and Angela emerged from the kitchen, arms full of food, drink, paper plates and cups.

"What's all this?" Booth watched as the pair made their way towards the coffee table with their parcels. "We just ate breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I like to eat; hell, I LOVE to eat, but even _I'm_ not hungry just yet…"

"Booth, it's a movie-marathon-afternoon. We have to have a smorgasbord of yummies for a movie-marathon-afternoon. Did you grow up under a rock?" Angela looked to Booth as if he was an alien.

"Angela," Brennan interjected before Booth could get a word in, "technically, we're not watching movies. We are watching DVDs of a television series event. Not movies. But am I to assume your theory of a buffet during a 'movie-marathon-afternoon' can also hold true for such an afternoon as we're about to enjoy?"

Angela laughed at her best friend's analysis of their snacks. "Of course it does! It's just a fun little spread of food so we can just hang out together and eat when we're hungry, snack on food we don't really need… you know, little indulgences that we normally don't treat ourselves to!" She beamed with a fun-loving smile, giggling like a little girl getting ready for a slumber party. "I love marathon-afternoons!" She flopped herself onto the couch, leaning into Hodgins as he lowered his arm, which had been resting across the back of the sofa, and wrapped it around the artist that he loved so much.

Everyone surveyed the spread that Ange and Max brought out: popcorn, crackers with block cheese that Max cut into bite size pieces, tiny sausages in BBQ sauce, sliced fresh veggies that Angela had rescued from Booth's crisper (before the newly-bachelorized man let them go bad), chips and pretzels with various dips that Angela managed to mix together with various ingredients from Booth's pantry, mini pizza bites they cooked from the freezer and mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara sauce. On a separate tray table, there were pitchers of fresh brewed iced tea complete with fresh Mint and lemon accents, ice water and a variety of cans of soda.

"Sweetheart," Max looked to Tempe, "Do you need anything? Can I bring something over for you?"

Brennan smiled at her father, appreciating that he was still here with her and their crazy friends. "No, dad, thank you. I'm fine for now."

"OK, Pumpkin. Booth, how about you, do you need anything? You're sort of, well, stuck there, aren't you, son?" Max smiled at the young Agent, who was resting comfortably in the lounge chair, laid back completely, with his left arm wrapped protectively around the daughter for whom he was so very thankful. Tempe was on her right side, resting half of her body on top of Booth's and the other half to his left, between his solid frame and the overstuffed arm of the extra-wide lounge chair, her head snuggled lovingly into his shoulder. Booth's right hand tenderly held Tempe's left, which rested on Booth's chest, atop his heart.

Booth smiled up at his partner's very protective father, meeting the man's eyes with honesty. "I wouldn't exactly call it 'stuck', Max; that has such a negative connotation to it… I'm far from 'stuck'," he looked down at the beauty at his side, "I'm right where I want to be," he continued, more for her benefit than for Max's.

"Alright, lover-boy, you two let us know if you need anything. We're here to help, OK?" Max laughed, shaking his head at the sappy scene they were all witness to. "It's like two teenagers, I swear..." he got himself comfortable in the armchair opposite the couple. "Don't you get fresh with my little girl, Booth, I don't want to have to kick your ass; it would only embarrass you in front of Tempe." They all shared a laugh as Booth playfully saluted the older man.

Booth momentarily reminisced how he had arrested Bones' father so many years ago, and he reflected on how happy he was that the 'innocent' man was now free to rekindle his relationship with Bones. Max was a criminal, but one with a soul; with a heart; a criminal with a conscious. He didn't do things to hurt people maliciously, and only took revenge when those close to him were threatened. In a very strange, twisted and un-FBI-manner, Booth actually found that he admired Max. He was glad that things worked out the way they had, for both Max's and Bones' sake; the father and daughter needed each other. They needed to have a relationship with one another to make up for the many years they missed, and while they would never be as close as some, they definitely had the opportunity to learn about each other and the chance for Bones to come to terms with her life, as it had turned out. Their growing affection for each other gave Bones the opening she needed to forgive her father, for leaving her all those years ago.

"Wow, guys, I'm already getting hungry, but I don't want to start eating before we even start the show…" Wendell grinned as he broke the momentary silence, eyeing all the delicious finger foods. Then he turned and looked at the little gathering, "should I hit play?" He eyes settled over to Booth and Dr. Brennan and received an affirmative nod from both of them. They all settled into their respective spots as they prepared to veg-out for the afternoon; ready to learn about the Planet Earth, in whatever way the Discovery Channel saw necessary to educate viewers.

While Booth was interested in watching the show, simply because Bones was, he was more interested in the little family they had surrounding them. He discreetly looked around his tiny living room, smiling as he recognized the comfort everyone felt. Hodgins and Angela were on the couch, Angela leaning on Hodgins as the bug-man encircled her with his arms. Wendell had reclaimed his pillow and bedding from the night before and had plopped himself on the floor in front of the TV, much the same way that Parker liked to do when they used to have their movie nights with Bones, when he and Bones claimed the couch. Max sat comfortably in the arm chair with a foot rest, mirroring the location of their current seating position.

The older man caught Booth's eyes as they travelled around the room. They held each other's stare momentarily, before Booth grinned and lowered his cheek down to the top of Bones' head. As Max turned his gaze back to the TV, he silently giggled at the obviously love-stricken Agent. Max was still immensely pleased that his daughter finally opened her heart to Booth. He really respected the Agent and knew that Booth would always take care of Tempe. He had a slight concern that she would suddenly pull back, once her immediate wounds healed and the powerful reality of her admission mentally set in. He hoped Booth was prepared to face her wrath if she got a scare. _But, then again,_ he thought, _if anyone can deal with Tempe and her fears, it's Booth._

When Booth locked eyes with Max, the young man wondered what his partner's father was thinking about. He wondered if Max actually did approve of their budding relationship, or if Max simply accepted that he had no say in his independent daughter's decisions. Strangely, he wanted Max's approval and acceptance. He arrested this man, and someday, he knew that could come back to haunt him, but he hoped that it would not be detrimental to what he wanted out of his relationship with Bones. When Max smiled at him just before braking eye contact, he realized that Max was good with the situation, and did, in fact, silently accept Booth's affection for his 'little girl'. As Booth lowered his cheek to his partner's hair, he inhaled her sweet, familiar scent and he tightened his hold on her. When she sank deeper into his hold, he kissed the top of her head and turned his attention back to the television to enjoy his girl's show.

Half-way through disc two, Booth's cell rang. Grabbing it from the chair-side table, Booth answered, "Booth?"

"Hi Dad, it's me."

"Hey Parks! Did your mom tell you I left you a message on her voicemail?"

"Yup, that's why I am calling you. Is Bones OK?"

"Yeah, Parker, Bones is OK. She's right here; do you want to say hi?"

"Can I? Please?"

"Sure, buddy, hold on," Booth smiled down into her waiting big blue eyes, which had turned up to him as soon as she heard it was Parker, and handed her his phone.

"Hi, Parker!" Bones' smile spread across her face, and she winced when she remembered her split lip, as it stretched and tore open slightly. She sucked it into her mouth as Booth raised his thumb up to stroke it gently. She raised her eyes to his appreciatively.

"Hi Bones! Are you OK? Where are you? Can I come see you? I want to see you. I saw it on the news; I wasn't supposed to watch the news, because it was late last night, but I did see it. Mom wasn't happy that I snuck out of my room to see what her and Drew were watching. But I heard it, and I saw your picture on the TV news and they said Dad saved you. Did he? Are you going to be alright now? I got real scared, but mom told me I couldn't call you then, that I had to wait." His concern for the scientist was clear in his young voice, as he spoke a mile-a-minute, not giving her time to answer.

Brennan could hear Rebecca in the background, gently reprimanding him for talking so fast, and she asked him to hand her the phone. "No, Mom, please? Just another minute? I just want to talk to Bones. Please?"

She must have relented because he was suddenly speaking to her again. "Sorry, Bones. I am supposed to give you a chance to answer before I ask too many questions."

She chuckled and proceeded to answer all the questions he had asked. "It's OK, Parker. Yes, I am going to be alright. I hurt at the moment, but not nearly as much as I did when your Dad first found me. And yes, your Dad did save me and I am at his apartment. And… young man… your mom was right to be upset with you for sneaking out of your room last night… When you are in bed, you should remain in bed, Sweetie. It was too late for you to be awake, especially if it was the 11:00 news edition, hon." She once again met Booth's gaze as he smiled down at her, loving the affection she obviously shared with his son. "And, I am sorry that you got scared, Parker; I don't like to be the reason you get scared. Please rest assured that your Dad is taking good care of me." She beamed up at her partner as he kissed her forehead. "As far as whether or not you can come over, you need to discuss that with your dad and your mom, OK, Parker?"

"OK, Bones. I am glad you're OK. I am glad Dad saved you. He's kind of like a hero, huh?" She could hear Parker's smile through the phone connection.

"Yes, Parker, he is." Booth continued his observation of her, wondering what they were discussing just then. "OK, Parker, listen, I am going to give the phone back to your Dad, so you can ask him, OK?" She paused, Booth assumed waiting for his son's reply, "Yes, Parker, I will. I love you too. Hold on."

Booth replaced the cell back to his ear, "Hey Bud." He once again bent over and kissed Bones' forehead before she rested again against the crook of his neck.

"Dad? Can Mom bring me over to your place, please? I really wanna see Bones. I mean, I wanna see you too, but I saw Bones' picture on TV last night, and I got in trouble and all, for sneaking out to see TV, but please? I really _really_ want to see Bones. I know she said she'll be alright, and she sounded real happy that you saved her, but I just, I just want come over…" Finally, Parker took a breath from this run-on-rant.

"Parker, I understand. You want to see the proof with your own eyes, right? You want to be able to see, so you believe, so you know, that Bones is alright. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Dad, that's what I said!" Booth smirked at his son's exasperation. It was what his son had said, but his boy said it with waaay too many words.

"Let me talk to your mom, is she there?"

"Uh-huh, hold on," Parker handed Rebecca the phone. "Seeley?"

"Hi Becks. So, I get Parker's need to see Bones. Of you can drop him off, it's fine with us." He raised his eyebrows at Bones, just to get confirmation, and she nodded her agreement, whispering "yes, Booth, I'd love to see him."

"OK, Seeley. Do you want him over night or do you have enough to deal with?"

"No, he can stay, that's fine. I'd love to have him for as long as I can!" Booth loved when his son was with him, and missed him terribly whenever he took him back to Rebecca's. Finally, she has been getting better at sharing time with him, not limiting Parker to just 2 weekends a month; sometimes Booth got Parker mid-week for a few nights as well.

Booth's ex smiled into the phone and nodded to her son, who took off to his room to start packing his overnight bag. "Alright Seeley, as long as you're sure. I can have him there in, say, 35 minutes or so, will that work?"

"That's great, Becks, thanks. Oh, and hey, Bones says Thanks too." She nodded emphatically against his neck as she made lazy circles on his chest with her fingers.

"Not a problem, Seeley, I know he misses you and he's been bugging me all day until I let him call you, but I wanted to give you guys some time, in case you slept late; I didn't know if you came home last night or this morning or if you were even home at all yet... He adores her, you know…" Rebecca's voice was quiet and serious. "He misses the time he used to spend with you and Temperance, do you know that?"

The conversation just took a very serious turn; Booth realized that Rebecca was concerned, for Parker's sake, the serious situation of Booth's recent status change, and she didn't want her son getting hurt again. When Booth and Brennan stopped seeing each other, socially outside of work (due to the whole Hannah-fiasco), it had a really detrimental effect on Parker's sense of calm when he was with his father. He missed the woman who had become such a main-stay member of his quasi-extended-family. No longer did they share movie nights, Mac & cheese dinners, Saturday's at the Park… And although Booth was too stupid, or too blind, to realize it at the time, he was now very much aware of the turmoil his boy must have been feeling since his return from Afghanistan. "I do, Beck. We talked about it last time he was here; the day I told Hannah to leave. I was an idiot, and I know I hurt Parker, but I swear, I will not drag him through that again. I promise you Rebecca, for our son's well-being, I am going to be a better father." Booth's voice was suddenly sad and slightly vulnerable. He knew he could lose his rights to have Parker at all, and that it was by the grace of her mood that he spent as much time with him as he did.

"Seeley… that's not what I was getting at. You're a _great_ father, and Parker loves you very, _very _much. But I just want you to realize, he loves your partner too… and he has been very upset knowing that she was taken and when he thought he might not be able to see her, because the two of you were not 'friends' in his eyes, he was frantic. I calmed him and told him that he would be seeing her soon, even if it wasn't today, but, you know how emotional he is… He is just like you, Seeley."

"I know, Becks. Hey, bring him over as soon as you can, OK? We can't wait to see him."

"OK, see you in a little while," she disconnected the call after they said their goodbyes. She turned to face her son, who had already bounded back down the stairs, pulling along with him, his overnight bag, school back pack and a pile of DVDs that didn't fit in either of his other bags.

"Parker, what are you doing with all those movies?" She grinned at him, shaking her head.

"Mom, you know Bones doesn't own many movies and until she started hanging out with me and Dad, she missed a TON of good stuff. Well, she hasn't been hanging with us for a while, you know, for movie-nights, so I thought I would bring a supply for her to choose from. She's probably already seen all of dad's collection, but she hasn't seen mine yet!" He smiled up at her, flashing a charming grin that was so much like his father's that Rebecca was rendered momentarily speechless.

"OK, OK, go get a canvas shopping bag from the utility room and load it up," she continued to giggle at his excitement and anticipation of sharing some of his favorite DVDs with Temperance. She grabbed her purse and car keys from their resting spot on the hallway table and waited for him to come bouncing back into the room.

"Well, as much as I hate to, Booth, Dr. Brennan, I am going to hit the road," Wendell took advantage of their paused DVD moment to make his move. "I have some errands I need to run, and I have to make some phone calls. But, I just wanted to say that I am really happy, Dr. Brennan, that you're home again." He met his mentor's eyes and gave her a genuine smile of friendly affection. "Booth, thank you letting us hang out, you know, until we got to spend some time with Dr. Brennan, too." He was a little shy, as he thanked the Agent, knowing that Booth probably wanted nothing more than to be alone with his partner, but that he still didn't give any of them grief about staying, just so they could satisfy their own needs to see that she was alright.

"No problem, Wendell. You're welcome anytime, man." Booth reached out and took Wendell's in a strong handshake. "And, thank you for everything. I mean, _everything_, Wendell. I couldn't have done it without your contribution." Booth's eyes conveyed complete gratitude to the 'normal' squint from the rough side of town, to whom he had always felt a special kinship.

Brennan looked up at Wendell with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Mr. Bray, Wendell, I can't thank you enough for your part in all of this. I – my words don't say everything that I feel. But I want you to know that if there is ever anything, _anything_ that I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask. I could never repay you for what you've done, for the part you played in all this chaos, but I will do whatever is in my power to aid if there is anything you need." She reached for his hand and he allowed her to take it, and when she squeezed it, a tear escaped from her lower eyelid.

"Dr. Brennan, you don't need to repay me. I was more than glad to have been of some help. I am very glad that Booth got to you, you are a special person, Dr. Brennan, to us all." He lowered his eyes as he retracted his hand from her grasp. He then looked back to Booth, "Call me if you need anything that I can do." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and I'll let the team not to expect you at practice for a while."

Booth nodded as his hockey team member walked out of the room and left the small apartment. Brennan laid her head back into Booth's neck, willing her newly formed tears to go away. But she failed miserably.

Further movement from the couch brought his attention to Hodgins and Angela, who were busily starting to clear the coffee table.

"We'll go ahead and hit the road, too, Booth," Hodgins explained. "You should spend the rest of your day with your son, and Dr. B's dad. We'll just take this stuff out to the kitchen."

"Wait, Hodgins, don't clear the table. Parker is coming; he'll probably finish most of it." Booth chuckled as he thought about how much food his son has started consuming recently. Surely the 11-year-old would soon be hitting a growth spurt. He almost dreaded the thought of how much food he's going to be feeding his kid by the time he was in high school…

Brennan looked to Angela, "Ange, you two don't need to leave yet. It's OK. Parker likes you guys, he'll be happy to see you." Brennan suddenly felt an overwhelming need to have people near her. She couldn't explain it, but it seemed that the close call she had at losing her life, made her feel a certain closeness to her 'family' more than ever before.

"Sweetie, we'll come by tomorrow. I'll cook lunch and bring enough for leftovers for dinner for you guys. And I'll bring you some clothes. Not that I don't think it's totally _hot_ that you're wearing Studly's very sexy work-out attire," she quipped, "but you should have something feminine to make you feel better. When you're sick or hurting, there's something to looking and feeling feminine that will boost your spirits." She grinned down at her best friend, lying in the arms of her handsome partner. "Besides, this afternoon should be spent with your real family, your immediate family. Your dad; Parker; they need to spend time with you…without all of us lab rats hanging about and invading your space or occupying your time and attention." She looked over and winked at Booth. "We're just a phone call away if you need us, Studly. You take care of her, you hear?" He scoffed and she knew that her orders were not necessary, because he obviously had no intention of _not_ taking care of her, now that he finally had her.

Angela bent over to whisper in Bren's ear as Hodgins grabbed Booth's attention with a stupid joke he had heard, causing Angela to roll her eyes a bit before getting serious with Brennan. "Bren, don't fight him. Let him help you. Let him hold and coddle you a bit. He needs it as much as you do. Let him love you, and you love him back. This is your time, finally. It's sad that it happened like this, but just let the pieces fall into place. Promise me?" Angela backed away a little from Brennan's ear, to make eye contact. She smiled as Brennan nodded in agreement, smiled and simply replied, "I promise Ange."

"Goodnight, Sweetie, I'll see you tomorrow, round lunchtime." She bent over and kissed her friend's cheek then turned to Booth, giving him a quick pack on the cheek as well, as she and Hodgins made their way to the exit.

Max stood up with a smile and headed to the kitchen. "You two need anything from out here?"

"No thanks, Max." They heard Max running the water and it sounded like he was loading the dishwasher. He re-entered the room carrying two beers, and handed one to Booth. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I want a beer and I don't want to drink alone." He grinned at the young man who tipped his bottle in thanks. "I'll stay just long enough to see Parker, but then I have to go, too." He was shocked to see that his daughter took the news a little hard, her eyes growing large and her jaw going slack.

"Dad? You don't have to go too! Why is everyone leaving?" She looked to Booth to see if he had anything to do with the mass exit that was occurring.

"Pumpkin, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you, I do. And I'll come back in the morning – I'll bring breakfast. But there's truth in what Angela said, you need to spend time with your immediate family. I have been lucky enough to have the day with you so far, but I want you and Booth to have the rest of your day with Parker. He is going to need your reassurance that you're alright and he is going to be demanding your attention; not in a bad way, but in a _kid_ way…that's how it should be. He should be able to have the two of you all to himself for a while. He needs to reconnect, I think, and it will be a good time to do that, Honey."

Before she could counter his reasoning, there was a light knock on the door. Max stood to get it, gesturing to Booth to stay put. "Hey Parker!" Max bent over to hug the boy at the door. "Look how tall you're getting, my goodness!" Max smiled and roughed the boy's curly locks in a fun fashion and he looked to the boy's mother, standing behind him, loaded down with bags. "Rebecca, let me help you, Hon. What is all this?"

Rebecca grinned, "It's everything that Parker deemed necessary for a two-day stay with his father…" She slowly shook her head, "I think the only thing he missed bringing was the kitchen sink!" They shared a laugh as Parker stood there, to the side of his mom and sort-of-adopted-grandfather. It was obvious that he was impatient to see Bones, but he would not be so rude as to interrupt the adults talking.

Max looked down at the concerned frown that the young boy wore. "Parker, son, they're in the living room, go ahead, just be careful to not hug Tempe too tight, ok? Ask her first where it's OK to touch her." Max spoke as he ushered Rebecca into the hallway, and indicated that she should also follow.

Parker nodded, understanding that Bones was obviously in pain, but he didn't know what to expect. He turned on his heels and ran into the living room, then he slowed and approached his Dad and Bones slowly, in case Bones was sleeping.

He saw his Dad's warm brown eyes turn towards him, and his Dad smiled while talking, "Well, hey, Bones, look what the cat dragged in!" He held his arm out for his son to come over to his side of the lounge chair, so he would be able to see Bones' face without making Bones move to see him.

Parker smiled broadly, "Hi Dad! Hey Bones," he lowered his voice a little, "how are you feeling?" He leaned over the side of the chair, using the overstuffed arm for leverage as he rested his forearms on his Dad's chest and abdomen.

"Hello, Parker." She reached out and stroked his cheek with her fingertips, smiling sweetly at the little boy who looked so much like his father. "It's so good to see you, sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm good, now, Bones. I really wanted to see you. I feel better seeing you, is that OK?" Parker was eager to seek approval from her, so he would know that what he was feeling was normal, and not kid-like or needy.

"Of course it's more than OK, Parker. I'm always glad to see you, but especially today." She met his gaze with honesty and love. She had loved this little boy for many years, and the events of the last 48 hours only served to strengthen the connection she felt to him.

Slowly, she wrinkled her eyebrows and looked at Booth, "What cat, Booth?"

He chuckled at her delayed reaction to his little cliché phrase, and just shook his head, "Never mind, Bones, it's not important now." He hugged her tighter and closer, wishing that there was a way that two people really could inhabit the same space, because he would do that with her in a heartbeat, he so desperately wanted her as close to him as possible.

She turned her attention back to Parker, who was also grinning, obviously having gotten the little joke, but she didn't give it another thought. She was used to not getting jokes. She would find out the details later, because she would definitely ask Booth about the missing cat dragging something in…

Booth looked up to Parker's mother. "Thank you Becks, for bringing him over."

"It's fine, Seeley. Are you sure you're going to be alright with him?" She looked doubtful now that she saw the scientist lying there immobilized against her ex.

"We'll be great, Becks, really."

"OK." She turned her attention to Temperance, "It's good to see you, Temperance. I am glad to know that you're safe."

"Thank you, Rebecca. And, like Booth said, thank you for bringing Parker around, I am really glad to see him." She smiled to Rebecca before turning her attention back to the blond boy still leaning over his father towards her.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. All his belongings are in these bags - - he packed himself, so I hope his clothes are OK. Parker, did you pack underwear?"

Booth laughed at the way his son rolled his eyes at Rebecca. Booth looked back to his ex, "We won't be going anywhere, so whatever he brought will be fine." Booth indicated that his son should go say goodbye to his mother.

Rebecca squatted down to be eye-to-eye with her son. "Be good, Parker, and don't wake Temperance if she's sleeping. She needs a lot of rest while she heals, ok?"

He nodded and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her to say goodbye. "OK, I know Mom. I will behave."

"Alright, then, good night everyone." She received a chorus of farewells and goodnights from the tiny remaining group in the living room. As she turned to leave, Max stopped her. "Hold on just a sec, Rebecca, I will walk you down. I have to be going anyway, I was just telling Booth and Tempe."

He walked over to his daughter and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, honey. I'll bring over breakfast, say around 9:00?" Once he received her acknowledgement and agreement, he smiled and looked to Booth. "Take care of my baby, Booth." He smiled because he already knew that the Agent wouldn't be leaving her side for any great length of time.

"I will, Max, you know that." Booth rolled his eyes in jest.

"I know, but I still have to be a father, you know." Max turned to Parker and held his arms out. "Can I have a hug, kiddo? I'll see you in the morning." He wrapped his arms around Booth's little boy and felt an affection for him, almost as if they were properly related. He thought of Russ at the tender age of 11 and smiled, thinking of what a fun age that was. "Do you like anything special for breakfast, Parker?"

"Nope, Max, I eat anything." Parker beamed in pride, knowing that both of his parents would agree, because they called him a 'bottomless pit'. "Anything and everything!"

They all laughed at the carefree response and Max and Rebecca took their leave.

Booth looked down to Bones, "I'm gunna get up for a few minutes. I have to change Parker's sheets, Daisy and Sweets slept in there last night and I want him to have fresh sheets – you never know with those two…" He had a small grimace on his face as he had a mental image invade his mind; one he could have done without…

Brennan smirked and nodded and rolled more of her weight onto her right side, letting him slide out from under her. Parker stood by the arm of the chair, watching as Bones' face contorted with discomfort. He rushed around to be closer to her and reached out for her hand. "Are – are you OK, Bones?"

"Aww, Parker, thank you. I'm OK. I just get uncomfortable." She tried to smile at him and squeezed his hand. She tugged him a little, inviting him up next to her, into the spot his father had just vacated. He eagerly climbed up and laid on his left side, facing her as she remained on her right side. He didn't let go of her hand and she saw tears in his eyes. She withdrew her hand from his and brought it up to his cheek. "Parker, sweetheart, it's OK. I'm alright."

As soon as she said the words, the dam of tears broke loose and flooded the little boy's face. Despite her own pain, she leaned back against the soft arm of the chair and pulled him to her chest. "Shh, Parker, it's fine, sweetie." She cradled him tightly, rubbing his back. "Parker, look at me," as she pulled him away a little, "look at me."

When his eyes met hers, she could see how tormented he was, deep inside. He wore his emotions just like his father, and her heart broke for his anguish. "Parker, you see that I'm OK, right? You know that even though I am in a little bit of pain, that I _will_ heal." He nodded, but was still unconvinced. For many years he had fears that either his dad or Bones would be taken from him. He understood they both had really important jobs and they worked to put bad people in jail, but he was not as naïve as some of his friends; he understood that many of those same people wanted revenge against the partners. He knew that two of the most important people in the world to him, can be taken at any given moment.

"What – What can I do to help you, Bones?" The young boy spoke between broken sobs.

"Just what you're doing, Parker...Just the fact that you care enough to want to see me… that you wanted to be with me, makes me feel _so_ much better." She smiled, trying to put the 11-year-old's concerns to rest. "I believe that with the care I will receive, between you _and _your father, I am going to get better in half the time that it would take other people. I am very lucky, you know, to have both of you Booth-boys here to take care of me. This kind of care is better than anything that medicine can do. I love you, Parker. I love you and your Dad, and I am so happy that you're here with me, right now." She pulled him close again, happy to see his tears subside and a bit of relief behind his eyes.

"I love you, too, Bones. Thank you for letting me come over." His reply was muffled since he kept his face buried against her chest, and she giggled a bit at the slurring of his words.

As Bones tucked her chin atop his soft blond curls, her eyes met Booth's. He was quietly observing, leaning against the door jamb leading into Parker's bedroom, a gentle smile graced his lips and unshed tears were glistening in his eyes. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but from the look on his face as he stared into her blue eyes, she knew he was there long enough to hear what she'd said. His stomach flipped as she granted him a small, loving smile and winked over at him.

_She's so suddenly open about her feelings_, he thought to himself. _I wonder when that happened… I wonder __why__ that happened_. _It's awesome, though; I'm so happy…finally._

He approached slowly, hating to interrupt, but wanting to be part of what was happening with Parker. He bent over and ruffled his boy's hair and Parker turned to see his Dad's warm brown eyes looking down at him, shining with understanding and concern. "You OK, buddy? You feel better after getting a nice big hug from Bones?"

Parker nodded affirmation and sat up a little, suddenly ashamed that his Dad saw his tears. "Uh-huh. I'm sorry I'm crying…I know crying is for babies. I just couldn't help it, Dad."

Booth knelt down behind the arm that was supporting Bones' back, so he could face his son. "Parks, don't ever apologize for crying. It's not just for babies, son. I've shed my fair share of tears over the past couple of days, since all this began. So, _don't ever_ be ashamed for caring about someone enough to cry for them; good tears, bad tears, it doesn't matter. It's what makes us human, kiddo."

Parker nodded to his Dad, but looked to Bones for confirmation. Her smile told him that what his father was saying was correct. He smiled at her, then back to his Dad. "OK, I understand."

"Good man. Now, go wash your face and freshen up, OK?" Booth stood from where he was squatted.

Parker scooted off the chair and headed towards the bathroom, but before he got there, he turned back to the adults. "Hey, I brought movies. Lots of 'em. Maybe we can have movie night tonight?" He looked hopeful and was pleased when they both seemed receptive to his suggestion.

"Parks, we can have a whole day of movie-watching. It's best for Bones to relax, so we have a captive audience," he clapped his hands together conspiratorially, "so she can't escape… She'll have to watch whatever you pick out." Booth's grin was infectious and Parker beamed.

"Don't worry Bones, I won't make you watch anything stupid. You'll LOVE what I brought!" He turned and trotted into the bathroom, leaving the couple to grin at each other, happy that his mood improved.

While they waited for Parker to make the very important decision of what they would spend the next hour and a half watching, Booth re-claimed his spot, snuggled next to his Bones. They carried on a quiet conversation.

"Do you need anything Bones?"

"No thanks, Booth. I'm fine." She smiled at him warmly. "Did you get Parker's sheets all changed?"

"Actually they changed them before they left, I guess. I found the old ones on top of Parker's hamper, and the bed already made with the fresh ones." Booth was thankful that the pair had thought enough in advance to change the sheets.

Finally, Parker picked out the 1999 version of 'The Mummy', starring Brendan Fraser. He knew Bones loved the original version, but doubted she had seen this one. He turned to them, hopeful they would approve his decision and both adults agreed; Bones actually was excited about his choice.

After loading the DVD into the player, he turned and looked around the living room, wondering where to sit. He really wanted to sit with Bones, but his Dad was already there.

Seeing his son's dilemma, and understanding it without Parker voicing anything, Booth turned to Bones. "Could we lie like we did in the bedroom? You know, with you laying on me? Then Parker could be with you too, he could fit here with us. I think he wants to be close to you."

"Sure, Booth, if you're OK with that, it was actually very comfortable for me."

As Parker moved towards the sofa, feeling a little dejected, and not having heard his Dad's discussion with Bones, Booth reached out and stopped him by gently grabbing his bicep. "Buddy, you wanna sit here with us?"

"Dad, I don't think we'll all fit. I guess I'll just sit here," he pointed to the sofa.

"Nonsense, of course you'll fit with us. Besides, Bones wants you to sit here. Is that OK?"

Parker's smile grew instantly and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I wanna sit there, then. But, how – where?" But then he saw his Dad carefully pull Bones up onto his chest and scoot them both over to the side of the oversized chair that Bones had been occupying. Then his dad patted the side that he just moved from, so he would be on the side closest to the TV. Grinning maniacally, he climbed up to the already warm spot. "Thanks dad," he whispered.

"You bet Buddy. Get comfy."

Parker smiled and turned on his right side, his back was to his dad and Bones, so he could face the TV. He smiled, and felt a wonderful warmth spread through his chest as Bones' arm draped down across his chest and pulled him closer to them. He reached up and held her hand as her arm remained wrapped around him, and the three of them settled down for their first movie of the day together.

**Postscript A/N**

**Aww… I just love Parker. So sweet and adorable! I base his reactions on my nephews and nieces, who vary in ages, but I thought back to when they were each 11 and I hope I captured some of the insecurities that a pre-teen would feel. I don't have my own kids to base upon, so I hope that I did OK. **

**FINALLY they will have some alone time, even with Parker there, it is more personal time than with everyone else there. **

**We still have some excitement to come in the future chapters, as my overactive Muse is starting to take more control over my original thoughts…**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't read and run! Please take a moment to review and let me know your thoughts. I truly enjoy hearing from everyone, and it means so much to me when I get comments and opinions. The more reviews I get the more I write! LOL **

**BTW – follow me on Twitter, jazzyproz I am finally figuring things out on there! **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N **

**ATTENTION! THIS IS A **_**RE-POSTING**_** OF CHAPTER 27! **

**IF YOU ALREADY READ CHAPTER 27, THEN YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THIS VERY SAME CHAPTER! **

**I AM SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSION BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO READ THE ORIGINAL POSTED CHAPTER 27, THAT THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE. **

**Welcome back! **

**It's time to see a little bit of Parker, don't you think? **

**How old is Parker, anyway? I don't know for sure, so in my story, I imagine he's 11. If anyone knows differently, and my assessment is way off, please let me know! **

**There is a lot more dialog in this chapter, than in most of my others, but it felt like the right way to go, so my Muse went with it! I hope you enjoy!**

**WOW, I am SOOOO close to 200 reviews! Thank you! I know there are a lot of stories out there with way more reviews than this, but for me, it is REALLY exciting! This is only my second story, and I am so very happy that you are all enjoying it! UPDATE – NOW WITH THIS REPOST, I AM OVER 200 REVIEWS… THANK YOU ALL! **

**Diclaimer: I STILL don't own any of the characters… Can you believe it! After all this work and I still get nothing… UGH! LOL **

As the couple made their way from the bedroom back out to the living room to rejoin everyone, they noticed a lack of two.

"Where are Sweets and Daisy?" Booth looked around, wondering if the pair had just relocated themselves.

Wendell looked up at the couple, "Dr. Sweets got a phone call from one of his patients, having some identity crisis or something… He said it was an emergency, and he had to go right away, so they just left a few minutes ago. He said he would give you call later or tomorrow and see if there's anything that you need. And, of course, Daisy went with him…" Wendell gave a crooked smile before he added, "thankfully… I don't think I could have made it through even one episode of 'Planet Earth' if I had to listen to her comment on everything."

The group all giggled, and subtly agreed with his analysis.

Booth moved them over to the lounge chair where they were sitting that morning. "Is this OK again, Bones? Or did you want to sit on your own?"

She just smiled, meeting his gaze with warmth and tenderness, "No, I'd like to sit with you again. Is that still alright?"

"Hell yeah, it's fine, Bones… Thanks." He just grinned as he lowered them to the chair. "Alrighty, I think it would be better for you to stay on my left, because you'll be able to see the television better," he was really just talking out loud to himself, because she was pretty much at his mercy as to where she sat. When he looked down at her, he found her quizzical stare waiting to make eye contact. "What? What's that look for?"

"For what?" She simply asked, thinking he would understand her question.

"Right, for what?" Obviously he wasn't with her on this…

"Booth, 'thanks' for what?" _That should be a clear enough question_, she thought.

"What?" He looked at her like she grew an extra head. "thanks for what, what Bones?"

"Thanks for what?" She repeated herself, _again,_ but she could see from the distant and lost look in his eyes, he wasn't following her question. "You just thanked me, and I didn't know why, so I asked you 'what' and you then you asked me 'what', and I don't think you knew I was asking you 'what' to your original 'thanks', and then you said 'thanks for what', but that's what I really want to know…'thanks for what'?" She scrunched her nose; even _she_ was getting confused at this conversation.

"Oh," Booth smiled a big Boothy grin, looking down at her, talking through a hardy laugh; "Thanks for wanting to sit with me again. It's nice."

"Wait a minute!" She looked skeptically at his laughing eyes, "You _knew_ what I meant! You knew all along, didn't you?" She squinted her eyes at him as he nodded, and she relented and joined in the laugh, but only after playfully smacking him in the chest; _it was pretty funny after all_, she thought… Quietly, she finally replied, "Well, in any case, you are very welcome. I find it very… comforting to sit with you."

They shared a loving smile before Booth leaned in and gave her a big, loud smoochie kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad, Bones. I like it too."

Max and Angela emerged from the kitchen, arms full of food, drink, paper plates and cups.

"What's all this?" Booth watched as the pair made their way towards the coffee table with their parcels. "We just ate breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I like to eat; hell, I LOVE to eat, but even _I'm_ not hungry just yet…"

"Booth, it's a movie-marathon-afternoon. We have to have a smorgasbord of yummies for a movie-marathon-afternoon. Did you grow up under a rock?" Angela looked to Booth as if he was an alien.

"Angela," Brennan interjected before Booth could get a word in, "technically, we're not watching movies. We are watching DVDs of a television series event. Not movies. But am I to assume your theory of a buffet during a 'movie-marathon-afternoon' can also hold true for such an afternoon as we're about to enjoy?"

Angela laughed at her best friend's analysis of their snacks. "Of course it does! It's just a fun little spread of food so we can just hang out together and eat when we're hungry, snack on food we don't really need… you know, little indulgences that we normally don't treat ourselves to!" She beamed with a fun-loving smile, giggling like a little girl getting ready for a slumber party. "I love marathon-afternoons!" She flopped herself onto the couch, leaning into Hodgins as he lowered his arm, which had been resting across the back of the sofa, and wrapped it around the artist that he loved so much.

Everyone surveyed the spread that Ange and Max brought out: popcorn, crackers with block cheese that Max cut into bite size pieces, tiny sausages in BBQ sauce, sliced fresh veggies that Angela had rescued from Booth's crisper (before the newly-bachelorized man let them go bad), chips and pretzels with various dips that Angela managed to mix together with various ingredients from Booth's pantry, mini pizza bites they cooked from the freezer and mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara sauce. On a separate tray table, there were pitchers of fresh brewed iced tea complete with fresh Mint and lemon accents, ice water and a variety of cans of soda.

"Sweetheart," Max looked to Tempe, "Do you need anything? Can I bring something over for you?"

Brennan smiled at her father, appreciating that he was still here with her and their crazy friends. "No, dad, thank you. I'm fine for now."

"OK, Pumpkin. Booth, how about you, do you need anything? You're sort of, well, stuck there, aren't you, son?" Max smiled at the young Agent, who was resting comfortably in the lounge chair, laid back completely, with his left arm wrapped protectively around the daughter for whom he was so very thankful. Tempe was on her right side, resting half of her body on top of Booth's and the other half to his left, between his solid frame and the overstuffed arm of the extra-wide lounge chair, her head snuggled lovingly into his shoulder. Booth's right hand tenderly held Tempe's left, which rested on Booth's chest, atop his heart.

Booth smiled up at his partner's very protective father, meeting the man's eyes with honesty. "I wouldn't exactly call it 'stuck', Max; that has such a negative connotation to it… I'm far from 'stuck'," he looked down at the beauty at his side, "I'm right where I want to be," he continued, more for her benefit than for Max's.

"Alright, lover-boy, you two let us know if you need anything. We're here to help, OK?" Max laughed, shaking his head at the sappy scene they were all witness to. "It's like two teenagers, I swear..." he got himself comfortable in the armchair opposite the couple. "Don't you get fresh with my little girl, Booth, I don't want to have to kick your ass; it would only embarrass you in front of Tempe." They all shared a laugh as Booth playfully saluted the older man.

Booth momentarily reminisced how he had arrested Bones' father so many years ago, and he reflected on how happy he was that the 'innocent' man was now free to rekindle his relationship with Bones. Max was a criminal, but one with a soul; with a heart; a criminal with a conscious. He didn't do things to hurt people maliciously, and only took revenge when those close to him were threatened. In a very strange, twisted and un-FBI-manner, Booth actually found that he admired Max. He was glad that things worked out the way they had, for both Max's and Bones' sake; the father and daughter needed each other. They needed to have a relationship with one another to make up for the many years they missed, and while they would never be as close as some, they definitely had the opportunity to learn about each other and the chance for Bones to come to terms with her life, as it had turned out. Their growing affection for each other gave Bones the opening she needed to forgive her father, for leaving her all those years ago.

"Wow, guys, I'm already getting hungry, but I don't want to start eating before we even start the show…" Wendell grinned as he broke the momentary silence, eyeing all the delicious finger foods. Then he turned and looked at the little gathering, "should I hit play?" He eyes settled over to Booth and Dr. Brennan and received an affirmative nod from both of them. They all settled into their respective spots as they prepared to veg-out for the afternoon; ready to learn about the Planet Earth, in whatever way the Discovery Channel saw necessary to educate viewers.

While Booth was interested in watching the show, simply because Bones was, he was more interested in the little family they had surrounding them. He discreetly looked around his tiny living room, smiling as he recognized the comfort everyone felt. Hodgins and Angela were on the couch, Angela leaning on Hodgins as the bug-man encircled her with his arms. Wendell had reclaimed his pillow and bedding from the night before and had plopped himself on the floor in front of the TV, much the same way that Parker liked to do when they used to have their movie nights with Bones, when he and Bones claimed the couch. Max sat comfortably in the arm chair with a foot rest, mirroring the location of their current seating position.

The older man caught Booth's eyes as they travelled around the room. They held each other's stare momentarily, before Booth grinned and lowered his cheek down to the top of Bones' head. As Max turned his gaze back to the TV, he silently giggled at the obviously love-stricken Agent. Max was still immensely pleased that his daughter finally opened her heart to Booth. He really respected the Agent and knew that Booth would always take care of Tempe. He had a slight concern that she would suddenly pull back, once her immediate wounds healed and the powerful reality of her admission mentally set in. He hoped Booth was prepared to face her wrath if she got a scare. _But, then again,_ he thought, _if anyone can deal with Tempe and her fears, it's Booth._

When Booth locked eyes with Max, the young man wondered what his partner's father was thinking about. He wondered if Max actually did approve of their budding relationship, or if Max simply accepted that he had no say in his independent daughter's decisions. Strangely, he wanted Max's approval and acceptance. He arrested this man, and someday, he knew that could come back to haunt him, but he hoped that it would not be detrimental to what he wanted out of his relationship with Bones. When Max smiled at him just before braking eye contact, he realized that Max was good with the situation, and did, in fact, silently accept Booth's affection for his 'little girl'. As Booth lowered his cheek to his partner's hair, he inhaled her sweet, familiar scent and he tightened his hold on her. When she sank deeper into his hold, he kissed the top of her head and turned his attention back to the television to enjoy his girl's show.

Half-way through disc two, Booth's cell rang. Grabbing it from the chair-side table, Booth answered, "Booth?"

"Hi Dad, it's me."

"Hey Parks! Did your mom tell you I left you a message on her voicemail?"

"Yup, that's why I am calling you. Is Bones OK?"

"Yeah, Parker, Bones is OK. She's right here; do you want to say hi?"

"Can I? Please?"

"Sure, buddy, hold on," Booth smiled down into her waiting big blue eyes, which had turned up to him as soon as she heard it was Parker, and handed her his phone.

"Hi, Parker!" Bones' smile spread across her face, and she winced when she remembered her split lip, as it stretched and tore open slightly. She sucked it into her mouth as Booth raised his thumb up to stroke it gently. She raised her eyes to his appreciatively.

"Hi Bones! Are you OK? Where are you? Can I come see you? I want to see you. I saw it on the news; I wasn't supposed to watch the news, because it was late last night, but I did see it. Mom wasn't happy that I snuck out of my room to see what her and Drew were watching. But I heard it, and I saw your picture on the TV news and they said Dad saved you. Did he? Are you going to be alright now? I got real scared, but mom told me I couldn't call you then, that I had to wait." His concern for the scientist was clear in his young voice, as he spoke a mile-a-minute, not giving her time to answer.

Brennan could hear Rebecca in the background, gently reprimanding him for talking so fast, and she asked him to hand her the phone. "No, Mom, please? Just another minute? I just want to talk to Bones. Please?"

She must have relented because he was suddenly speaking to her again. "Sorry, Bones. I am supposed to give you a chance to answer before I ask too many questions."

She chuckled and proceeded to answer all the questions he had asked. "It's OK, Parker. Yes, I am going to be alright. I hurt at the moment, but not nearly as much as I did when your Dad first found me. And yes, your Dad did save me and I am at his apartment. And… young man… your mom was right to be upset with you for sneaking out of your room last night… When you are in bed, you should remain in bed, Sweetie. It was too late for you to be awake, especially if it was the 11:00 news edition, hon." She once again met Booth's gaze as he smiled down at her, loving the affection she obviously shared with his son. "And, I am sorry that you got scared, Parker; I don't like to be the reason you get scared. Please rest assured that your Dad is taking good care of me." She beamed up at her partner as he kissed her forehead. "As far as whether or not you can come over, you need to discuss that with your dad and your mom, OK, Parker?"

"OK, Bones. I am glad you're OK. I am glad Dad saved you. He's kind of like a hero, huh?" She could hear Parker's smile through the phone connection.

"Yes, Parker, he is." Booth continued his observation of her, wondering what they were discussing just then. "OK, Parker, listen, I am going to give the phone back to your Dad, so you can ask him, OK?" She paused, Booth assumed waiting for his son's reply, "Yes, Parker, I will. I love you too. Hold on."

Booth replaced the cell back to his ear, "Hey Bud." He once again bent over and kissed Bones' forehead before she rested again against the crook of his neck.

"Dad? Can Mom bring me over to your place, please? I really wanna see Bones. I mean, I wanna see you too, but I saw Bones' picture on TV last night, and I got in trouble and all, for sneaking out to see TV, but please? I really _really_ want to see Bones. I know she said she'll be alright, and she sounded real happy that you saved her, but I just, I just want come over…" Finally, Parker took a breath from this run-on-rant.

"Parker, I understand. You want to see the proof with your own eyes, right? You want to be able to see, so you believe, so you know, that Bones is alright. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Dad, that's what I said!" Booth smirked at his son's exasperation. It was what his son had said, but his boy said it with waaay too many words.

"Let me talk to your mom, is she there?"

"Uh-huh, hold on," Parker handed Rebecca the phone. "Seeley?"

"Hi Becks. So, I get Parker's need to see Bones. Of you can drop him off, it's fine with us." He raised his eyebrows at Bones, just to get confirmation, and she nodded her agreement, whispering "yes, Booth, I'd love to see him."

"OK, Seeley. Do you want him over night or do you have enough to deal with?"

"No, he can stay, that's fine. I'd love to have him for as long as I can!" Booth loved when his son was with him, and missed him terribly whenever he took him back to Rebecca's. Finally, she has been getting better at sharing time with him, not limiting Parker to just 2 weekends a month; sometimes Booth got Parker mid-week for a few nights as well.

Booth's ex smiled into the phone and nodded to her son, who took off to his room to start packing his overnight bag. "Alright Seeley, as long as you're sure. I can have him there in, say, 35 minutes or so, will that work?"

"That's great, Becks, thanks. Oh, and hey, Bones says Thanks too." She nodded emphatically against his neck as she made lazy circles on his chest with her fingers.

"Not a problem, Seeley, I know he misses you and he's been bugging me all day until I let him call you, but I wanted to give you guys some time, in case you slept late; I didn't know if you came home last night or this morning or if you were even home at all yet... He adores her, you know…" Rebecca's voice was quiet and serious. "He misses the time he used to spend with you and Temperance, do you know that?"

The conversation just took a very serious turn; Booth realized that Rebecca was concerned, for Parker's sake, the serious situation of Booth's recent status change, and she didn't want her son getting hurt again. When Booth and Brennan stopped seeing each other, socially outside of work (due to the whole Hannah-fiasco), it had a really detrimental effect on Parker's sense of calm when he was with his father. He missed the woman who had become such a main-stay member of his quasi-extended-family. No longer did they share movie nights, Mac & cheese dinners, Saturday's at the Park… And although Booth was too stupid, or too blind, to realize it at the time, he was now very much aware of the turmoil his boy must have been feeling since his return from Afghanistan. "I do, Beck. We talked about it last time he was here; the day I told Hannah to leave. I was an idiot, and I know I hurt Parker, but I swear, I will not drag him through that again. I promise you Rebecca, for our son's well-being, I am going to be a better father." Booth's voice was suddenly sad and slightly vulnerable. He knew he could lose his rights to have Parker at all, and that it was by the grace of her mood that he spent as much time with him as he did.

"Seeley… that's not what I was getting at. You're a _great_ father, and Parker loves you very, _very _much. But I just want you to realize, he loves your partner too… and he has been very upset knowing that she was taken and when he thought he might not be able to see her, because the two of you were not 'friends' in his eyes, he was frantic. I calmed him and told him that he would be seeing her soon, even if it wasn't today, but, you know how emotional he is… He is just like you, Seeley."

"I know, Becks. Hey, bring him over as soon as you can, OK? We can't wait to see him."

"OK, see you in a little while," she disconnected the call after they said their goodbyes. She turned to face her son, who had already bounded back down the stairs, pulling along with him, his overnight bag, school back pack and a pile of DVDs that didn't fit in either of his other bags.

"Parker, what are you doing with all those movies?" She grinned at him, shaking her head.

"Mom, you know Bones doesn't own many movies and until she started hanging out with me and Dad, she missed a TON of good stuff. Well, she hasn't been hanging with us for a while, you know, for movie-nights, so I thought I would bring a supply for her to choose from. She's probably already seen all of dad's collection, but she hasn't seen mine yet!" He smiled up at her, flashing a charming grin that was so much like his father's that Rebecca was rendered momentarily speechless.

"OK, OK, go get a canvas shopping bag from the utility room and load it up," she continued to giggle at his excitement and anticipation of sharing some of his favorite DVDs with Temperance. She grabbed her purse and car keys from their resting spot on the hallway table and waited for him to come bouncing back into the room.

"Well, as much as I hate to, Booth, Dr. Brennan, I am going to hit the road," Wendell took advantage of their paused DVD moment to make his move. "I have some errands I need to run, and I have to make some phone calls. But, I just wanted to say that I am really happy, Dr. Brennan, that you're home again." He met his mentor's eyes and gave her a genuine smile of friendly affection. "Booth, thank you letting us hang out, you know, until we got to spend some time with Dr. Brennan, too." He was a little shy, as he thanked the Agent, knowing that Booth probably wanted nothing more than to be alone with his partner, but that he still didn't give any of them grief about staying, just so they could satisfy their own needs to see that she was alright.

"No problem, Wendell. You're welcome anytime, man." Booth reached out and took Wendell's in a strong handshake. "And, thank you for everything. I mean, _everything_, Wendell. I couldn't have done it without your contribution." Booth's eyes conveyed complete gratitude to the 'normal' squint from the rough side of town, to whom he had always felt a special kinship.

Brennan looked up at Wendell with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Mr. Bray, Wendell, I can't thank you enough for your part in all of this. I – my words don't say everything that I feel. But I want you to know that if there is ever anything, _anything_ that I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask. I could never repay you for what you've done, for the part you played in all this chaos, but I will do whatever is in my power to aid if there is anything you need." She reached for his hand and he allowed her to take it, and when she squeezed it, a tear escaped from her lower eyelid.

"Dr. Brennan, you don't need to repay me. I was more than glad to have been of some help. I am very glad that Booth got to you, you are a special person, Dr. Brennan, to us all." He lowered his eyes as he retracted his hand from her grasp. He then looked back to Booth, "Call me if you need anything that I can do." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and I'll let the team not to expect you at practice for a while."

Booth nodded as his hockey team member walked out of the room and left the small apartment. Brennan laid her head back into Booth's neck, willing her newly formed tears to go away. But she failed miserably.

Further movement from the couch brought his attention to Hodgins and Angela, who were busily starting to clear the coffee table.

"We'll go ahead and hit the road, too, Booth," Hodgins explained. "You should spend the rest of your day with your son, and Dr. B's dad. We'll just take this stuff out to the kitchen."

"Wait, Hodgins, don't clear the table. Parker is coming; he'll probably finish most of it." Booth chuckled as he thought about how much food his son has started consuming recently. Surely the 11-year-old would soon be hitting a growth spurt. He almost dreaded the thought of how much food he's going to be feeding his kid by the time he was in high school…

Brennan looked to Angela, "Ange, you two don't need to leave yet. It's OK. Parker likes you guys, he'll be happy to see you." Brennan suddenly felt an overwhelming need to have people near her. She couldn't explain it, but it seemed that the close call she had at losing her life, made her feel a certain closeness to her 'family' more than ever before.

"Sweetie, we'll come by tomorrow. I'll cook lunch and bring enough for leftovers for dinner for you guys. And I'll bring you some clothes. Not that I don't think it's totally _hot_ that you're wearing Studly's very sexy work-out attire," she quipped, "but you should have something feminine to make you feel better. When you're sick or hurting, there's something to looking and feeling feminine that will boost your spirits." She grinned down at her best friend, lying in the arms of her handsome partner. "Besides, this afternoon should be spent with your real family, your immediate family. Your dad; Parker; they need to spend time with you…without all of us lab rats hanging about and invading your space or occupying your time and attention." She looked over and winked at Booth. "We're just a phone call away if you need us, Studly. You take care of her, you hear?" He scoffed and she knew that her orders were not necessary, because he obviously had no intention of _not_ taking care of her, now that he finally had her.

Angela bent over to whisper in Bren's ear as Hodgins grabbed Booth's attention with a stupid joke he had heard, causing Angela to roll her eyes a bit before getting serious with Brennan. "Bren, don't fight him. Let him help you. Let him hold and coddle you a bit. He needs it as much as you do. Let him love you, and you love him back. This is your time, finally. It's sad that it happened like this, but just let the pieces fall into place. Promise me?" Angela backed away a little from Brennan's ear, to make eye contact. She smiled as Brennan nodded in agreement, smiled and simply replied, "I promise Ange."

"Goodnight, Sweetie, I'll see you tomorrow, round lunchtime." She bent over and kissed her friend's cheek then turned to Booth, giving him a quick pack on the cheek as well, as she and Hodgins made their way to the exit.

Max stood up with a smile and headed to the kitchen. "You two need anything from out here?"

"No thanks, Max." They heard Max running the water and it sounded like he was loading the dishwasher. He re-entered the room carrying two beers, and handed one to Booth. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I want a beer and I don't want to drink alone." He grinned at the young man who tipped his bottle in thanks. "I'll stay just long enough to see Parker, but then I have to go, too." He was shocked to see that his daughter took the news a little hard, her eyes growing large and her jaw going slack.

"Dad? You don't have to go too! Why is everyone leaving?" She looked to Booth to see if he had anything to do with the mass exit that was occurring.

"Pumpkin, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you, I do. And I'll come back in the morning – I'll bring breakfast. But there's truth in what Angela said, you need to spend time with your immediate family. I have been lucky enough to have the day with you so far, but I want you and Booth to have the rest of your day with Parker. He is going to need your reassurance that you're alright and he is going to be demanding your attention; not in a bad way, but in a _kid_ way…that's how it should be. He should be able to have the two of you all to himself for a while. He needs to reconnect, I think, and it will be a good time to do that, Honey."

Before she could counter his reasoning, there was a light knock on the door. Max stood to get it, gesturing to Booth to stay put. "Hey Parker!" Max bent over to hug the boy at the door. "Look how tall you're getting, my goodness!" Max smiled and roughed the boy's curly locks in a fun fashion and he looked to the boy's mother, standing behind him, loaded down with bags. "Rebecca, let me help you, Hon. What is all this?"

Rebecca grinned, "It's everything that Parker deemed necessary for a two-day stay with his father…" She slowly shook her head, "I think the only thing he missed bringing was the kitchen sink!" They shared a laugh as Parker stood there, to the side of his mom and sort-of-adopted-grandfather. It was obvious that he was impatient to see Bones, but he would not be so rude as to interrupt the adults talking.

Max looked down at the concerned frown that the young boy wore. "Parker, son, they're in the living room, go ahead, just be careful to not hug Tempe too tight, ok? Ask her first where it's OK to touch her." Max spoke as he ushered Rebecca into the hallway, and indicated that she should also follow.

Parker nodded, understanding that Bones was obviously in pain, but he didn't know what to expect. He turned on his heels and ran into the living room, then he slowed and approached his Dad and Bones slowly, in case Bones was sleeping.

He saw his Dad's warm brown eyes turn towards him, and his Dad smiled while talking, "Well, hey, Bones, look what the cat dragged in!" He held his arm out for his son to come over to his side of the lounge chair, so he would be able to see Bones' face without making Bones move to see him.

Parker smiled broadly, "Hi Dad! Hey Bones," he lowered his voice a little, "how are you feeling?" He leaned over the side of the chair, using the overstuffed arm for leverage as he rested his forearms on his Dad's chest and abdomen.

"Hello, Parker." She reached out and stroked his cheek with her fingertips, smiling sweetly at the little boy who looked so much like his father. "It's so good to see you, sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm good, now, Bones. I really wanted to see you. I feel better seeing you, is that OK?" Parker was eager to seek approval from her, so he would know that what he was feeling was normal, and not kid-like or needy.

"Of course it's more than OK, Parker. I'm always glad to see you, but especially today." She met his gaze with honesty and love. She had loved this little boy for many years, and the events of the last 48 hours only served to strengthen the connection she felt to him.

Slowly, she wrinkled her eyebrows and looked at Booth, "What cat, Booth?"

He chuckled at her delayed reaction to his little cliché phrase, and just shook his head, "Never mind, Bones, it's not important now." He hugged her tighter and closer, wishing that there was a way that two people really could inhabit the same space, because he would do that with her in a heartbeat, he so desperately wanted her as close to him as possible.

She turned her attention back to Parker, who was also grinning, obviously having gotten the little joke, but she didn't give it another thought. She was used to not getting jokes. She would find out the details later, because she would definitely ask Booth about the missing cat dragging something in…

Booth looked up to Parker's mother. "Thank you Becks, for bringing him over."

"It's fine, Seeley. Are you sure you're going to be alright with him?" She looked doubtful now that she saw the scientist lying there immobilized against her ex.

"We'll be great, Becks, really."

"OK." She turned her attention to Temperance, "It's good to see you, Temperance. I am glad to know that you're safe."

"Thank you, Rebecca. And, like Booth said, thank you for bringing Parker around, I am really glad to see him." She smiled to Rebecca before turning her attention back to the blond boy still leaning over his father towards her.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. All his belongings are in these bags - - he packed himself, so I hope his clothes are OK. Parker, did you pack underwear?"

Booth laughed at the way his son rolled his eyes at Rebecca. Booth looked back to his ex, "We won't be going anywhere, so whatever he brought will be fine." Booth indicated that his son should go say goodbye to his mother.

Rebecca squatted down to be eye-to-eye with her son. "Be good, Parker, and don't wake Temperance if she's sleeping. She needs a lot of rest while she heals, ok?"

He nodded and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her to say goodbye. "OK, I know Mom. I will behave."

"Alright, then, good night everyone." She received a chorus of farewells and goodnights from the tiny remaining group in the living room. As she turned to leave, Max stopped her. "Hold on just a sec, Rebecca, I will walk you down. I have to be going anyway, I was just telling Booth and Tempe."

He walked over to his daughter and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, honey. I'll bring over breakfast, say around 9:00?" Once he received her acknowledgement and agreement, he smiled and looked to Booth. "Take care of my baby, Booth." He smiled because he already knew that the Agent wouldn't be leaving her side for any great length of time.

"I will, Max, you know that." Booth rolled his eyes in jest.

"I know, but I still have to be a father, you know." Max turned to Parker and held his arms out. "Can I have a hug, kiddo? I'll see you in the morning." He wrapped his arms around Booth's little boy and felt an affection for him, almost as if they were properly related. He thought of Russ at the tender age of 11 and smiled, thinking of what a fun age that was. "Do you like anything special for breakfast, Parker?"

"Nope, Max, I eat anything." Parker beamed in pride, knowing that both of his parents would agree, because they called him a 'bottomless pit'. "Anything and everything!"

They all laughed at the carefree response and Max and Rebecca took their leave.

Booth looked down to Bones, "I'm gunna get up for a few minutes. I have to change Parker's sheets, Daisy and Sweets slept in there last night and I want him to have fresh sheets – you never know with those two…" He had a small grimace on his face as he had a mental image invade his mind; one he could have done without…

Brennan smirked and nodded and rolled more of her weight onto her right side, letting him slide out from under her. Parker stood by the arm of the chair, watching as Bones' face contorted with discomfort. He rushed around to be closer to her and reached out for her hand. "Are – are you OK, Bones?"

"Aww, Parker, thank you. I'm OK. I just get uncomfortable." She tried to smile at him and squeezed his hand. She tugged him a little, inviting him up next to her, into the spot his father had just vacated. He eagerly climbed up and laid on his left side, facing her as she remained on her right side. He didn't let go of her hand and she saw tears in his eyes. She withdrew her hand from his and brought it up to his cheek. "Parker, sweetheart, it's OK. I'm alright."

As soon as she said the words, the dam of tears broke loose and flooded the little boy's face. Despite her own pain, she leaned back against the soft arm of the chair and pulled him to her chest. "Shh, Parker, it's fine, sweetie." She cradled him tightly, rubbing his back. "Parker, look at me," as she pulled him away a little, "look at me."

When his eyes met hers, she could see how tormented he was, deep inside. He wore his emotions just like his father, and her heart broke for his anguish. "Parker, you see that I'm OK, right? You know that even though I am in a little bit of pain, that I _will_ heal." He nodded, but was still unconvinced. For many years he had fears that either his dad or Bones would be taken from him. He understood they both had really important jobs and they worked to put bad people in jail, but he was not as naïve as some of his friends; he understood that many of those same people wanted revenge against the partners. He knew that two of the most important people in the world to him, can be taken at any given moment.

"What – What can I do to help you, Bones?" The young boy spoke between broken sobs.

"Just what you're doing, Parker...Just the fact that you care enough to want to see me… that you wanted to be with me, makes me feel _so_ much better." She smiled, trying to put the 11-year-old's concerns to rest. "I believe that with the care I will receive, between you _and _your father, I am going to get better in half the time that it would take other people. I am very lucky, you know, to have both of you Booth-boys here to take care of me. This kind of care is better than anything that medicine can do. I love you, Parker. I love you and your Dad, and I am so happy that you're here with me, right now." She pulled him close again, happy to see his tears subside and a bit of relief behind his eyes.

"I love you, too, Bones. Thank you for letting me come over." His reply was muffled since he kept his face buried against her chest, and she giggled a bit at the slurring of his words.

As Bones tucked her chin atop his soft blond curls, her eyes met Booth's. He was quietly observing, leaning against the door jamb leading into Parker's bedroom, a gentle smile graced his lips and unshed tears were glistening in his eyes. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but from the look on his face as he stared into her blue eyes, she knew he was there long enough to hear what she'd said. His stomach flipped as she granted him a small, loving smile and winked over at him.

_She's so suddenly open about her feelings_, he thought to himself. _I wonder when that happened… I wonder __why__ that happened_. _It's awesome, though; I'm so happy…finally._

He approached slowly, hating to interrupt, but wanting to be part of what was happening with Parker. He bent over and ruffled his boy's hair and Parker turned to see his Dad's warm brown eyes looking down at him, shining with understanding and concern. "You OK, buddy? You feel better after getting a nice big hug from Bones?"

Parker nodded affirmation and sat up a little, suddenly ashamed that his Dad saw his tears. "Uh-huh. I'm sorry I'm crying…I know crying is for babies. I just couldn't help it, Dad."

Booth knelt down behind the arm that was supporting Bones' back, so he could face his son. "Parks, don't ever apologize for crying. It's not just for babies, son. I've shed my fair share of tears over the past couple of days, since all this began. So, _don't ever_ be ashamed for caring about someone enough to cry for them; good tears, bad tears, it doesn't matter. It's what makes us human, kiddo."

Parker nodded to his Dad, but looked to Bones for confirmation. Her smile told him that what his father was saying was correct. He smiled at her, then back to his Dad. "OK, I understand."

"Good man. Now, go wash your face and freshen up, OK?" Booth stood from where he was squatted.

Parker scooted off the chair and headed towards the bathroom, but before he got there, he turned back to the adults. "Hey, I brought movies. Lots of 'em. Maybe we can have movie night tonight?" He looked hopeful and was pleased when they both seemed receptive to his suggestion.

"Parks, we can have a whole day of movie-watching. It's best for Bones to relax, so we have a captive audience," he clapped his hands together conspiratorially, "so she can't escape… She'll have to watch whatever you pick out." Booth's grin was infectious and Parker beamed.

"Don't worry Bones, I won't make you watch anything stupid. You'll LOVE what I brought!" He turned and trotted into the bathroom, leaving the couple to grin at each other, happy that his mood improved.

While they waited for Parker to make the very important decision of what they would spend the next hour and a half watching, Booth re-claimed his spot, snuggled next to his Bones. They carried on a quiet conversation.

"Do you need anything Bones?"

"No thanks, Booth. I'm fine." She smiled at him warmly. "Did you get Parker's sheets all changed?"

"Actually they changed them before they left, I guess. I found the old ones on top of Parker's hamper, and the bed already made with the fresh ones." Booth was thankful that the pair had thought enough in advance to change the sheets.

Finally, Parker picked out the 1999 version of 'The Mummy', starring Brendan Fraser. He knew Bones loved the original version, but doubted she had seen this one. He turned to them, hopeful they would approve his decision and both adults agreed; Bones actually was excited about his choice.

After loading the DVD into the player, he turned and looked around the living room, wondering where to sit. He really wanted to sit with Bones, but his Dad was already there.

Seeing his son's dilemma, and understanding it without Parker voicing anything, Booth turned to Bones. "Could we lie like we did in the bedroom? You know, with you laying on me? Then Parker could be with you too, he could fit here with us. I think he wants to be close to you."

"Sure, Booth, if you're OK with that, it was actually very comfortable for me."

As Parker moved towards the sofa, feeling a little dejected, and not having heard his Dad's discussion with Bones, Booth reached out and stopped him by gently grabbing his bicep. "Buddy, you wanna sit here with us?"

"Dad, I don't think we'll all fit. I guess I'll just sit here," he pointed to the sofa.

"Nonsense, of course you'll fit with us. Besides, Bones wants you to sit here. Is that OK?"

Parker's smile grew instantly and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I wanna sit there, then. But, how – where?" But then he saw his Dad carefully pull Bones up onto his chest and scoot them both over to the side of the oversized chair that Bones had been occupying. Then his dad patted the side that he just moved from, so he would be on the side closest to the TV. Grinning maniacally, he climbed up to the already warm spot. "Thanks dad," he whispered.

"You bet Buddy. Get comfy."

Parker smiled and turned on his right side, his back was to his dad and Bones, so he could face the TV. He smiled, and felt a wonderful warmth spread through his chest as Bones' arm draped down across his chest and pulled him closer to them. He reached up and held her hand as her arm remained wrapped around him, and the three of them settled down for their first movie of the day together.

**Postscript A/N**

**Aww… I just love Parker. So sweet and adorable! I base his reactions on my nephews and nieces, who vary in ages, but I thought back to when they were each 11 and I hope I captured some of the insecurities that a pre-teen would feel. I don't have my own kids to base upon, so I hope that I did OK. **

**FINALLY they will have some alone time, even with Parker there, it is more personal time than with everyone else there. **

**We still have some excitement to come in the future chapters, as my overactive Muse is starting to take more control over my original thoughts…**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't read and run! Please take a moment to review and let me know your thoughts. I truly enjoy hearing from everyone, and it means so much to me when I get comments and opinions. The more reviews I get the more I write! LOL **

**BTW – follow me on Twitter, *at* jazzyproz I am finally figuring things out on there! **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N Welcome back! **

**OK, so this is the actual chapter #28, because, as you all know, I had to repost chapter 27 a second time since the first posting had issues. For the simple solution of keeping current with the way FF numbers our chapters for us, although this is chapter 28, we are going to call it chapter 29, so it matches the automatic numbering system of this fabulous website. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Bones except this story line. **

**BTW – THANK YOU so much for the reviews! We bypassed 200. YAY! **

**If you would like me to reply to your comments, please enable your PM capabilities. There were a couple of you that commented and when I tried to reply, I couldn't…. **

**Please enjoy, as we move through our lazy-day afternoon with B&B and Parker. **

The afternoon passed pleasantly, as the three spent time together, watching movies and enjoying each other's company. They were all entertained by Parker's choices of movies; 'The Mummy', 'Indiana Jones', and 'Rat Race' were his first three, after which they finally stopped to order delivery for dinner. After Booth called Papa Tony's Italian Restorante ordering their choices, he stood in the doorway joining the kitchen and the living room, and observed his son's interactions with his Partner.

They appeared happy and at ease as they talked to each other animatedly, still sharing the lounge chair. He smiled to himself, thinking of the past 5 hours… They all enjoyed the movies, but for different reasons… Parker enjoyed the obvious adventure and humor; Bones found humor in places that neither he nor Parker understood why she was laughing; and he enjoyed everything simply because the two most important people in his life were both relaxed and content. Several times during each movie, Booth had to explain stuff and decipher jokes for Bones, so she would understand where the story was going; and she, like always, explained to them both, the many historical inaccuracies depicted in the films. They easily fell into the old routine they used to enjoy when they would spend a Saturday or Sunday together. Many of those weekend days were wasted in front of Booth's TV, watching DVDs from his collection, or ones he picked up from the rental store, specifically for Bones' benefit. The Booth-boys loved it when they had to break down a plot line to help Bones follow it, while she may, or may not, have truly enjoyed their movie selections, she always appeared appreciative and excited to expand her "modern cultural" horizons. He didn't realize until just that moment, exactly how much he'd missed these afternoons together. A few times, he had tried to have a movie-afternoon with Parker and Hannah, but she always shunned their DVD and left part-way through a show, unless it was one she picked out herself. It was futile to try to blend their tastes together. The Booth-idea of a good movie was far from Hannah's, and after a while, he just didn't even bother to try.

But now… now… here he was with his son and his Partner, who was so much more than a Partner. They were all together and actually having fun, despite the horrible circumstances that threw them into this mess. He was grateful that his son accepted his Partner as an important figure in his life; however, he was more than a little nervous about breaking the news to Parker that he and Bones were moving beyond their previous relationship. (Well, as far as he knew, they were moving beyond that boundary.) Eventually he would have to tell Parker that he and Bones were in a relationship, and he prayed that it wouldn't change the way his son felt about Bones. He felt confident that Parker would be happy about it, given how much he loved Bones already, but with a newly-hormonal pre-teen, you never can tell how a boy would react.

Parker looked over Bones' shoulder to where his Dad stood, with a strange smile on his lips. He lowered his head back down to the pillow, with a slightly confused look in his eyes and asked, "Bones, is Dad OK?"

"What do you mean, Parker? Did he mention something? Is he upset?"

He whispered, "No, but he's standing over there staring into space and smiling. He looks like he's day-dreaming; like whenever I day-dream in school and my teachers ask, 'Parker Booth, what's wrong with you?' and then I snap out of it…" He giggled when Bones blushed, and he glanced back over her shoulder. This time, however, Parker's eyes caught his dad's… and his dad wanted to know what they were laughing at, because he had a feeling it was about him…

Booth covered the distance between his standing perch and the chair in 3 long strides. "What are you chuckling at, there, buddy?" Booth stood above Parker's head and reached down, grabbing and tickling his son's shoulders, right up against his neck. A healthy belly-laugh erupted from Parker, filling the tiny apartment with a sound of which Booth never got enough. He always found that there was something magical in a child's laughter, when it was natural and hardy. Parker tried to cry mercy, but could only continue to laugh hysterically, finally gasping when Booth eased his teasing grip. As Parker calmed, he looked up at his Dad's laughing eyes, "I was laughing at you Dad! You were spacing out over there!" And the laughter burst loose again, this time not provoked by Booth's tickling fingers, but by Parker's own amusement as he couldn't contain himself and he fell into a giggling-fit that brought tears to his eyes.

"Wow, I must have looked a riot, if you're laughing this hard, kid!" Booth smiled down at Parker, then winked at Bones.

"I was – I was – just imagining – imagining you at my age – Dad…Getting yelled at – by your – teach-teachers for zoning out!" Parker gasped desperate breaths in between trying to complete a comprehensible sentence.

"Ahh…sounds like something about which you have first- hand experience, there, son! Wanna share anything with me?" Booth smiled, knowing that his boy had days that he almost fit the stereotypical 'blond' jokes about spacing out. His Boothy genes definitely provided for day dreaming.

"Nuh-uh, nothin' to tell, Dad… nothin' at all!" Parker still laughed, but had regained a little bit of control, although his stomach and cheeks now hurt from the laughing, and tears had dried streaks along the length of his cheeks. Booth was glad to see they were tears of laughter and happiness, no longer those of fear, as he had witnessed earlier. _Kids are so resilient; I wish we all could be like that_, Booth thought to himself, as he admired the healthy pink flush of his son's face.

Bones had been watching the whole scene playing out literally right in front of her. Parker was still lying next to her, but he was on his back while having his bout of fun with his Dad. Bones admired how much the younger looked like the older. _He's gonna be a heart-breaker, as they say, when he gets older_, she thought to herself. Then she turned her gaze quietly up to the man standing over them, leaning down from the head of the laid-back lounge chair. His smile spread across his lips and reached every corner of his face, his eyes danced, little creases formed at the corners, and his silky laugh filled the room. She liked looking at him, and found that when he was carefree like this, he looked so much younger; gone were the lines of concern that caused his forehead to frown and his eyes to darken. He was happy, she realized; this is what true happiness must look like. When he met her gaze and winked at her, she felt her stomach flutter and she blushed. _How does he do it?_ she wondered; _how does he make my body react to just a look or smile, or in this case, just a wink? I've been with men who've winked at me; I've been with men who've told me I'm beautiful; I've been with men who've kissed me and taken me to bed; but I've never been with a man who provokes such reactions from my body… Ever… So, how does he do it and why is it that I feel so different with him?_

Bones brought herself out of her own day dream and momentarily wondered if it was something in Booth's water that causes people to 'zone out', as Parker so gently put it. Laughing at herself in her mind, she knew that was improbable that Booth's water supply would be tainted with something so unlikely, but it did cause her to pause…

A knock at the door brought everyone's attention to the prospect that food was finally there and Booth gave the order to Parker, "Go wash up and refresh our drinks, ok Parks?"

Booth headed towards the door, grabbing his wallet out of his gun safe, calling out "be right there!" so the delivery guy would know he wasn't forgotten.

"Booth?" Bones tried to catch his attention as he strode by.

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I – I don't have my purse. I don't have my money."

"Bones, I got it. Don't worry about it, babe. I can afford to feed you, you know, it's not like I have to buy the restaurant… do I?" He cocked his eyebrows as he continued to the door and opened it to greet their much-anticipated dinner… The wonderful scents of pasta and pizza filled the room as Booth re-entered the living space, causing three stomachs to simultaneously growl in hunger.

"Bones, do you want to try to sit at the table, like this morning, or do you want to stay in the lounge?" Booth asked, giving her the choice to decide where they would all share their meal.

"Taking into account the staining quality of spaghetti and pizza sauces, should they spill, I would advise that we sit at the table, Booth."

"Always the logical one, Bones… Always the logical one." Booth grinned at her, and took their dinner out to the little table where they had shared breakfast with their 'other' family. "Parker, bring the drinks out here, Buddy, we'll eat in the kitchen. It will be easier for Bones if we eat at the table."

Once Booth and Parker got the table set, Booth went back into the living room to retrieve Bones. "Do you need to use the bathroom, Bones, before we eat?"

"Yes, please Booth, if you don't mind."

"Well, actually, yes, I do mind." Booth stood his hands on his hips, at her feet which were extended on the foot rest of the lounge. His voice sounded firm, and it startled Brennan.

She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes and her jaw slackened. "What? Booth. what's wrong?"

"Aww, nothin', I'm just messing with you, Bones; of course I don't mind." He laughed, shaking his head, and walked around to bend over and pick her up. "C'mon, babe, let's get you up."

"Booth…" Her tone made him pause. He expected a reprimanding lecture aimed at his new nickname for her, but instead, her voice was hesitant and small. Suddenly, he felt guilty for teasing her; her eyes were sad and guilt-ridden.

"Bones?" He squatted so he could look into her eyes, level with his own. "Bones, I'm sorry, I was just kidding…just teasing a little. I didn't mean to upset you." Booth had no intention of upsetting her. He cupped her cheeks in his palms and without thinking twice, leaned in and brushed his lips gently to hers. As he pulled back, his eyes locked on hers and he pressed his forehead to hers, and bringing his lips to her cheek.

"Booth. I'm sorry I can't help myself. I feel useless… And here you are, stuck with dragging me around… I don't want you to start to resent me…" Her tears were not flowing, but they were close to breaking free…

"Bones, don't; stop. Don't let yourself feel like that. What if the shoe was on the other foot and I was the one who was immobilized? Would you mind helping me?"

She looked at him a little confused about his shoe comment, but understood the gist of it, given the context of the sentence. "Booth, of course I wouldn't mind helping you. That's what … that's what we do for each other. We're partners, right?" Realization dawned on her as she was speaking.

He smiled lovingly at her as she finally comprehended the fact that he didn't mind helping. Staying close, he brought his cheek to hers, so he could speak directly into her ear, "Yeah, Bones. That's what we do for each other… as partners… and as _more _than partners." He allowed his lips to graze the outer edge of her ear, and planted a small kiss just below the lobe.

As a sudden flood of emotion erupted from deep within her chest, she quickly reached up and grabbed him around his neck, bringing him closer. "Booth," she choked before she could say anything more. Giving up any chance of forming a complete sentence, she inhaled deeply and simply repeated his name as she exhaled against the side of his neck, "Booth…"

"It's OK, Bones. Relax. It'll all be alright soon." He buried his fingers into her soft auburn locks as he kissed her temple, then pulled her back a little, so he could kiss her properly again, covering her mouth with his own. He poured all his emotion into the tangling of their tongues and the mixture of their tears as their cheeks brushed against each other's, sharing the evidence of their respective weeping. Breathless, they finally pulled apart and she allowed her fingertips to trace his face, drying the wetness on his cheeks in their path.

"Thank you, Booth. Thank you." She whispered against his open mouth. "I love you." Her big blue eyes spoke only truth as she said the words to him. "I love you more than I ever thought I would be able to love another human being."

His heart soared as she said the words. He didn't think he would ever get enough of hearing her voice speak such a sentiment; especially after so many years that she discarded his belief in the emotion of 'love.' "I love you, too, Bones. I adore you and I will never, ever, get tired of helping you, when you need help. However you need me, that is how you'll have me. I promise you, Bones. I believe in us. I believe we will be wonderful. We will be perfect. Together, we're unbreakable…" He looked deep into her eyes and was relieved when he recognized acceptance in hers.

The couple was caught in a 'moment' when they heard a young "ah-hem" break the silence. Smiling, Booth raised his head and looked over towards the entrance of the kitchen, where is son stood there, half smiling, half frowning in confusion. "Umm… dad, Bones? Are we gunna eat soon? My stomach's really growling."

Snickering, Booth nodded. "Sure, Bud, go ahead and sit down, we'll be out in two minutes." He stood from his kneeling position at the side of the chair and wrapped his arms around Bones' fragile body as he raised her from her lounging position. "C'mon, Bones, my kid's about to pass out from hunger pain, you know, it's been a whole hour since he ate anything…" The laughed gently as Parker rolled his eyes and wandered back out to the table; but Parker could not hide the elation he was feeling inside at the fact that something between his Dad and Bones had obviously changed… He heard them _both_ talking quietly to each other and he thought he heard them mention 'love'. He was used to Bones telling him she loved him, and he had often told both his Dad and Bones that he wished they were together, but he was always guffawed. He knew they loved each other. Angela told him once that the only people who didn't see the love the Partners shared were the very same Partners. But… _Finally,_ he screamed inside his head_… something was happening!_ _Finally they both know what he'd known since he was a little kid_. He sat at the table and waited patiently for them to join him for dinner. He didn't have a very long wait, as he schooled his features as they entered the kitchen, his dad carrying Bones close to his chest. Parker expected his Dad to place Bones into the one cushioned chair that remained at the table from earlier in the day, but he was surprised to see his dad sit in the chair and hold Bones on his lap. They shared a quiet smile before they turned to see Parker's bright grin spread across his face as he stared at them with sparkling eyes. He huffed comically, "Finally, it's about time!" He dug into dinner and forked spaghetti onto his plate, his smile never leaving his lips.

Booth completely understood the double meaning of Parker's remark, because he knew how much his son had always wanted him and Bones to be 'together'; but to Bones, the growing 11-year-old was just happy to finally eat, and she had to agree. "I know, Parker, I'm starving!"

The three completed dinner without incident, and Booth took Bones back into the living room while he cleaned up the dishes and wiped down the table.

"Parker, pal, go ahead back into the living room and keep Bones company, okay?" Booth smiled to his son, as the younger Booth started to help clear the table and island. "I don't really want her to have to sit by herself, in there."

"Sure, Dad! I love spending time with Bones!" Parker piped up happily as he trotted towards the living room.

Booth chuckled to himself, watching his boy retreat. _Yeah, Parker, I know you do…Both you __and__ I love spending time with her..._, Booth pondered to himself, _let's hope she doesn't get overwhelmed spending time with us and attempt to pull away. I can't let her pull back now... We're finally moving in the right direction…_ He turned his attention back to the task at hand. The faster he cleaned, the faster he can get back in to his family.

"Bones?" Parker had already snuggled up onto the chair next to his most favorite almost-family-member, and was holding her hand tightly as he faced her.

"Yes, Parker?" Bones rubbed her thumb back and forth across the youthfully soft skin of his hand.

"Um… can I ask you some questions? I mean, am I allowed to? You know, about what happened?"

She smiled and nodded, knowing that he had concerns that he personally had a need to understand what happened during her ordeal. She knew, however, that she may have to censor some of what happened to her; not so much because it's what she believed, because she believed that children should not be lied to; however, Booth believed in protecting the innocence of youth and not always telling the complete truth. "Yes, Parker, you can ask anything you want and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability."

Parker gingerly reached up to her cheek and touched the blue bruise that was spread across the length of her cheek bone. "Umm, I can tell from this that you were hit, so I guess the bad guy punched you, huh? Did he do that?"

"He did, Parker. The man hit me several times in the back of my head as well as in my face, like you see there."

"Hmm… OK, well, I can see that when he hit you, it caused the bruising, and you got a cut here," he pointed to her lip, "but I don't understand something, Bones. Why can't you walk? How come Dad has to carry you?"

"Well, Parker…" She stalled, silently going over verbiage in her mind before she spoke aloud. She didn't want to give too much information to him, and in turn have those images become the things that nightmares are made of. "When, my captor wanted me to comply with his wishes, he immobilized me… he.. tied me down…" Again she paused, choosing her words carefully. "He wanted to make sure that if I broke away from my bindings that I couldn't run away… so, he, uh…he cut my feet in such a way that if I did manage to untie myself I would not be able to escape on foot." She felt oddly pleased with herself; hopefully Booth would agree that she didn't give too much graphic information.

"I'm sorry he did that to you Bones. And I am sorry that you can't walk anymore…" Parker misunderstood that she would heal.

"Oh, Parker, honey, I will walk again. Dr. Saroyan came here last night and helped me. She and your Dad helped to clean my wounds and she gave me some stitches. I will be able to walk again, probably, as long as I'm careful, within the next couple of weeks!" She smiled, hoping to ease the worry she could see in the eyes of her best friend's son.

"OH! I thought that, you know, you wouldn't be able to be, you know, better." He couldn't put the right combination of words together, but he got his point across.

"I'll be OK, Parker. I have some cuts on my back and on my feet and they all got stitched up. Don't worry, sweetie, I'll be back to my old self before you know it." She sounded more optimistic than she really felt, playing down the true extent of her injuries and keeping her voice upbeat for his benefit. In reality, she was dreading the next 2 weeks or so, because as much as she cared about Booth, she was not accustomed to being waited on. And she worried that Booth would tire of helping her, which was the very last thing she wanted to happen. Now that they were both being open about their feelings, she didn't want to drive him away by her neediness.

"Cool… stitches on your feet _and _back? Can I see them?" Suddenly, his concern for her well-being turned into good old-fashioned boy-fascination with scars and all-things-gross. He smiled up into her eyes with anticipation, hoping she'd let him see the evidence of her recent medical procedures…

"Well, Parker, I don't think that you need to see them right now. I'll tell you what, though, when the stitches are removed, as long as it's alright with your Dad, I'll let you see the scars that are left…Alright?" She hoped that would appease his curiosity because she really didn't want him to see just how many stitches she had to endure, thanks to her recent ordeal.

"Sure, Bones. Thanks!" He smiled sweetly and moved his head towards her chest as she pulled him close. She remained lying on her side, facing Parker as he leaned in, still holding her hand, and she draped her free arm over his shoulders.

"Bones? Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course, Parker."

This time, he hesitated a little longer. "Uh… earlier, you said that you loved me… and then, you said… you said you love me and dad…" He raised his head further back, so he could look into her eyes again. She waited for a question, but it didn't come.

"Well, Parker, you just repeated what I said, but I don't understand your question… Did you have a question about if I really love you? Because I do. I love you as if you were my own." She locked eye contact with him, so he knew she was being honest. Booth always told her that when someone makes eye contact, that is the most common way of confirming honesty.

"No, Bones. I believe that you love me. You know that I love you too, right?" She nodded and he took a deep breath, intent on continuing. "I guess my question, really, is… it's… Well, uh…do you love Dad like 'oh he's a great partner, I love him as a friend', or do you love him, like _love him_ the way he loves you? Because you know, don't you, that he _loves-loves_ you? Like I mean, he _really_ loves you, Bones. He doesn't smile with anyone else the way he smiles when he's with you." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "not even when he was with Hannah. He said he loved her, but he didn't. Because I know that he didn't smile at her that way." He smiled up into her eyes, then launched with dissertation-like diction as he spoke without breathing. "And when he talks about you, his eyes get all twinkly and stuff and his smile is goofy. My mom says he's in love with you, but he just doesn't know it yet. Or maybe he knows it, she said, but is afraid to admit it because maybe you don't love him too. But if you _do_ love him, you know, _like that_, maybe you should tell him so he knows, and then he could tell you, too. And then you two could be, like, together in-love the way other people are when they're in love. Just – just don't get all mushy and start making out in front of me and stuff. My friend Mark's dad always makes out his girlfriend when Mark's there and he said it's kind of gross the way they kiss and stuff. But it'd be OK if you kissed sometimes, because that's what people do when they're in love." He paused and smiled as he took a much-needed breath, then looked back into her eyes with a grin. "But, I saw dad give you a little kiss earlier, when I was waiting for you guys for dinner, but I couldn't tell what kind of kiss. Was it a 'best-friend' kiss like they show on TV shows, or was it, you know, like a '_kiss_-kiss'? Did he tell you that he loves you? If he didn't yet, then please don't tell him I told you, I don't want him to be upset. But I think you should know, because if _you know_, then you can make an educated decision regarding what you should tell him. You always told me that you take all facts into account before coming to a conclusion; does that hold true for this too?"

His pure innocence on the whole matter and his point-blank line of questioning brought a smile to her lips. "Well, Parker, let me as you a question along these same lines…" He nodded, feeling important that she would ask him something about love. "OK, so, Parker, how would you feel if I did tell your Dad that I love him? And if he told me he loves me too? Would that make you happy or sad? Would you be alright with your Dad and me being together, like a couple?" She thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from him directly before assuming anything.

"Bones, I think that would be _awesome_! I would LOVE to see you and Dad together. I've always wanted Dad to be with you. But he told me one time, to forget about it because it would 'never happen.' But I didn't want to forget it, because he always told me that as long as a person has hope about something, there is always a chance it could come true. And I still had hope, even though he told me to forget it. I think he told me that because he was sad about something, but I don't know what… That night, though, when we were watching TV, I remember seeing his eyes get all watery, like he wanted to cry, but he never did. But he really looked sad. So I don't really know what he meant, but sometimes when something bad happens during the day, he gets quiet and says stuff he doesn't always mean. He isn't nasty, like he doesn't yell at me, but he says things that just sound more negative than he means to. But anyway, I think it would be awesome if you love him the way he loves you. Do you?"

Bones was working on wrapping her mind around everything the little-Booth was telling her. "Parker, do you remember when he told you all that? Do you remember when that was?"

He met her eyes with his own and bit his lower lip as he contemplated the answer. "I don't remember exactly, Bones, no. But it was, like a couple of weeks, or like a month, before he took me to the park and told me that he was going back in the Army to teach soldiers to do what he used to do. But I don't remember when that was, the time went by really fast." He suddenly felt like maybe he shouldn't have told her what he just had…

_Oh, God, it was then… It was when I turned him away. He asked me to trust him and I didn't… I told him I couldn't change and I turned him down… He had Parker that night… Oh, God, Booth, I'm so sorry…_ _I never meant to hurt you_…

"Um, Bones, did I just say something I'm gunna get in trouble for?"

"No Sweetie, you didn't. I just wondered when your Dad was so sad. I don't like it when he's sad, it makes me sad too." She stroked his cheek gently. "Parker, your Dad and I talked after he saved me. And I want to make sure that you're going to be alright if he and I enter into a relationship, and from what you just told me, I think you are…?" she wanted to just confirm that she heard him correctly.

He nodded eagerly and a smile began to spread across his lips.

She met his grin with her own. "Parker, I do love your Dad. Like, _love-love_ him, as you put it. I told him and yes, he told me that he _love-loves_ me too…" She laughed as he let out a little squeal and hugged her tightly, wrapping his arms around her neck and pulling himself towards her.

She cringed a little, feeling the strain on her back as he pulled against her. She didn't let on, though, because she didn't want to dampen the child's excitement. She felt her own happiness soar as he mumbled into her neck, "I love you, Bones. Thank you for loving me and even more, thanks for loving my Dad and letting him love you. That's really cool. It's awesome." She chuckled at the simple view of life held by the 11-year-old.

"Parker, thank _you_ for letting me love you _and your Dad_. Thank you for loving me, even before I understood what it felt like to be loved…Parker, I want you to listen to me for a moment; I have something very important to tell you." She paused, until she knew she had his attention. "You and your Dad are the two most important people in my life. I realized, when I was abducted, that I had never told you that, and I _needed_ to tell you. So, I vowed to myself that if your Dad saved me, then I would be open and honest about my feelings. For many years, I kept my feelings to myself, because I thought I was protecting myself from being hurt. But in reality, by not being honest and open, I was hindering my own happiness. So, Parker… I love you. I love your Dad, very much. And I don't ever want you to forget that. OK? Don't ever forget that I love you, right?"

"Thank you Bones." He snuggled close, feeling a sense of calm wash over him, as his Dad's partner comforted him. He was happy that he told her how he felt, how he thought his dad felt and that she had told him how she felt. He suddenly felt complete; as if a part of his soul that he never knew he was missing, had just been fulfilled.

Bones felt a familiar palm reach her cheek from behind, and a pair of soft lips kissed the top of her head. His masculine scent filled her nostrils and brought chills to her skin. "Bones… I love you too…so much," the silky voice spoke against her hair. "I love you...and I love that you love me _and_ my son…"

She turned her face up to his, "I didn't know you were there, Booth. I hope I didn't overstep my boundary." Her concern was evident to him; he could practically spell her insecurities.

He smiled at her lovingly as he ran his fingers through his soft hair. "You did perfect, Bones. You didn't say or do anything wrong. I love you for what you said; I love you for what you admitted to my boy. I just love you…"

She closed her eyes and smiled, leaning her head back against his torso as he stood behind her. "I love you too, Booth. I think I always have."

Booth smiled down at her; her eyes still closed. Then he looked to his son, who'd moved his head away from her chest and was looking up at him. He reached over and ruffled Parker's loose blond curls. "Thanks, Buddy. I'm glad you're good with the changes that we're about to experience. Now, go take a shower, so you're ready for bed after we're done the next movie… Off with you!" Booth grinned and pointed towards the bathroom, secretly anticipating a few moments alone with his 'girlfriend.'

**Postcript A/N**

**Ahh… another chapter down and … how many to go? **

**Please review! Let me know your thoughts and please tell your friends! **

**Follow me on Twitter at jazzyproz! **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N Welcome back!**

**We are calling this chapter #30… again, because of the mis-count due to my reposting of chapter 27… So while it's really the 29****th**** chapter I've written, we are calling it #30. **

**That said, I hope you enjoy it! It's time for the final movie of the little family's 'movie night,' and I had fun writing this chapter. **

**I REALLY appreciate that you have all been so generous with your reviews. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I know there are stories out there with tons more reviews, but for me, I am blown away at the kindness you all show me. Please tell your friends, if you think they, too, would enjoy my Muse's ramblings! **

**You can find me on Twitter 'jazzyproz'; as I have said in my previous posts, I don't really know what the hell I'm doing on there, but I interact with other people and am trying to let everyone know what I post a new chapter. It's a bit weird, I find, though, when I try to post a link, it doesn't always work… I'm sure I'm doing it wrong, so please be patient! :-/**

**My disclaimer hasn't changed… I still only own this story-line… none of the characters, though. But hey – my hubby said HH left me a voicemail that he wanted to buy the rights to my tale… But I said nahhh…. I'll keep it, thanks. NOT! Just kidding! I could only wish that I had a call from HH! LOLOLOL Seriously, though, I own just the plot. **

They were once against settled comfortably, back in the lounge chair, laughing as they listened to Parker singing at the top of his lungs while he showered. Through his deep-chested laughs, Booth shook his head in disbelief, "Sorry, Bones. I didn't think to tell him not to sing so loud this time. I'm so used to him singing in there, that I don't even think about it, but I imagine it's a bit different for you, huh?"

"Actually, I think it's kind of funny, Booth. But what the hell is he singing? I don't recognize it…"

He laughed; his chuckle rose from deep within his chest and bathed Bones in emotional warmth. "Oh, God, I don't know, Bones. I think half the time he just makes shit up… He just likes the acoustics of the shower and he loves to hear himself sing!"

"Well, I must say that I am a little bit surprised. I have been here before, when he's been showering, like those couple of times you were running late from work and I picked him up after soccer practice, and the time when he was home sick and I came to sit with him because you had that meeting with Cullen…but I never heard him sing like this before. But…Another part of me is not _terribly_ shocked, though, knowing how much _you_ like an audience when _you_ sing…" she smiled up at him slyly, remembering how he looked sitting atop a huge guitar amp with his neck-tie wrapped around his head, as he thrashed along with the musicians performing in front of him.

"What? What do you mean, Bones? You act like I'm the only one who enjoys an audience…. As I recall, _you_ were pretty quick to grab that mic stand, too…" They laughed together as they reminisced; they discussed and enjoyed shared memories and fell into a contented familiarity as she cuddled into his torso and he held her close, his hand making lazy circles against her hip.

"You know, Bones...We're gunna have to talk." Booth looked down and waited for her to raise her eyes to his. She tilted her head back, so she would be able to see him easier, and he caught her in the crook of his elbow and cradled her head gently. "We have to discuss 'us', you know?"

"I know, Booth. I just… I just don't want to mess up." Her eyes betrayed the confidence that his best friend usually demonstrated.

"What do you mean when you say 'mess up', Bones?"

Bones wrinkled her nose a little, contemplating her words carefully. "Well, Booth, I – I am not good with relationships. I don't want to say something wrong, and then… I don't know, make you change your mind about…_us_. I'm just not good with people, you know that…"

"Bones, I'm not 'people'… I'm your Partner; your best friend; I'm the man who is madly _and hopelessly_ in love with you. And you're good with me…" He smiled and touched her cheek. "You're _perfect_ with me, and I can't imagine that you could say _anything_ that would make me change my mind about us." He could see the relief wash over her face and she graced him with a smile that melted his heart.

"Booth…Thanks." She whispered and brought her face back to the crook of his neck and inhaled him deeply.

He kissed the top of her head, and was momentarily lost in his own thoughts about how much he loved the woman resting in his arms, that he missed what she said as she mumbled against his skin. "I'm sorry, Bones, what?"

"Booth, I don't want to lose our partnership." She raised her head again, looking up at him with concern. "Do you think the FBI will separate us if we, you know, cross that line _officially_?"

"Bones, you're not FBI, per se, so I don't think they can force us apart when we do this. Yes, you're my partner and I'm FBI, but you're the liaison for the Jeffersonian, so I don't think the FBI has a say in our relationship." He could see she was unconvinced, and in all honesty, he was a little unsure himself, when it came to the actual rules and regulations of intrapersonal relationships. "But, I'll tell you what… Let's keep it on the down-low from Hacker and Cullen, for now, until I can find confirmation in writing. I think that as long as we conduct ourselves in a professional manner at work, and prove that our personal relationship is not a liability to our working relationship, they should leave us alone. We are still the best producing team they have, so that should have some weight to it…"

"Booth, on the down-low? Do you mean you don't want to tell anyone? You don't want anyone to know about us?"

"No, that's not what I mean; not at all. Our friends can know… Hell our friends _already_ know. But, we don't have to flaunt it in front of my bosses just yet… We'll have to convince Sweets to keep his trap shut, though, because I don't want him screwing this up. Let me do some homework before we make it totally public to them…" He looked at her for affirmation, which he received in the form of a hesitant nod.

"Booth, we're really going to do this, right? This isn't just talk, is it?"

"Bones, I want this; and I think you want this too, don't you? You do want _**us **_to happen, right?" She nodded at him with a loving smile. "Then, yes, Bones, we _are_ doing this. We've lost too much time; we've wasted chances and almost lost each other completely. I don't want to wait any longer. We need to love each other every day; Bones, I will never love another woman the way I love you. I never want to be with anyone else – ever. This is for keeps, Bones. No going back… Not for me, and I hope not for you."

"Booth, you know how I have always felt about monogamous relationships… Anthropologically speaking, it's not normal for two people to be faithful to just one another. It's not the natural way for a species that needs to procreate; statistically speaking, it's far more likely that those who have multiple mates will be more successful in prolonging and guaranteeing their blood lines."

Bones looked deep into Booth's now-darkening and disappointed eyes. She felt his grip on her stiffen and his brow crinkled as his breath hitched in shock. She didn't want to cause him pain, so she continued immediately, reaching up and cupping his cheek, hoping her touch would reinforce what she was about to tell him. "But, Booth, what I want to tell you, is that your tenacity and patience with me has taught me that maybe my views have been skewed all along… You have opened my eyes to the possibility of other options; to another reality, if you will. I believe that you are right - that it _is_ possible to be truly happy with just one mate… with just one partner… for life. And…Booth, I hope that I can be that partner to you; I hope that I will be able to become the partner you need me to be; the one that you want me to be. Not just your work partner, but your _life partner_, Booth. I know, now, that I could never be happy with anyone else. I don't want to even try to find happiness with anyone else, because it's _you_ that makes me feel complete… it's always been you, but I was too stubborn to see it." She momentarily lowered her eyes, almost ashamed at her years of denial.

She took in a deep, shaky breath before she continued. "I have the _desire_ for you to help me become the woman that you want and need. I want you to teach me everything you know about love; about devotion; about faith. Not religion, Booth, but faith. I want to experience making love, properly. I want, so much, for you and me to occupy the same space. I want to be so close to you that I don't know where I stop and you begin. I want to wake up next to you in the mornings and fall asleep in your arms at night. I want to feel everything that I see reflected in your eyes when you talk about love. I want to make _you_ feel as cherished as you make me feel when you touch me and when you kiss me. I want to learn how to convey to you, the flutters that I get in my intestines when you're near me. I don't know what causes it, I don't understand what's happening, but every time that you're with me, every time you put your hand on my lower back, I get the same feelings deep inside. There's so much that I want to learn and do, Booth, _with you_. I want you to teach me. Most of all, _most importantly_, I want you to know that I believe that you and I are meant to be together, just like you told me at the Hoover that night. I don't know if it's destiny or fate or the Universe or whatever; I just know that I don't want to risk losing you again. Ever."

Booth was stunned into shocked silence. Throughout the day, she had already been telling him that she loved him; but she just confessed so much more to him than he expected. She just revealed herself to him in a way that rendered him breathless. Temperance Brennan did not say or do things on a whim. She calculated everything she did, everything she said; always. She just admitted that she wanted to be a _life partner_ to him… and to his ears that was the equivalent of angels singing. She admitted that she finally believed in his notion of love. _She wants to break the laws of Physics with me_, he happily thought to himself. _And she doesn't even want to try to find happiness with anyone else. She knows… finally she knows and believes and trusts_.

Fighting back happy, relieved tears, he lowered his head, claiming her lips for his own. He kissed her hard and passionately; a soft kiss just wouldn't do right now… His tongue invaded her space and dominated hers, causing a small whimper to escape from her throat. He held her firmly; he held his left hand behind her head, fingers intertwined with the silky strands of her impossibly-soft hair, while his right hand palmed her hip and slowly maneuvered itself until he was cupping her firm ass, pulling her body further against his. He wanted to melt with her; he wanted their bodies to fuse together the way molten lava envelops the land over which it flows. He never wanted to stop kissing this woman… well, not unless it was to teach her about the true fashion of making love…

She fisted his short hair in her hands, pulling his welcoming mouth further against hers, forcefully. She met every one of his surges with one of her own. She wanted to surrender to him, to let him take the lead, but her instincts were too strong. _We both can't be the alpha_, she thought to herself, and finally she allowed him to take control. As she submitted to him, controlled under his skilled touch, her mind stopped thinking and she allowed her bodily intuition to take over. The ancient human-reaction to passion that is born innately to each of us sparked to life deep within Brennan, and she allowed him to guide her through the exploration of their kiss. Her hands lowered and travelled his chest, memorizing the feel of his firmness. She could feel his desire pressing hard against her hip, which in turn, caused her own sexual need to start flowing from her core. _If he is this good at controlling a kiss, oh my God, what is he going to do to me in bed?_ She allowed herself to float within the blissfulness that was Booth…

They were shaken from their joined paradise when they heard the bathroom door open, and Parker exited the tiny room, still singing his own composition…loudly. They pulled apart, breathless and flushed, smiling conspiratorially and lovingly. When Bones broke eye contact to lower her face into his chest, Booth turned and saw Parker make his way from the bathroom to his bedroom, still singing and carrying his dirty clothes; and wearing only a towel knotted at his waist. He shook his head with a snort… Parker never came out of the bathroom unless completely dressed when Hannah was around; and he _never _sang when she was anywhere in the apartment. Yet here he was, prancing around, still dripping and practically naked while Bones was in the house… It was a silent testimony of just how comfortable his son was when Bones was nearby. Booth was very happy, though, that his son had enough sense to at least don a towel as he moved from room to room… _I swear, that kid would run around here naked all the time if I let him_, Booth thought, with another laugh.

Still wearing a satisfied smile, he turned back to his best friend, who was still snuggled against his chest. He rested his cheek to the top of her head and spoke softly. "Bones… I love you. You already _are_ the woman that I want and need. You don't need my help to become anyone else. I don't want you to change; I want you just the way you are." He suddenly felt a surge of humor… "I am glad, though, that you finally agree that we belong together… I always knew I was right." He said it with such smugness, that Brennan had to slap him. When he balked in false injury, she told him, "it was warranted, justified; no one likes a bragger…" They shared another laugh as a now-clean and chatty Parker re-entered the room, carrying his pillow, quilt and a broad smile.

"Dad, it's OK, isn't it, if I lay down here on the floor for the next movie? You remember, like I used to do when we all had a movie night? Then if I fall asleep, I can just stay here. It's OK, right? Besides, then if I sleep out here, you can have my bed and Bones can have your bed. Then you won't have to sleep on the couch… you always get cranky after sleeping on the couch…" He knew that his Dad was now in a relationship with Bones, but the boy didn't mentally process the concept that they would probably be sharing a bed. He thought that by making this offer, Bones would definitely be here in the morning; that his Dad wouldn't take her home.

He looked to his father with bright, hopeful eyes. He loved when they used to have movie nights and his dad and Bones would sit on the couch and he would lie on the floor, like it was a slumber party. His Dad always let him fall asleep on his make-shift bed, but somehow he always woke up in his real bed the next morning. Back then, Bones would always sit on one end of the couch and his dad on the other, but inevitably, as the movie progressed and his dad would have to explain things to Bones so she would understand, they ended up sitting closer together. Parker used to sneak peeks at them from the corner of his eye, hoping against hope that they would be together like a real couple, but it never happened. Bones would scoot closer to his Dad, and end up sitting on the middle cushion and sometimes would lean into his Dad for the remainder of the movie, but they were never a couple like Parker wished for. His Dad would always respectfully keep his arm on the back of the couch, and not around his partner, even though Parker suspected that he really wanted to hug her. For as long as he could remember, he thought of Bones as family. He saw Bones as a mother-figure, even though she wasn't his real mother. He had dreams; dreams that seemed so realistic, that he would wake up wondering if it was or wasn't real… In his dreams, he stayed with his Dad more often than just every other weekend… and Bones was always there. _Always._ She was there for breakfast and dinner and at all his games. She told him she loved him and she would tell his Dad she loved him, too. Parker had all but given up seeing them together… especially when Hannah came into the picture. _What was wrong with Dad?,_ he thought momentarily, _why did he bring her back with him when he had Bones here all along?_ But alas, it appeared that it was going to work out in the end, after all. They weren't sitting on the couch together, but they were on the oversized lounge chair; holding each other and it was obvious – even to a kid – that they loved each other finally.

Booth was about to approve his son's request to make a bed on the floor, when he noticed a far-away look in his son's eyes. He was looking at them, but not really. It was more like he was looking through them… Booth grumbled under his breath, loud enough for Bones to hear and cause her to giggle, "and he says _I_ zone out…" _Did Bones just __giggle__…?_

"Parks?"

Nothing…

"Parker?"

Again, nothing…

"Wakey Wakey Parker! Yoohoo!"

A startled 11-year-old focused on his Dad's amused face, and blushed furiously.

"You OK, there, son? Maybe you should head to bed now if you're tired?" Booth knew his son wasn't tired. He knew his boy got lost in day dreams the same way he did… But he couldn't resist teasing him a bit… He recognized that particular 'zoned' look… Parker was thinking about Bones… It's the very same look the he'd been getting for years, just before he would question Booth about the nature of his relationship with Bones, and why he didn't take her out on dates like other Dad's do for their girlfriends…

"Um, no Dad. I'm fine, I was just… thinking about something…Sorry." He was clearly embarrassed, and given the fact that so much had been happening, Booth didn't have the heart to goad him further… for now… but the next time, well, the next time, Parker may not get off the hook so easily.

"OK, kiddo. Yes, it's fine if you want to lay down there. But wouldn't you rather lie on the sofa? It's softer, and we won't be using it." Booth smiled; he knew that Parker loved movie nights with Bones. He thought that his Dad didn't know about the spying looks he'd steal when they were all together those nights, but Booth knew about each and every one of them. And he knew that Parker considered the couch 'off-limits' for movie nights with Bones. But there was no reason his kid had to lay on the floor tonight; he could take the couch and sneak peeks all he wanted… Booth was happily staying right where he was, and he would be keeping Bones right where she was… They would be respectful and responsible as long as Parker was in the room, so he didn't mind his son witnessing their closeness.

"Really? I can lie on the couch and fall asleep there?" Parker beamed.

"Sure, go ahead. Make yourself comfortable, Bud." Booth chuckled and hugged Bones a little tighter as she giggled into his neck. _Yes, Bones __giggles_…

After much ado, Parker got the DVD set, drinks refreshed, fresh popcorn popped and finally settled on the couch, so they could continue their evening. He'd picked out "A Night at the Museum," starring Ben Stiller. It was one that Parker had seen countless times, and it humored the 11-year-old _every_ time. He was certain that Bones would like it, because it takes place at a museum. Booth wanted to explain that just because it happens in a museum doesn't necessarily mean that it was Bones' kind of movie, but he didn't have the heart to crush his kid and so, he acquiesced to the boy's wishes and his pleading eyes.

"It's fine, Parker. I think it's a good choice, kiddo." Booth gave his son a warm smile.

"Thanks, Dad. Hey, Bones, you're gunna LOVE it!" Parker hopped over to his spot on the couch and settled into his blanket, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. He positioned himself so he could still see his Dad and Bones in their spot on the lounge. As the opening credits rolled, Parker let his eyes drift over towards them. He smiled and let a small sigh escape his lips. Booth's ears caught the faint sound and turned to meet his son's gaze. They shared a smile and Booth winked, knowing his son was happy; after a moment, they both turned back to the TV to enjoy Parker's final pick of the evening.

While the movie portrayed countless inaccuracies, which Bones eagerly pointed out throughout, she found that she actually enjoyed it. She totally understood why Parker liked it; it was a 'fun ride,' as she once heard Booth describe a movie. Booth liked that she enjoyed herself and that she wasn't bored. The adults turned their eyes to look at Parker, who'd fallen asleep at some point in the last half of the movie.

"Booth, sleeping on the couch is not good for Parker. His bones are still growing, and the sofa will not provide the correct support that his body needs. You should wake him to go to bed." Booth saw genuine concern in his best friend's eyes. He knew that he would never tire of the fact that the woman with whom he'd fallen so deeply in love, in turn gave her love so freely to his son. He knew that they were embarking on a journey together, and the reality that the two most important people in his life accepted each other unconditionally put a permanent smile on his face and filled his heart with peace.

He extracted himself from beneath Bones, and moved to Parker. He bent close to Parker's ear, and ruffled his dark blond curls. "Hey Buddy, you gotta go to bed, Parker. Bones is worried about your bones…" he grinned at his partner where she rested and she rolled her eyes at him. Parker didn't stir; he slept like a log once he hit that REM sleep. Booth scooped under his legs and shoulders and lifted him with relative ease. _One of these days, he is going to be too big for me to lift. Thank goodness he hasn't quite hit that growth spurt yet_, he thought to himself as he walked quietly to the boy's bedroom. After placing Parker gently onto his bed, Booth trotted back out to the sofa and retrieved his pillow and quilt. After settling the boy for the night, he returned to Bones and stood over her, smiling at her dozing form.

She knew he was there before ever opening her eyes. Whether it was his unique scent that enveloped her, or just the feel of his gaze studying her, she didn't know. But she was not disappointed when she opened her eyes slowly and was greeted by warm chocolate orbs and the kind of smile that made her knees go weak.

She smiled up at him; "it's a good thing I'm laying down, Booth."

He looked at her questioningly.

"If I wasn't, I fear the look in your eyes, and that smile, would cause me to lose my balance. I think it's safe and fair to say that the look you're giving me is what Angela would describe as 'heart melting.' And, Booth? I find that I quite like that look; when you're directing it towards me." Her smile warmed and she reached up and laid her hand flat against his firm chest, just between his pecs.

He felt the warmth of her hand radiate through his T-shirt and his breath hitched as his heart began pounding against his ribs. Her eyes were locked on his, intense and darkened. He reached and took her hand in his, lowering his lips to her fingers, never breaking eye contact. He squatted down so he was level with her face and placed feather light kisses on each of her fingers before he released her hand and bent to brush her lips with his.

"You're so beautiful, Bones; you take my breath away."

"Booth" – she started to refuse his compliment, still uncomfortable with hearing his praise and flattery of her.

He shook his head, "No, Bones. I mean it. I've always thought you were beautiful, but right now, your eyes are clear, you're not wearing any make-up, your hair is natural. You are simply beautiful…And Bones? I will never, _ever_, stop telling you. So, get used to it, baby." He gave her a smug grin, which quickly turned to a heated gaze. "You deserve to be told every day that you're amazing; gorgeous; extraordinary… and I plan to be the man telling you that, and more, every single day, Bones."

She lowered her eyes, a bright rosy blush filled her cheeks as she softly replied, "Booth – I'm bruised and I have a split lip." The pleading look in his eyes begged her to believe him and she flushed a deeper crimson than before, "thank you Booth… I've never," she swallowed, visibly uncomfortable, "I've never had a man just say things like that to me. Just so randomly. I – I just am not sure that I am all _that_ wonderful."

"Bones, I can't even put into words how wonderful you are. There are no descriptions that encompass all that you are. So, I hope that, as we grow together in this relationship, I hope that my actions will show you just how special you are."

Her reply to him was _that smile_…that smile that seared passion into his brain and spoke loudly to his groin. _With that one smile she could have me wrapped around her finger. Hell, anything she does wraps me around her little finger. I'd follow her to the ends of the earth; I'd do __anything__ for her, and I will show her, somehow_.

"Bones, I'm pretty beat. You ready for bed?"

"Yeah, Booth, but I don't want to sleep alone; I expect you to be there with me… Regardless of what Parker expects…" she smiled sensually, then, as her tongue snuck out to moisten her lower lip, she allowed her full lips to remain slightly parted.

"Bones, if I have anything to say about it, you will _never_ be sleeping alone again… regardless of what _anyone_ expects." He still held her hand and his eyes were burning with desire as he studied her face. "C'mon, Bones, let's go to bed… You may be slightly immobilized at the moment, but you're alive and relatively well…and I plan to show you just how much I worried about you. And how beautiful I think you are." With that, he stood to his full height and bent over to draw her up into his arms. As he walked them into his bedroom, the pair shared passionate kisses along the way. He laid her gently onto the bed, reluctantly and temporarily breaking their loving caress of each other, and turned back to quietly close and lock the bedroom door, ensuring their privacy wouldn't be disturbed.

_Tonight is going to be a good night._

**Postscript A/N **

**Is it going to be a good night? But why? I don't understand…..! Someone please explain it to me! LOL**

**I hope my Muse still pleased you all, and you enjoyed the chapter. Please review and let me know! My Muse really needs the reinforcement of reviews, so PLEASE don't disappoint her! **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N welcome back! **

**Thank you all again for the great feedback! So glad you're enjoying!**

**OK, so here's your WARNING::: Chapter 31 is rated M. RATED M for a reason. If you are under 18… you should not be reading this…. If you don't like sex scenes… don't read this. If you are offended by strong language, don't read this. Basically, it's simple. Stop reading if you don't want RATED M. **

**That said…. I haven't written any real smut since college, and that's been several years.. I hope I didn't lose my knack and I hope you like it… **

**Now, the disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own anything except this story line. Wish I did, but I don't! **

The venetian blinds blocked most of the new morning sun, but a few random beams managed to peek through the slats and come to rest across her peacefully sleeping features. Booth couldn't help but watch her while she slumbered. He loved the curve of her nose, the sharp angle of her jaw, the tiny shadows cast by her lowered eye lashes. She lay facing him, she on her right side, he on his left, his head propped up on his arm so he could look at her.

He tenderly stretched his leg muscles and his back by twisting just a bit. _Wow… I forgot I had some of these muscles_, he silently thought as a big smile spread across his face,_ but what a great way to be reminded…_ He thought back to the night before and how wonderful it was that they were finally together. It had been brought on by a terrible incident, given her circumstances and the 'deed' itself hadn't been quite everything he imagined it would be, because Bones was so limited in her own movements, but it was beautiful all the same. And it would only get better as their relationship deepened, of that, he was certain.

He studied her; everything that he could touch with his eyes without causing any movement to disturb her. He cringed a little when he saw the marks he left of her. In the heated frenzy of their passion, his alpha-male possessiveness emerged, taking control of his actions, and he needed to leave his marks on her; claim her as his own. She didn't seem to mind it, though, and left several of her own markings on him as well…but he still felt a little bad when he saw the marks on her neck and along her shoulders.

_But, last night was… wow…_ he thought again…

/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B

_Last night…_

After he closed the door so their privacy would not be disturbed, he turned back to see the beauty resting in his bed. He paused a moment to look at her, the breath stolen from his lungs the instant he made eye contact with her gorgeous blue orbs.

"Booth," she whispered, "What are you staring at?" She smiled, knowingly. She, too, had a difficult time breathing when she studied his movements as he moved across the room.

"The most beautiful, most amazing woman I've ever known...That's what I'm looking at, Bones…" He still stood by the door, towards the foot of the bed.

She smiled shyly and blushed brightly, crimson creeping along her neck and up her cheeks. "Booth…" It was the closest thing to a whine that Booth had ever heard escape her lips, and he thought it was adorable.

He moved to her side of the bed, and sat behind her, as she faced the center of the bed. "I mean it Bones, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true." He brushed some of her hair off her neck and bent over to plant a tiny kiss just below her ear lobe. Keeping his mouth at her ear, he whispered breathy words for her, "in fact, 'beautiful' doesn't even capture all that you are, Bones. I don't know the words that would encompass everything that you are to me. But I promise to spend the rest of my days trying to show you; if you'll let me." He planted another kiss, a firmer one, in the same spot, just below her hear lobe; this time he also sucked her lobe into his mouth and teased it with his tongue, eliciting a moan from deep in her throat.

He pulled back slowly. "But first, Bones, I made a promise to Cam. Roll on your belly, Baby, I have to put antibiotic ointment on your back." He saw the momentary panic in her eyes at the prospect of rolling onto her stomach.

He bent back down to her ear, kissed her firmly before tilting his head further, to look at her face. "Bones, it's alright. No one's going to hurt you, you can roll over, you're safe, sweetie. Just for a few minutes, huh? I just need to get this ointment onto your back; it's important for a couple of reasons." He met her eyes with an easy smile, trying to reassure her as he saw her swallowing her tears. "First reason, it's pertinent to avoid infections, _Dr. Brennan_; second reason, it will soften the skin at your stitches a bit, so your movements will not be too terribly stiff." He saw her nod, almost imperceptibly as she started to face down onto his mattress.

Her body went completely rigid at the prospect of lying face down on a mattress, even though she knew it was irrational, because she knew she was safe with Booth. She grabbed the pillow beneath her head tightly, then reached over and snagged his, tucking both beneath her upper chest and face. She burrowed into his, savoring the scent that was infused within the fibers.

His desire to put her at ease took control of his actions. He intertwined his fingers into her oh-so-soft hair and started to massage her scalp while he spoke softly to her. "Relax, Bones. I'm right here, and you're alright. I'm going to be careful with you, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He allowed his fingers to move to her temples and rubbed gently while he kept his thumbs just behind her ears. After she started to relax, he moved his hands and gathered her hair from her neck, sweeping it to the side. Bending down, he planted small kisses along the hairline above her nape. He moved his hands to her shoulders, and rubbed lightly against the rough material of his T-shirt, squeezing her shoulders gently, allowing the warmth of his hands to penetrate to her skin.

Keeping his mouth close to her neck, he spoke to her. "Bones, I am going to need to lift your shirt. I need to get to your back to apply the lotion. You OK?"

Her reply was a simple nod, she was suddenly completely at ease and no longer anxious about her resting position.

"OK, I am going to lift if up now." He placed his palms on her waist and lifted the material of she shirt she wore, pulling it gently away from her back before carefully dragging it up towards her shoulders.

She shifted her body, allowing him to completely guide the shirt up to and over her shoulders, and lifted her arms as he removed it from her completely. She shivered; she was not sure if she felt cold, or if it was just the fact that it was Booth removing her shirt, but she mentally willed herself to relax under his touch. _This is not the touch that should me turning me on… He is trying to apply medication, for Christ's sake, calm yourself, Tempe_. But she couldn't talk herself out of the feelings that were twisting in the pit of her stomach.

He heard her shaky exhalation and bent back over her, placing feather-light kisses along her shoulders. "The ointment might be cool, Bones, but I'll spread it as quickly as I can." He pulled back and started spreading the lotion as carefully as possible, outlining each of her stitched wounds and replacing fresh bandages as he went along. "Bones, you're back is going to be fine," he spoke reassuringly, "Cam did a good job. We're just about done…" He completed applying the ointment to her back and moved to her feet, slowly removing her booties. "Just a new more spots, Honey." He went to work covering her feet, toes and ankle with the ointment as well. He kept waiting on her reprimand for the monikers he was doting on her, but thus far she had said nothing; either she wasn't paying attention or she didn't care… He wondered which it was… But decided he would continue pushing his luck as he addressed her… After all, if nothing else, they were experts at ribbing each other.

He placed the tube of ointment on the bedside table as he sat beside her, just in the dip by her waist. She turned her head to the side and looked up at him, while she remained on her stomach.

"Do you hurt anyplace, Bones? Are you in pain or uncomfortable?"

She rewarded his gentle care with a warm smile. "No, Booth, I don't hurt."

He brushed a few errant strands of hair from her face. "Good, Bones. That's good."

"Thank you Booth…" Her voice was soft and hesitant.

"For what, Bones?"

She lifted her torso slightly from her perch upon the small pile of pillows, by planting her elbows firmly beneath herself and pushing up. "For everything... For helping me; for feeding me; for carrying me; for taking care of me; for …. For loving me, Booth…"

"Loving you is the easy part, Bones." He smiled as he looped his arm around her bare waist and bent over to brush his lips to hers. Softly at first, lingering. As their mutual needs grew, she opened her lips to him as his tongue asked permission. It was a mind-blowing kiss as they dueled for dominance, sucking on each other's lips, nipping at each other's tongues as they swept over and under teeth. The hand that wasn't grasping her waist tightly reached up and palmed her cheek tenderly.

He pulled back and they locked eyes, each breathing deeply and erratically. "Put your head back down, Bones, relax," he gently nudged her encouragingly, wanting to dote on her for a while. He wanted to make sure she was going to enjoy herself.

"Booth, come lay down with me." She pleaded quietly.

"Soon, Bones. Put your head down, Babe."

She moaned in pleasure as his hands worked the muscles in her shoulders and lower neck, in a tender and loving massage. He moved his own body so he was on his knees, straddling her hips. He didn't put any pressure on her bodily; he just hovered so she knew he was there. She had raised her arms up, so they looped under her head, giving her a bit of a lift off the pillow. He continued his ministrations of her neck and shoulders and slowly worked his way down her sides. She, from time to time, let small moans of pleasure escape, letting him know when he did something she particularly liked. His fingers danced their way down her sides; his touch grazed the outer swells of her breasts, as they were exposed from being pressed into the mattress. She caught her breath and he momentarily paused, wondering if her sudden intake of air was brought on by fear or by pleasure. When he felt her muscles completely relax, he knew his touch was welcome, and he continued his journey further down her sides, towards her waist.

Upon reaching her waist, he circled his fingers around her and squeezed gently, before moving his nimble caress over the small of her back, careful to not go too near any of her wounds. He moved his contact towards her spine and worked back up to her neck, cautious the whole time not to hurt her.

As he moved along her skin, she continued to express her appreciation of his manipulation of her body by softly moaning and sighing, little coos that became music to Booth's ears. _God, if I could hear her make these noises for the rest of my life, I will die a happy man_. He carefully bent over her; again, very cautious to not allow his chest to touch her back, for fear of hurting her, but he _needed_ to get to her neck. His lips needed to make contact with her and that milky white skin at the nape of her neck was calling his name. He placed open mouth, wet kisses along the length, from her lower neck up to her hair line and back down again. Hearing her soft murmurs of approval, he continued kissing, sucking and licking his way across her shoulders, occasionally scraping his teeth gently, causing her moans to deepen. She started moving her hips, raising them off the mattress, desperate to make contact with the man whose core hovered above hers.

Booth moved his arms to brace himself over her, placing his hands just to the sides of her breasts which he'd barely touched just moments before, but for which he burned to touch again. She tried to turn her head, to grasp his mouth in a hot kiss as he moved along her shoulder, but he had other plans. Avoiding her lips on purpose, Booth moved his mouth to Bones' jawline and kissed his way back to her ear, leaving a warm wet trail in his wake. He suckled that spot just below her lobe, which, he had discovered earlier, was incredibly tasty.

"Booth…" she managed to breathe out, her voice was husky and full of want. "Booth… please…Booth…"

"I'm right here, Baby… I'm here. Tell me what you want, talk to me, Bones. Help me learn what you like." He kept his mouth impossibly close to her ear, breathing his words more than speaking them. His voice was thick with desire and rumbled deep in his chest.

"You… I want you, Booth." It was a simple reply, but spoke volumes to his heart.

"You already have me, Bones. I'm yours…only yours." He moved back to her neck and started kissing his way down her spine again, licking, sucking, nipping. As he moved his body lower, he let his fingers drag down her sides once again, starting just at her under arms, slowly brushing past her breasts once again and pausing for effect, and moved down to her tiny, tight waist. When his mouth reached her waistline, he trailed his tongue along the waistband of the pants she wore. She moaned and squirmed beneath his touch and he could smell her arousal, which caused his already growing erection to strain tighter against his pants.

Dragging his hands from her waist, he cupped her perfectly formed ass and squeezed gently, as he placed a slow wet kiss smack in the middle of the adorable dimples he discovered at the small of her back. As she groaned and swirled her hips under his touch, he moved his mouth down to meet his hands on her bottom. He exhaled strongly, ensuring that his hot breath made its way through the layer of sweatpants and touched what he was imagining was the baby-smooth-skin of her shapely ass. He opened his mouth wide and bit down gently on one cheek before moving to the other side and paying it the same attention. _Must be an equal-opportunity teaser_, he thought to himself, smiling against the soft material of her pants.

Bones subconsciously tried to spread her thighs, instinct overriding her brain, but he was straddling the outside of her legs, stopping her from spreading them far enough to satisfy her desire. Booth knew what her body was trying to do, but he refused to settle between her legs just yet, although he so urgently wanted to be there.

A low rumbling moan escaped from his throat as he inhaled her scent. He moved his hands further down, and started massaging her outer-thighs, while keeping his mouth up at the small of her back, placing wet kisses and nips along the length of her waistband.

Bones' breathing became labored as she tried to metaphorically wrap her mind around what this amazing man was doing to her body. She felt the warmth and wetness of her desire pooling at her core. She could not stop the natural urge to arch her back, thrusting her ass up towards him. He brought his hands back to her hips and began massaging again; dragging his fingers and palms across her tight muscles, while taking his sweet time letting his mouth move from her waist down to her buttocks, once again blowing his hot breath through the material of her pants, and nipping along the way.

"Booth, please," she pleaded, "please touch me."

Never one to deny her anything, he brought the fingers of his right hand to the now-very-warm spot where her thighs met the rest of her sinfully beautiful body. Even through the clothing, Booth could tell she was soaked. All for him... All because of him… He pressed his fingertips against her sex. Grinding herself against his fingers, she thought she was going to lose it immediately and he hadn't even really touched her yet. Not really… _God, get a hold of yourself, Tempe…What the fuck? How is he doing this to me? He hasn't touched my breasts straight on; he hasn't stroked me… not really stroked me yet…aahhh… that feels so good… _

Booth pushed two fingers against her wet heat, pushing the sweatpants further into her, just slightly touching her opening. He wanted to lose the barrier, but he was enjoying teasing her just a little too much, and she wasn't complaining so far... The friction of the rough material of her pants rubbing against her slick wet lips was enough to push her tumbling over the edge. She clawed at the pillow beneath her cheek and cried his name as she pushed herself further down towards his magic fingers. _Wow, maybe there __**is**__ something to say about magic fingers, after all_. Her orgasm caught them both by surprise, but he kept rubbing her, bringing her down from her high, until her breath started to return to normal.

"b-Booth… Booth, what the _hell _was _that_?" She sounded surprised, which made him happy that he could do that for her.

He brought his lips up to her ear, letting his tongue lead the way, "that, my dear Bones, was just the first of many…"

"heeh… eh.. OK…" was all she could muster in response. His normally composed and very loquacious Bones could not even string together a sentence… Booth found it hard to conceal the cocky grin that spread across his face in satisfaction…_I'll bet none of the other assholes that were privileged enough to touch her could make her cum without even removing her pants…_

Chuckling, he moved back down to her waist once again. "These," he growled as he thumbed the waist band of her sweats, "are in my way." He had no sooner said the words and he peeled them off her long, porcelain white legs, careful to extract them from her feet without causing any discomfort. She was a little stunned that she was, for the second time in 48 hours, lying naked atop a mattress; but this time, she _wanted_ to be there. This man would never hurt her; this man would never judge her; this man would fight for her; kill for her; take a bullet for her… _this man loves me_. She sighed in relief as she felt his warm breath against her calf, closely followed by his silky wet tongue, and occasionally his perfectly formed teeth. _God, his teeth are great… his mouth is…wow… ohhh… the things I imagine him doing with that tongue… _

She was brought out of her revelry as she felt his mouth reach her inner thigh… high on her leg... so high she could almost feel his lips right where she wanted …

"Aaahhhhh…..Boooooth… yessss….." She hissed through clenched teeth…

Unable to, or rather- unwilling to- wait any longer, Booth plunged his tongue into her. Swiping from her clit to her opening, he invaded her; blowing warm breaths against her wet heat; gliding up and down within her wet folds; fucking her with his tongue as he roughly massaged her perfect ass with his wide hands. He brought her to the brink within moments while making love to her with his mouth. He desperately wanted to make her cum again while licking her, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel more.

Pulling back, he took in the sight before him…the sight that was _his_ Bones. He decided that he was officially in heaven. He had dreamt of this moment for so long that he could hardly believe he was awake right now. But the intoxicating aroma filling his senses and her mouth-watering taste on his tongue combined with the soft mewling coos that were flooding his ears, all made it very clear to him that this was anything but a dream. He was here, in his bed, with the woman he loved so dearly, licking her, sucking her, tasting her. His intentions were selfish, but he would not satisfy his own pleasure until he was certain that hers had been sated. He wanted her to know that this was_ not_ crappy sex. This was so much more. This was love. This was _for keeps_.

Turning his head, he placed wet, sloppy kisses along the length of her inner-thighs, as he shifted his body slightly. He brought his right leg to kneel between hers, brushing his leg against her heated core, while his left knee was firmly planted into the mattress, next to her left hip. His right hand continued massaging and tickling her thighs, her hip, her ass, her sex. He let his fingers dance over her skin, causing goose-bumps to erupt in their wake. He leaned down on his left elbow, up near her left shoulder, still careful to not put any of his weight on her body. Leaning in, he inhaled her sweet scent, and affixed his lips to her neck, once again just below her ear. Between kissing, suckling and nibbling, he spoke to her in broken, breathy sentences.

"Bones, you taste incredible. You… You feel amazing… your smell is like a fragrant drug to me and I am _totally_ addicted. And I don't want an intervention… ever..." He brought his frolicking fingers to the apex of her legs…resting them ever-so-lightly against her dripping core. He tickled her sensually, teasing open her folds, brushing gently over her clit, but not allowing himself to remain in one spot for more than a millisecond.

Bones was writhing beneath his touch, moaning erratically, whispering his name; begging him; pleading with him. She was franticly in need of another release; a proper orgasm that involved him touching her without a barrier of clothing. She didn't want _any_ barriers between them, in fact. She wanted his skin touching her skin, everywhere. She needed to tell him, but she couldn't form the words. She couldn't concentrate on anything other than what his hand was doing to her, right at that moment.

"Booth – Booth, please… Oh my God, Booth…yes…"

He positioned index and middle fingers just at her opening and paused. His face was next to hers, seeking her mouth. She turned her head further to meet his searching lips, she caught his lower lip between her teeth gently as his tongue darted out to meet her upper lip. Groaning together, their mouths crashed into one another as Booth opened his eyes and pulled his face back, just a bit. She opened her baby blues and met his heated gaze.

"Bones… Bones, this is _it_ for me… I can never go back." He swirled his fingers slightly, still only rimming her, not yet penetrating her surface.

"I told you Booth, I don't want to go back." She was breathless and continued pushing her hips towards his fingers.

His determined eyes locked hers. "I won't share you, Bones. I won't share you with another man… _Ever_. This is more than a biological urge that we're satisfying, here." His fingers traced a little deeper, but not yet deep _enough_. "This is more, Bones. And you're mine. Just like I'm yours, you are _mine_. And I won't tolerate another man touching you again." They inch in a little further, barely dipping into her welcoming warmth. "I need you to understand that. I need to know that you agree to these terms, Bones. _No one_ else gets to touch you… ever… _No other man_ gets to kiss you. You're mine." His darkened eyes were possessively seeking assurance and agreement from her. He saw the crystal blue color that he knew so well, turn cobalt with desire. "Say it, Bones... Tell me." Still swirling at her opening, he was teasing her to a point she didn't think possible. "Tell…Me…Bones…"

"Yes, Booth. Yes, I'm yours. I'm yours." Her voice hitched up an octave as he drove his fingers deep as she said the words. "I'm yours… Only yours…Yessss…" He pounded his strong fingers deep, twisting and grinding; reaching places she never had a man reach.

"Yours… Yes, Booth, I'm yours…Don't… don't stop… please…"

"Mine…Mine…Bones…You're Mine…No one else gets you…_ I_ will satisfy your biological urges…Only me…"

He twisted his wrist so his thumb was pointed down, able to rub her sensitive nub; the central nerve location that would send her hurdling… As he continued to plunge into her, he clamped his lips on her neck, sucking hard, intent on marking her. Subconsciously he knew it was wrong... primal… but he couldn't stop himself. He _needed_ to mark her as his. When she rolled her head slightly, giving him better access to that awe-inspiring neck and throat, he knew she understood. She was permitting him to brand her as his own, so he commenced… Sucking, biting, licking, nibbling… As he felt her inner muscles begin to grip his fingers tighter, he released her neck so he could watch. Driving into her faster, harder, the unmistakable tell-tale signs of pleasure washed over her face. Her eyes instinctively clamped closed and her mouth fell open seductively as she gasped and moaned, allowing his name to drip from her tongue. Her body shuddered, almost violently, in release, and he helped her come down from her high by continuing to stroke her from within.

He watched her in amazement; he had never seen anything so sexy, so lustful, so beautiful, as Dr. Temperance Brennan shattering at his fingertips…literally. He had been with his fair share of women, that was not news to either of them, but never, in all his years, had he witnessed something so gorgeous as his Bones falling apart at his touch. Her face showed only elation as she gingerly opened her eyes to meet his.

"B-Booth… Oh, Booth…"

"Bones, I love you. You're amazingly and incredibly sexy. You are… Oh my God, Bones… There are no words…" As he spoke, his hand remained on her mound, stroking and rubbing gently; learning her body; memorizing her feel, her wetness; watching her reactions to his ministrations. His left shoulder and elbow started shaking under his weight, so he allowed himself to lower his weight flush against her body, but to the side, still not allowing his structure to bring her discomfort.

She arched her back slightly as he moved, raising her bottom and causing her left thigh to shift and press against his very obvious hard-on. His loose sweatpants did nothing to hide the affects that her sexuality had on him. Her movements were hindered, obviously, due to the condition of her back, but she had no doubt what she was feeling pressed against her leg.

She eyed him, flirtatiously, resting her cheek on her arm as she faced him. "I'm yours… _and you're mine_… I find that I like that, Booth. A lot…" Her shy grin grew into a wide, cheeky smile; she raised an eyebrow as she studied his handsome features. "I never wanted to be possessed by _anyone_, Booth. You know that…" She reached her left arm down her side and paused, slightly nervous, when she touched the material of his pants. When his body felt the heat of her hand, his hips intuitively thrust forward, aching for her touch. She continued, breathlessly… "But, the idea of you, _and your alpha-tendencies_, claiming me as yours… well… that just gets me worked up…"

He leaned his face towards hers, once more, to capture her lips with his. _I will never get enough of kissing this woman_, he thought, as he smiled against her mouth. As he lost himself in the taste that was uniquely her, she continued her exploration with her left hand. Getting a bit frustrated at her limited reach, she shifted, trying to lie on her right side to face him, but he kept his right leg between hers, stopping her from turning.

"Booth!" she growled thru gently clenched teeth. Then as his mischievous eyes met her, she became softer. "I want to touch you, Booth. But I need to turn. Please, let me touch you…" Her words came out in breathy whispers, her lips pouty, her eyes pleaded lovingly; lustfully.

"Bones, babe, if you do too much touching, I'm not gunna last very long." A light kiss to her lips cut off any rebuttal she would give. "I want to make love to you, Bones. Tonight. Now. I want to make love and I don't want to let myself lose it before then…"

"Teach me, Booth. Show me. Help me know what it is to make love. Please…"

"That's the plan, Bones. We'll teach each other, though. You need to let me know what you like; what you don't like; how you want to be touched; what turns you on…" Between each statement, Booth planted little kisses along her satin-soft shoulder. Every now and again, he would skim his teeth over her skin, sending shivers down her spine. His right hand, had, by this time, settled on _his spot_, the small of her back. He allowed his love-slick fingers to make lazy circles around the dimples he instantly fell in love with when he kissed them.

"I don't want to hurt you, Bones. You need to tell me if it gets to be too much." He made her lock eyes with him, ensuring that she understood that he was willing to wait for his own satisfaction until she was physically able to be with him.

"You won't hurt me, Booth. I trust you. I know you…I believe in you." She leaned further into his kisses as he rubbed noses with her. "I want this, Booth. I want this tonight. I don't want to wait any longer; we've waited too long, already, Booth."

He smiled at her, desire radiating from every pore. "Me too, Bones, c'mere." He rolled onto his back and scooped his left arm underneath her upper chest, pulling her body to cover his. As her soft breasts are crushed against his excellently sculpted chest, be brought his hands to the sides of her swollen globes. He raked his thumbs between her breasts and his chest until he reached her diamond-tipped nipples. She caught her breath and groaned as she lowered her mouth to his, devouring his taste, as if she would die without it; without him. She rocked her hips against his, frustrated that he was still partially clothed. She could feel his growing need pressing against her. She knew he wanted her; she knew that she had what it would take to satisfy his desire.

"Booth, I want you… NOW…Take your pants off!" Her need for him was becoming uncontrolled. She not only wanted to feel him inside her, but she was certain that if she didn't feel it immediately, she was going to self-combust. _OK, so self-combustion is not a proven theory, but I can see why some people believe in it,_ she wracked her brain with images of what she would do with this man once she was fully mobile.

Hooking his thumbs in his waistband, he swiftly pushed his pants down, finally kicking them off with his feet, allowing them to slip off the bottom of the bed. He was beneath her. She was above him. Naked body to naked body; roving hands to roving hands; shattered breaths matching one another.

"Kiss me, Bones." It was a simple order, to which she quickly complied. Her lips met his with fervor, and her legs spontaneously spread wider, attempting to straddle his hips. Once again, she was frustrated by her hindered movements.

Sensing her aggravation, Booth pulled back a little, breaking their kiss, and looked at her. "It's OK, Bones. There's no rush, just enjoy it, Babe. Just go with it, hmm?" He closed the gap between them again, capturing her mouth in another mind-searing connection. He moved from her mouth, and relocated his lips, once again, on her neck; tenderly kissing, licking, loving her skin. He moved his right hand from its happy place on her very-alert nipple, and moved it down, between them, to test her readiness and see if she was recovered enough to accept him.

Dipping his fingers in, he discovered that she was more than ready, again… "hhmmmgggg…" he grumbled… "You're amazing, Bones. So wet, so ready, so warm… So willing… all for me, hmm?" He gave her his famous cock-eyed grin that made her weak in the knees.

"Just for you, Booth. Only for you…Always…" Taking a deep breath, she focused on his eyes, preparing to confess something to him… A confession she never thought she would make. Meeting his endearing smile with one of her own, she began, "I used to fantasize about you, Booth. I used to imagine what it would be like to be with you." A devilish grin replaced her sweet and innocent smile, and she pegged him with playfully stern eyes. "I used to dream …about your dick spreading out my pussy… and slow fucking me all night long…"

His eyes grew in disbelief of what he was hearing. She grinned, knowing that her dirty talk caught him by surprise. "What's the matter, Booth? Did you not expect me to know those colloquial terms?" She didn't let him answer; she just dipped her head to his ear and gently bit his earlobe, before flicking it with her tongue, and moving her mouth lower to his neck.

"When I used to touch myself, I imagined it was you. I sometimes pretended it was your fingers touching me; your fingers tugging on my nipples. But… It was never as hot as this…I was never as… _riled up_ as you have me right now… My 'fantasy-Booth' doesn't compare to my 'real-Booth.' You are very, very talented…" Her possessive statement was not lost on him, even through the fog that clouded his brain. She allowed her mouth to make a slow, wet journey along his jawline, and down to his Adams apple, where she stopped to suckle, feeling his gulp beneath her touch.

"Jesus – H – Christ, Bones… You are so fucking hot." He grabbed either side of her head with his palms and let his tongue dive between her lips, taking control of her suddenly-dirty-mouth.

He maneuvered beneath her, positioning his rock hard dick right at her opening, barely inching in, and pulled his face from hers to look at her. His held his breath as he met her gaze; he pushed just his head into her heat. Her body responded, despite her back injuries, opening her legs wider, permitting him as much access as he wanted.

"Booth, I can't wait anymore, please… please _take me_, Booth… Make me yours…claim me as your own."

With her final plea, he plunged deeply, burying himself balls-deep into her tight pussy. They both moaned in unison, finally relishing in their coupling. Booth held still, allowing her tightness to adjust to his girth. As soon as she initiated further movement, he pulled out gently, and pushed back in, once again allowing her to take his full length. They continued their slow pistoning for what felt like an eternity. Booth wanted it to be an eternity, but his body had other plans. Without permission, his hips started picking up speed, thrusting in and out of her body of their own free will. He held her in place, his large, veiny hands clamped onto her hips, suspending her weight so she was high enough above his throbbing member that he could pull completely out before delving back in. Their rapidly increasing pace turned furious as their need for each other deepened.

"B-Bones... Baby, I can't- I can't hold out much longer…mmmnnnggggnnn, God you feel fabulous… Please, Bones, cum for me, one more time, hmm? Let me feel you let loose. Don't hold back."

"Yes… Yes… Booth, don't stop… Fuck me hard… harder…. Oh God, Booth, yes… like that... Don't stop…" Taking advantage of the space afforded between them since Booth was suspending her weight, she snaked her own arm down between their bodies and found her clit, and began rubbing herself fiercely; lighting quick fingers that knew what to do without her thinking about it, brought her to the edge as she reveled in the feeling of him filling her so completely. "B-B-Booth… Now… Booth, cum with me… NOW!"

At her command, and at her muscular encouragement, Booth's dam broke free as her inner walls milked him dry. He shot his hot seed deep inside, causing her orgasm to become even more powerful as she felt his heat spread. Slowly, sensuously, they rode each other down from their respective highs, grinding their hips together, murmuring endearments, kissing, suckling, stroking, learning…

"Oh, my God, Bones… That was incredible. Way way way better than I ever could have imagined!" He met her eye contact with his warm brown eyes, a big smile spread across his chiseled face. "And… Where the _hell_ did you learn to talk like that?"

She smiled at him, suddenly blushing as she lowered her face to his chest. "I – I've never talked like that to anyone before, Booth… I don't know, it just sort of, happened… Are you upset? I won't do it again if you don't want me to." She looked up at him, asking for assurances.

"Oh, _hell,_ Bones, you can talk like that all you want. Jesus, that was… Fucking-a, that was hot."

"I also found it stimulating," she said, squinting at him. "But what I told you was the truth… I _have_ fantasized about you for a long time, Booth. But it was never even close to the real thing." Stretching up, she peppered his chin with little kisses and nipped his bottom lip.

"Yeah, well, Bones… I have to say the same in return. Many nights I woke up and had to change the sheets because of dreaming about you… But never, _ever_, did I expect… _that_." Lowering his voice to a murmur against her ear, "Thank you… Bones… I love you so much."

"Mmm…. I love you too, Booth." Her voice was suddenly sleepy, which he totally respected, given that she had just enjoyed three major, and a handful of minor, mind-blowing orgasms.

"Sleep, Bones. Rest." He kissed the top of her head and her nose when she raised her face. "I love you, so very much. Sweet dreams, Baby."

"G'night, Booth. You get some sleep too, OK?" She was mumbling against his neck, where she had already repositioned her face, ready for slumber. "Love you."

And with that, the partners fell into a slumber in each other's arms. Finally. But Bones' sleep was not to be completely peaceful, as she had to face her unseen demons before she could rest.

/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B/B

As Booth lay on his side, watching her sleep, he couldn't help but fall a little deeper in love.

She was finally sleeping peacefully and he was thankful for that. For all the wonderful experiences they shared the previous night, she also had a rough time of it in the nightmare department. He had woken up several times and coaxed her back into tranquil rest when her nightmares got too violent. He hated to see her in pain, whether physical or emotional – it was equally disturbing to him.

He shifted slowly, carefully, trying not to wake her. He wanted to be closer, wanted to touch her. He brought his right hand up to her hair, lifting a lock that had come to rest across her cheek. He was pained with reality as he looked at her still-bruised cheek bone, and his heart sank a little that her perfect skin and beautiful features were marred by that asshole. She moaned woefully and he noticed a small wrinkle come to rest between her eyebrows and her jaw clench tighter, as she fought against yet another unseen assailant in her dreams.

"Sshhh…. Sshhhh, Bones, it's alright. You're alright, baby, you're safe." He allowed his thumb to sooth and come to rest on her forehead softly; a ghost of a touch that immediately calmed her fears.

"Mmmm… Booth?" Her voice was groggy and her eyes heavy with sleep. "Booth?"

"I'm here, Bones. I'm right here," he moved closer to her, running his left arm under her neck and pulling her body close to his. "You're safe, Baby, you were having a bad dream." He pressed his lips to her forehead and cupped her jawline with his right palm, cradling her into the nook of his neck.

"Mmm… I was – I was back there again Booth... He was whipping me again..." she bit back a sob as she nuzzled against him, breathing him in. She intoxicated herself on his scent; this time slightly different than any other time. This morning's scent was a combination of his normal, wonderful Boothy smell, mixed with the musky aura of the previous night's love they shared. "Booth…"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I'm sorry I woke you." Her voice was heavy with sleep, but still sexy to Booth's ears.

"You didn't wake me, Bones. I've been awake for a while, now." He spoke against her hair, enjoying her smell as it filled his senses.

She cocked her head, so she could see his face. "Why are you laying here awake, Booth? Are you alright?" She knew it was early, even for the sniper in him, and she worried instantly that he was regretting what they had shared.

"I'm perfectly fine, Bones." He instantly recognized the apprehension in her eyes, and understood her concerns. "Sweetheart, I was just looking at you…Watching over you…" He let his voice trail off. "You're so beautiful, Bones." It was a whisper at that point, and he let his fingers trail along her cheekbone, once again, being careful of her bruise.

"Booth, don't watch me while I sleep, that makes me nervous." She grinned up at him.

"You didn't even know I was watching you, how can it make you nervous?" He chuckled.

"Well, now I know that you do it, I won't be able to relax." She smiled coyly.

"Huh…I'll have to find a way to relax you, then… won't I…?" He grinned seductively at her with a raised eyebrow and his voice lowered a half an octave.

She giggled a low, sexy giggle as she snuggled closer to the man with whom she had fallen so hopelessly in love. "MMmm... Booth, I…ah…. Don't think I quite understood the theory behind breaking the laws of physics… do you think you can show me again?"

"Ooh, Bones, I thought you'd never ask…" he growled into her ear as he palmed her hips…

_This is going to be a very good morning…._

**Postscript A/N **

**Whew… Was it good for you? **

**Whatcha all think? Please review and let me know! As I said, it's been years since I tried my hand at something like this, and I hope that it was OK…. PLEASE let me know! **


	32. Chapter 32

**Hello and welcome back! This chapter is longer than the previous few, but I was not comfortable breaking it into two, so you just get to read a little more! **

**Thank you for your continued support and the reviews, they are invaluable! **

**There's a little bit of very M in this one, not as much as the last chapter, but we did have to wake up in the morning, after all… heh heh **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except this story line; and the kidnapper, Baker… He's mine. **

**Please read and review! **

"_So, Booth, I…ah…. Don't think I quite understood the theory behind breaking the laws of physics… do you think you can show me again?"_

"_Ooh, Bones, I thought you'd never ask…" he growled into her ear as he palmed her hips… _

_This was going to be a very good morning…._

/B/B/B/B/B/B/B

Despite both partners being exhausted, and slightly sore, from their late-night romp that lasted into the wee hours of morning, they managed to share a slow, passionate early morning of making love. There was nothing frantic, no rush to finish; just a common desire mutually experienced.

Booth palmed Bones' hips and brought her over him, where she settled comfortably, allowing her legs to fall in a straddle upon his hips. He kissed and sucked on her all-too inviting neck and she lulled her head sideways, giving him access to the whole length.

He could feel her heat against his already-throbbing cock and he was instantly ready to enter her. He brought his lips up to her jawline and one of his hands to the back of her head, intertwining his fingers into her soft locks; he brought her lips down to his in a hungry early morning kiss.

"Bones – I – I want you, so bad…" he spoke between tugs against her upper lip (avoiding her injured lower lip), hoping that she was as ready as he was. He tilted his head, recognizing her desire to move to his neck as she pulled her lips from his and travelled down his stubbly jawline. "Mmmm… Bones, your lips… Oh my God… My _God_, I want you so bad…Need you so desperately…" He was growling, the deep throaty voice sending shivers throughout her body.

"Yes, Booth… Now… _take_ me…" She was sucking just under his ear, relishing his scent each time she inhaled. She knew those words could make him fall apart; her permission for him to 'take' her, to make her his own. As sensitive and generous as Seeley Booth was, he was still a man…an Alpha-male who couldn't resist his partner's approval for him to claim her as his own.

He gained control over his blatant want and reached up to cradle her head between his large hands, pulling her so he could look at her. "Open your eyes, Bones. Look at me."

She complied and met his chocolate brown eyes with her glassy blues.

"I love you, Bones." He wanted this to be about more than morning sex and he needed to make sure she knew it.

She warmed him with an award-winning smile. "I know, Booth…I know you do. And please don't doubt that I love you, too. I know a lot has happened these last couple days, but above all, I know that I love you… and I know that I never want to live without you."

As she finished speaking her sentence, he held her waist and slid into her wet heat. Slow and easy, gentle and loving. He entered and withdrew, entered and withdrew. Their eyes were locked on each other, non-verbal confessions of love and desire exchanged with each tender thrust. Their unhurried and deliberate movements caused the partners to be caught off-guard as their near-simultaneous orgasms crept upon them. While Booth managed to maintain his slow and measured rhythm, he allowed each entry to push a bit further, spreading her walls wider to accommodate his fully erect size. He realized that they were both about to tumble when Bones ground herself down on him, not allowing him to withdraw once he was in as far as humanly possible. Despite her injured back, she planted her palms on his flexing pecs and pushed herself further from his chest, allowing her body to receive him at a more direct angle. As she ground herself harder, Bones allowed her head to fall backwards and Booth held her hips strong and pushed himself further into her, rotating in such a way that he was tantalizing her sensitive nub at each pass.

He wanted to close his eyes and just get lost in the sensation of how she felt all around him, a perfect fit, holding him tightly as he spread her walls wide…but he couldn't tear his gaze away from what he was seeing before him. As Bones' pushed herself up from his body, her biceps pressed inward against her breasts, pushing them together, creating a cleavage that he wanted to get lost within. When she dropped her head back, he almost salivated at the idea of clamping his lips onto her throat and marking her again. But even with all those thoughts running through his brain, he simply couldn't bring himself to move from his spot; he continued to grind up into her, holding her hips firm and shattered in time with her just as her moans escalated in ecstasy. He felt her perfectly tight walls clench around him as she began pulsating. He emptied himself deep within her core, moaning her name in time with his thrusts, never taking his eyes off of her. He couldn't believe how outrageously sexy she was when she reached orgasm; he imagined that he could cum just by watching her; _but if I was only watching, I would miss out on the experience of partaking… can't let that happen…_

He let her ride out the aftershocks of her explosion and when she lowered her chin to her chest, she finally met his eyes once again. He was amazed at the rosy color flooding her cheeks and the sated look in her eyes, but moreover, he was enamored with the smile gracing her kiss-swollen lips. She looked so young, so pure, so tender…

"Bones, you are… just… gorgeous." He shook his head slightly, still stunned that she was here; they were together. His dream was a reality; after all these years, she was finally his.

Through a half-grin and with dreamy eyes, Bones spoke to him in a husky whisper, "Booth…I – I could get used to that kind of wake-up call…" Her chesty laugh reached his ears and brought his own laugh to the surface. He gently pulled her down to his chest and let her stretch her legs out straight. He cuddled and held her close, kissing the top of her head and wanting to savor the mutually happy moment. She winced a little at the pull she felt on her back, but she didn't complain, because it was well worth it.

"What time is it?" she mumbled into his chest.

"Not yet 7:00. We had an early start, Bones." He held his lips to her hair then moved his cheek and caressed it against her loose curls.

"Hhmmm…. Booth, we need to get washed up." She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "My Dad's coming by around 9:00, and you _know _he's going to know something is up… At the very least, we should be fresh faced for it."

"Well, unlike yesterday, Bones, I can actually _help_ you with your sponge bath today…" He smiled happily, suddenly giddy like a high school kid who was about to touch his first girlfriend.

"Mmm'yes, you can, Booth. I'm looking forward to it." Then she pulled back and gave him a stern look, "but no funny stuff… we actually need to accomplish getting cleaned up!"

"Yes, Ma'am… I'll behave." He kissed her cheek loudly and shifted to roll her onto her side, so he could stand up.

"C'mon, Bones," he said as he bent over to scoop her into his arms, "let's get started, I want to be finished by the time Parker wakes up."

True to his word, Booth completely behaved himself, although he had great difficulty as he ran his fingers over her sex-sensitive skin, causing goose-bumps to erupt all over her body. Once he finished helping Bones wash, he wrapped her in an oversized fluffy towel and deposited her onto the bed to relax for a few minutes, while he hopped into the shower and made himself presentable enough to sit and eat breakfast with her father.

When he exited the bathroom, wearing only a towel knotted low on his fit waist, he paused to admire his best friend as she dozed on the bed, still wrapped in her bath towel, and looking very peaceful. He sat down next to her and reached out to brush her cheek, causing her eyes to flutter open.

"Sorry, Booth, I didn't mean to fall back to sleep," she looked up guiltily.

"Bones, don't apologize." He smiled at her with a wide, cheeky grin, and a cocked eyebrow; "You're still recovering; you just experienced the _best_ sex you ever thought possible; you're resting on _my_ side of the bed, which, I'll have you know, is the most comfortable side; and you just had these expert fingers massaging your skin while giving you a _very sensual_ sponge bath. You're allowed to sleep, Babe."

"Booth – shut up." She laughed at his recount of the last hour, which of course, was inflated with his cocky ego. But despite her statement, she smiled warmly, not really wanting him to shut up.

He moved towards the closet, intent to find her more clothes. "Admit it, baby, I'm the best you've ever had," he tossed over his shoulder as he rummaged.

"Well, Booth… You'll do, in a pinch…" she teased him as he came back out, carrying a couple of T-shirts and 2 pairs of shorts, one for each of them.

"In a pinch, huh? I'll 'do' _in a pinch_?" He sighed melodramatically, "I guess you don't really want to have any clothes to wear today, do you? It's OK, I'll just put _these _back after I get dressed." He grinned as he held up her set of clothes, just out of her reach. But as she tried to shift her body to reach out and snag the clothes, he immediately rushed closer to her side. "Easy, easy, Bones, don't be stretching and pulling, Baby. You'll hurt yourself."

With a knowing smile, she locked eyes with him and gently reached out and slid the clothes from his grasp. His jaw dropped slightly before his lips curled into an ornery grin.

"You did that on purpose. You knew I wouldn't let you struggle to sit up by yourself…" He squinted his eyes at her. "That's cheating, Bones… that's not fair."

She simply smiled innocently, batted her eye lashes and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Booth, I know it was. But it served my purpose." She laughed out loud as she held the clothes close to her torso. Then she turned more serious, sweeter, "Booth… You're right, though… You _do_ have expert fingers. And…" She paused, almost reluctant to admit the next part to him. But deciding that she didn't want to keep anything from him ever again, she took a deep breath before continuing.

Before she spoke, Booth grew impatient. "And? 'And' what, Bones?"

She flushed nervously, which he found delightfully charming. His normally assertive partner was blushing... "And… Booth… You _are_ the best I've ever been with."

He met her eyes with excitement. His own eyes dancing and his smile spread wider. "uh-huh! See that? I knew it! I knew you were hooked on me the minute I kissed you. I knew it!"

"Don't let it go to your head, Booth… Don't be so _cocky_!"

Coming face to face with his girl, his lips brushing against hers lightly, "I can't help it, Bones. You make me _cocky_."

"Get dressed! I want coffee." She pouted slightly, defiantly, as she started to try pulling the shirt he got out for her, over her head.

"Nuh-uh, wait, Bones. Antibiotic ointment, sweetie."

She sighed and lowered the T-shirt again. "OK, Booth, please hurry; I really do want some coffee…"

He grinned at her impatience. _She's a worse patient than I am_, he thought to himself as he began spreading the medicine as necessary, shaking his head in amusement. After a few moments, his task was complete, and he helped her get dressed. "Maybe we should ask Angela to bring you some clothes this afternoon when she comes over? You might be more comfortable?"

"No, Booth, I like wearing your clothes. There's something…I don't know… intimate about wearing your clothes that I like… Do you mind me wearing your clothes, Booth?"

"Not at all, Bones. You look better in 'em than I do. You… _fill them out_ better."

He moved to the door, to unlock it and swing it open, before turning back and carrying her out to the living room. "So, coffee, you say?"

"Yes, please," she smiled sweetly as he carried her from their sanctuary.

"Morning Dad! Morning Bones!" They were surprised to be greeted by a cheerful, bare-chested, PJ-shorts-clad-Parker, who was sprawled out on the couch watching cartoons.

"Good morning Parker," Bones replied with an easy smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Mornin' pal, you're up early." Booth replied simultaneously.

"Yeah, I tried to keep the TV quiet, I hope I didn't wake you guys," he replied to his Dad before turning his eyes to Bones. "I slept good. How about you, Bones?"

"I slept very well, thank you, Parker." As she answered his son, Booth noticed yet another round of Bones' blushing. _She's been blushing a lot today… so adorable… so beautiful._ He jostled her a bit as he moved over to the lounge chair, intent on placing her down gently before he moved to the kitchen to start the coffee.

Parker stood up from the couch and followed in his Dad's footsteps, anxious to talk to Bones. When Booth stopped abruptly, grinning as he felt a shadow, Parker didn't anticipate his Dad's movement in time and plowed right into Booth's back, nearly falling backwards from the momentum. "Da-a-ad! Why'd you do that! Jeez..!" Parker looked up at his Dad's teasing grin, his own eyebrows raised in a manner that reminded Bones of the older Booth.

"Oh, gee, Buddy, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were following me so _closely_…" Booth feigned innocence, as he continued to lean over, placing Bones in her place.

"Booth!" Bones whispered admonishingly at him.

"Wha-?"

"Dad, you knew I was there, that's why you did that! I just wanted to come see Bones, and talk." Parker looked at Bones, hoping to get her approval for a chat. When she opened her arms in his direction, he launched himself into the chair and snuggled next to her, smiling up at his Dad with a cheeky look.

"You were gunna be in the same room with her, Parks, you could have talked to her from the couch, you know…" Booth teased his son, but completely understood his boy's desire to be close to this woman. Basically, she had both Booth-boys wrapped around her little finger… they'd both do anything to be near her and anything to make her happy. Booth ruffled Parker's unruly blond curls as he moved past the chair towards the kitchen, but stopped briefly to drop a kiss on the top of Bones' head, and give a quick sly wink at his son. "I'll be back…"

As Booth moved about the kitchen, setting the coffee maker to begin brewing, he heard his son talking a mile a minute to his Partner. _Partners? Best friends? What exactly are we now? Boyfriend/girlfriend sounds too juvenile. Partners… that's probably the best. We need to talk about this_. He stood, leaning against the door jam, watching his son's animated mannerism as he tried to explain to Bones, the Coyote's constant plight to catch the Road Runner, and the Road Runner's inevitable escape _every single time_.

Booth smiled at the scene. Parker was so relaxed; Bones was being politely attentive to the kid's ramblings; the sounds of the coffee brewing filled the background. The scene was so perfectly domestic, he could almost forget about Bones' predicament. _Almost_. Unable to resist any longer, he strolled back into the living room and stood behind Bones as she laid on her side facing Parker and the TV. He brushed his fingers through her soft curls and looked down to meet her eyes lovingly.

Smiling up at her partner, Bones couldn't explain the flutter she felt in her stomach when she met his gaze. She closed her eyes and leaned into his palm, a happy sigh escaping her lips.

The sound caught Parker's attention and he turned from the TV and looked over to Bones and then up at his Dad. He loved seeing his Dad so happy; and he loved seeing Bones at ease with his Dad. He thought back to the conversation he had with Bones the night before, when she said she didn't let herself love anyone because she thought she was protecting herself. In a very child-like mental state, Parker wondered if she finally felt comfortable enough to love them, because she knew his Dad would protect her; she didn't need to protect _herself_ like that anymore. And he would protect her too. He didn't know how, since he was just a kid, but he knew that if his Dad risked his life to protect Bones, then she was worth it, and if he needed to, he'd be there for her.

Parker was still looking up at his Dad, who was looking at Bones, when there was a knock at the door. The sound jarred his Dad into action and he walked over to the door, opening it to Max, who was standing there with an armful of take-out food containers.

The two men clasped hands in a friendly shake and bid each other good morning, as Booth motioned Max inside the apartment.

"Good Morning, Pumpkin," Max said as he kissed Tempe on the forehead. Then he smiled to the boy snuggled with his daughter. "And a very good morning to you, young man."

"Good morning, Dad" Tempe replied. "Thanks for coming over."

"Good morning, Max! I'm glad you're here, I'm starved!"

Booth shook his head in disbelief. "You're always starved, buddy…" He smiled at his son. "Go brush your teeth for breakfast."

Parker groaned, very boy-like, "OK, Dad, but I don't have to get changed, right? I can stay in my shorts?"

"Yes, you can stay in your PJ's, unless we get other company. You're fine while it's just Bones and Max here, but if other people come over to see Bones, I'll want you to dress." Booth knew that, just like Parker would run around naked if permitted, he would also run around in just his PJ shorts all day if he thought he could get away with it. He smiled to his son, "Now, go, brush!"

Parker took off running, the promise, and aroma, of breakfast was a great motivator to the boy as he took off into his bathroom.

"Booth, I don't want to see anyone else. If someone calls and wants to come over, tell them no." She took on an almost pouty appearance and she stated her disapproval at the idea of more visitors.

He smiled at her, "Bones, want it or not, I expect that we'll see, at the very least, Cullen today. The FBI is going to want to know how their liaison Anthropologist is doing and why said Anthropologist is not at a hospital, but at her Partner's apartment instead… So like it or not, I think we'll be seeing him today."

She huffed in frustration. "I don't need a hospital. It should be my decision, not theirs. I have you to help me. Why should I waste my hard-earned money to pay to sit in a hospital?"

"Hey – hey, now, I didn't say _I_ wanted you to go to a hospital, I am just saying what I know the FBI is going to say… Just a little warning, hon. Don't worry, I'm not taking you to a hospital unless Cam tells me to."

Once she realized what he was saying, she calmed down and rested her head on his shoulder as he lifted her from the chair.

Booth took Bones out to the kitchen, silently asking if she was OK to sit by herself.

This time, she replied with spoken words, "I'll try it on my own, Booth. If I get too uncomfortable, I'll tell you."

The shared a smiled and let their eyes linger a little longer than normal. Max stood over by the sink, observing the interaction. He was happy for his daughter. Even happier that morning than the previous night, because it was obvious that the Agent had taken good care of her; she looked rested and fresh. _Almost a little __too__ well-rested and __too__ fresh_, he thought fleetingly, before forcing _that_ image out of his mind.

His attention was caught again when Tempe looked over to him from her seat at the table, "Dad? Are you going to come join us for breakfast or just stand there grinning all day?"

"OH, sorry, Honey. Of course I'm joining you for breakfast; you don't think I stood in the diner, smelling all that awesome food to _not_ eat it, do you?" He grinned at her, and then bent over to kiss her cheek, speaking softly to her. "You look happy, Tempe. Despite everything, you look really happy."

She smiled at her Dad, then looked to Booth, who was busy organizing plates and utensils, before looking back to her dad. "I am, Dad. It's strange, but I really am."

Nothing more needed to be said, Max could tell from his daughter's face that she was completely in love with her partner, and he knew the feeling was reciprocated, which made him very happy.

Parker rejoined the family and they all sat to enjoy the breakfast spread that Max had provided. Bones managed to get through the meal on her own, sitting in the cushioned chair, but found that she was actually missing the contact she'd been sharing with Booth for the past couple of days. _Irrational_, she mentally berated herself; _he's sitting right next to me. He's right there; if I want to touch him, I can. If I wanted to sit with him, all I need do is ask, I know he would hold me. But I can do this… I need to be able to at the very least sit by myself… I am a grown woman for crying out loud. _

Once breakfast was complete, Max took his leave, stating that he had a 'date' to arrange. But he offered no further details, and it left Tempe wondering who her dad was going out with that day.

"Bones, don't think so hard… He's an adult, he's allowed to date, you know," he smiled at her, knowing what she was thinking.

"Of course, I know that, Booth. I just – well, I just wanted to know who she is, that's all." She felt a little guilty at wanting to know more information, but he was her father, after all…

"Well, when he comes around tomorrow, you can ask him all about his date and his new friend, huh?" He raised his eyebrows in her direction and she agreed with a small nod of acknowledgement.

Their conversation was cut short by Booth's cell phone ringing loudly from the bedroom. He trotted through the apartment to grab it, re-entering the living room while talking on it.

"Yes, sir, yes, she is doing a little better, thank you." - pause - "Yes, sir, Bones is with me." –pause – "At my apartment, yes, sir." –pause- "Sir, all due respect, Bones didn't feel comfortable going to a hospital. But she had medical attention here. I assure you, she was well taken care of… still is, sir." –pause – "Yes, of course, sir, that's fine." – pause – "OK, sir, see you then. Goodbye." He disconnected the call, sighed heavily and looked at Bones, who was listening intently to the conversation while rubbing Parker's back as he laid next to her, in what should have been his Dad's spot.

"OK, Parks, go get dressed. My boss is coming over."

"Aww, Dad, do I have to? He's a guy... Surely he's seen sleep shorts before, hasn't he?"

"Now, Parker. Get dressed and brush your hair."

Parker didn't question his Dad a second time, knowing the tone of voice that was directed at him was a no-nonsense tone. "Oh, alright…" he moped as he slid out from beneath Bones' arms (where he was very comfortable – _thank _you very much…) and he headed for his bedroom to get dressed.

"Booth, why does he have to come over? What can he learn from seeing me that he couldn't learn from talking to you on the phone?" Bones whined at him, pouting much like Parker just did…

Booth chuckled at her insolence. "Bones, he has to report to _his_ bosses about the incident. He's not only coming over to get a firsthand look at you, he's coming to talk to me as well." He took a deep breath as he walked towards her, and perched himself on the arm of the chair. "Bones, I killed a man. I have to answer for that. I am going to need to be evaluated, and probably go through counseling again."

Bones' metaphorical hackles rose immediately as she became possessively defensive of him and his actions on her behalf. "Booth, you killed the man who was going to kill me. The man who spent 20 hours putting me through the worst hell I could ever imagine…If you hadn't killed him, he may have killed me, or killed you… They _have_ to realize that. They _have to know_ that what you did was the right thing. Booth – You did the right thing. Why do they have to question you? Why should you have to go defend yourself against doing what was right?"

"Bones," he reached out to brush the hair from her cheek, "they have a job to do. It comes with the territory, Hon." He moved his fingers to her chin, and brushed his calloused thumb across her lower lip, circling her injury. "The FBI is going to tell me that I should have taken him alive and placed him under arrest; let the justice system set things straight. He had no gun drawn on me; he had no _weapon_ drawn on me at all. What I did, I did for you, and for me; and I would do it again, in a heartbeat, if anyone ever hurt you." He dropped his hand to rest on his own thigh. "But, Bones, what I did, according to proper protocol, was in breach. I knew the minute I saw him that, in my heart, I was making the right choice in killing him. After… knowing what he was doing to you… I couldn't let him live. What I did, I did out of passion; emotion… Not out of FBI 'etiquette'… I knew that killing Baker was going to get me in trouble, but I accepted my fate the minute I disobeyed Hacker's orders for me to stand down. In fact, I think subconsciously, I had made up my mind the minute I received the first text telling me that you were abducted, that the perp was not going to live to see another day once I got hold of him… I just didn't know at the time who that perp was."

"Booth – are they going to take your badge? What's going to happen?"

"They'll probably put me on temporary suspension until a formal investigation is completed. So, yes, today they will probably take my badge and my service piece. But I accept that… I wouldn't go back and do it any other way, Bones." His conviction to her was obviously deep; she could see the affirmation in his eyes.

"Oh, Booth, I didn't want to cause you such trouble. Oh, God, Booth, what will happen if they don't clear you? You'll lose your job all because of me…" She was clearly distraught at the idea of him losing a position with the government that he so sincerely respected, just because she had let herself be vulnerable. Suddenly, all her insecurities came rushing back, flooding her with emotion.

"Bones, stop it. It's not your fault that Baker abducted you. You didn't ask to be taken from your home in the middle of the night and subjected to torture. It's not your fault. Cullen believes in us; I know he does. He'll fight on our side, I truly believe that." He wrapped his large hands carefully around her cheeks, holding her head tenderly. "Besides, Bones, like I told you, I wouldn't have done it any other way. So regardless of what happens, I hold no regrets, and I don't want you to either." He thumbed away a stray tear that spilled from the corner of her eye. "No regrets, Bones. Ever." He leaned in and kissed her gently, lovingly, intent to make her understand that what he said was true. He would never regret killing for her.

After a moment of lingering at her oh-so-soft lips, he pulled back. "I'm gunna go put jeans on, Babe. I'll be right back." He pulled a small blanket from the back of his couch and draped over her legs, affording her some modesty, while still letting her be comfortable in the shorts. She nodded in appreciate and turned her attention to the young boy standing in the doorway separating his bedroom from the living room.

"Parker? Are you OK, sweetie?" She gave him a warm smile.

He walked over to her hesitantly. "I – I don't think I was supposed to hear that. I probably should have left the room, but I just couldn't… I'm sorry, Bones; sorry, Dad…"

"Parks, buddy, what are you talking about? What did you hear that you shouldn't have?" Booth wondered just how much of their conversation he'd just listened to.

"Dad – you – you killed the man who hurt Bones? You killed someone?" Parker was a little stunned, momentarily. He knew that his dad carried a gun. He knew his Dad was in shoot-outs, but he never actually envisioned his father shooting to kill.

Booth knelt down before his boy, holding his shoulders carefully in his hands. "Parker. Yes, I did." He was going to try to sugar-coat it, but there was no sense. His boy had already heard it; there was no sense in trying to keep this truth from him. "Parks… what I did was difficult. It's never easy taking another human's life, but in this case, he had been very _very_ hurtful to Bones. He had purposely taunted us with clues and had no -intentions of leading us to her. If it hadn't been for the Squint-squad, I may never have gotten to her. But the important thing to remember, Parker, is that Bones is OK. I am OK. You are OK. And that man can never hurt another family again. Ever." He pulled his emotional son into a warm embrace. "Parker, part of my job, sometimes means I have to shoot my gun; please know that I don't take that lightly, I never want you to think that I do. When you're older, you'll understand better, but for now, I just need you to know that what I did, was something that was necessary." He locked his son's eyes; deep brown with deeper brown… "Parker, do you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes, I think so Dad." Parker looked a little more reassured than when he had entered their conversation. "I think I understand. You're not, like, one of those gangsters who just goes and shoots people. You do it as a job, and only when you need to, right?"

"Exactly, Parker. Exactly." Booth smiled, knowing that his son, did, in fact understand that he was not some wild guns-a-blazing maniac. "Now, sit here with Bones and keep her company. I have to go get changed." He ruffled his son's curls affectionately, like he always did.

"DAD! I just combed my hair! Like you told me to, and then you go and mess it up!" He scowled at his dad's playful grin and then turned to see Bones smiling at them both. "Can you believe him, Bones? He tells me to make myself presentable, and then he goes and messes me up…" Parker grumbled as he trotted off to the bathroom again, to assess the damage done to his previously smoothed tresses… then returned to Bones' side once he was re-combed. "There! Now it's fixed again… if he messes it up again, I'm not going to fix it again…"

Bones chuckled and opened her arms to pull him close to her side. She kissed his forehead affectionately and felt him relax in her hold. She so loved cuddling with this boy… _Why did it take me so long to allow myself this kind of affection?_ She wondered to herself as she felt her own body relax against her second favorite Booth-boy. They were both startled when they heard a loud knock at the door.

Booth exited the bedroom just as he heard Cullen banging on the door. Parker looked up from his perch with Bones, inquiring whether he could stay or if he had to move.

"You're OK for now, pal. But if we need to talk in private, I'll have to ask you to go to your room and read a bit; or you can go to my room and watch TV. If Cullen needs to talk to us, we have to do it here, so Bones is still comfortable… Umm, listen, Parker, me and Bones, we need to keep our new relationship kind of quiet for now. So, we can't tell my Boss about it yet. Please don't say anything, ok?"

"OK, I understand, Dad. It's OK."

Another angry knock forced Booth to move from his spot, trotting over to kiss Bones on the cheek before moving to answer the door.

"Sir." Booth addressed his boss in a friendly, business-like tone and extended his hand for a firm handshake. He then moved his eyes to the other man standing at his door, holding an oversized bouquet of flowers. "Hacker." The name dripped from his lips, with thinly veiled disgust. Booth actually liked the Deputy Director of the DC field office, Sam Cullen; however, he could not stand the Assistant Director, Andrew Hacker. And since their little stand-off outside the cook-house at Nadia Gardens, Booth had an inkling that he would be paying for his insubordination; not that he would have done anything different…

"Booth, thanks for seeing us on short notice." Cullen replied in greeting, but Hacker said nothing, as they moved past the Agent and into his small entry way.

"This way, please. Bones is in here." Booth led them to the living room.

Both men took pause at seeing the female half of their best crime solving team laid up in a lounge chair, bruised and in obvious discomfort, but snuggled with a little version of their star Agent.

Cullen spoke first, "Dr. Brennan, it's good to see you. How are you feeling?" Despite the need to open an investigation on his Agent, Cullen believed Booth did exactly what he would have done if he were in Booth's shoes. He knew Dr. Brennan was worth fighting for, and he did feel truly happy to see her looking better than he'd expected, after receiving Hacker's report on the incident in Maryland.

"Sam, thank you. I am…working on getting better. But I believe I have a 'long road to recovery ahead of me', as the saying goes." Brennan spoke in a measured tone, still slightly distraught at the idea of maybe being the catalyst of her Partner's possible professional demise.

Hacker spoke in hushed tone, as he stepped forward, closer to her position. "Temperance. You look much better than you did the other night. I am so glad to see you looking so well. These are for you." He thrust the bouquet in her direction as she pulled her head back, eyeballing the flowers with confusion.

"Why, Andrew? Why did you bring me flowers? We are not going on a date. Flowers are for dates, are they not?" Her interpretation of his offer made him smile.

"No, Temperance, they are to make you _feel_ better. When someone is sick, it's customary to bring a present of flowers, or a plant or a get well card; something of the like. This is my offering to you, my wish for you to feel better." He glanced sideways, catching the darkened glare he was receiving from Booth, and then turned his gaze back to Tempe. "I figured, uh, _no one else_ would have gotten you any, and you _deserve_ some cheering up…" Hacker's eye flitted down towards the Little Booth lying in Tempe's arms and was a little taken aback at the scowl the boy was giving him.

"Oh, well, as is customary, I am sure, I should say thank you." She said, a little uncomfortably, as she turned her gaze to Booth, who was standing to the side of her chair, glaring at Hacker and his 'offering'_. She doesn't need flowers, you idiot. She doesn't even like roses, you dumbass. You can take your damn flowers and shove them up your –_

"Booth, would you take them and put them in water for me. Please?" She eyed him, sensing his possessiveness peaking, and wanting to deflect what could become a heated discussion, and they did not want to enter _that_ discussion at this point… Not yet – they agreed to wait until he could find out for sure they wouldn't be split up just because the nature of their relationship had changed…

"Yeah, sure, I'll just go do that…" he grabbed the flowers from Hacker and moved to the kitchen, with no intention at all of putting them in water. He tossed them into the garbage can without a second thought, before moving back out to the living room.

Hacker looked at Booth curiously, "Booth, you should bring the flowers out here, so Temperance can enjoy them."

"Yeah, maybe later, Hacker." He said stoically, before moving to stand behind Bones, wanting her to feel his presence for comfort, and in return, being near her provided him comfort.

"You both remember my son, Parker, yes?" Booth asked the gentlemen standing in his living room.

Cullen smiled at the boy, "Of course. My goodness, you're getting big Parker. How old are you now?"

Parker eyed the man carefully, not sure if he was friend or foe… "Eleven. I'll be twelve later this year."

"Wow, you're almost an old man, aren't you?" Cullen chuckled, hoping to put the obviously tense boy at ease. If he was anything like his father, and his sharp eyes indicated that he was, then he was a very intense young man. Cullen had nothing against his father, and he hoped to convey that to the young boy.

"Hey, Parks, could you, ah, excuse us? You can lay in my room and watch TV if you want."

"Sure, Dad." He looked from his Dad back to Bones, then leaned in and gave Bones a kiss on the cheek before sliding off the chair. "Here ya go, Bones, Dad can have his spot back now." Parker whispered to her, loud enough for his Dad to hear clearly, and for Hacker to think he _mis_heard… Parker didn't mean to cause discomfort or to let any information out, but he, too, had a possessive side when it came to Bones. And he didn't like the way Mr. Hacker was eyeing her…

"Sirs," Booth indicated to the couch, so they would sit. He grabbed a chair from the table and brought it around to position himself between Bones and his bosses. He placed the chair backwards in front of him, and straddled the back rest, resting his arms across the top edge.

"Booth," Cullen began, "is there someplace, _private_, we can talk with you?"

"Whatever you have to talk to me about can be said in front of Bones. I keep no secrets from her." Booth replied evenly, facing Cullen, ignoring Hacker.

Hacker interjected his opinion, "Agent Booth, it is highly unusual to discuss details of a formal investigation regarding a case in front of the _victim_." He turned his eyes to Temperance when he referenced her position as the victim. He tried to give her a caring stare, tried to convey that he still cared for her, but she and Booth both thought the look was more creepy than not…

"We're not discussing this in front of just the '_victim_'; we're discussing it in front of my Partner, who just happens to be the victim. Bones is my _Partner_, Hacker, whatever is to be discussed regarding not only this case, but my position, can be discussed with her in the room. I _insist_."

Booth could feel her fingertips brush against his back as she moved, closing the gap that separated them. Of course, the arm of the lounge still served as a barrier, but she could sit as close as possible and discreetly touch him, unseen by the other men, as his body blocked most of hers. She knew that when she was upset, his touch could bring her a bit of inner peace, and she hoped she could serve him at least an ounce of comfort. When his shoulders visibly released a twitch of tension, she knew she's succeeded, and that made her happy.

Cullen cleared his throat, bringing Booth's attention back to him, forcing the two younger men to break eye contact. "Agent Booth, as you are aware, any time there is a loss of life during a case, the FBI requires an official investigation of all details and circumstances leading up to, and surrounding, the death, whether it's the death of the victim or the death of the accused. When a case is…_complicated_…by an act of blatant insubordination, that pushes the investigation to the next level." Cullen squared his jaw and settled an even stare at Booth, waiting for a reaction. When none was forthcoming, he continued. "Now, Agent Booth, I am going to need to collect your badge, side arm and your rifle, until the investigation is concluded."

"Cullen, I understand the badge and service piece, but the rifle belongs to me, not the bureau."

"Regardless, Booth, it was the gun that was instrumental in the killing, therefore, I need to take it as well."

Booth huffed an impatient sigh as he rose to move to his safe. Unlocking it, he removed his badge and both guns in question. Ensuring that the rifle was not loaded, he replaced it into its fitted case; he then removed the magazine from his pistol. After turning the items over to Cullen, he signed the necessary paperwork verifying he'd done so, then moved back over to his seat near Bones.

"Agent Booth, until the closing of this investigation, you will be on paid suspension. Should your actions be determined as out of compliance, putting you at fault in this matter, you may be subjected to further disciplinary action, up to and including, termination. Do you understand these terms?"

"Yes, Sir. They're crystal clear."

Hacker turned to speak to the Agent, but was caught off guard when he noticed Temperance's fingers tracing the muscles on the back of Booth's bicep. Wrinkling his forehead in wonder, he moved his gaze back to the deep brown eyes that were observing _him_ observing _them_. He cleared his throat and began, "Agent Booth, we need to further discuss your disregard for authority. You were given clear instructions, which you chose to ignore. Your rogue behavior has cost the agency extra man-power, involved with the investigation; we will now be down a team, since you and Temperance will not be in the field, resulting in extra work loads on other agents; and it very well could have back-fired on _you_, resulting in the death of your _Partner_. What, if anything, do you have to say for your actions? For yourself?"

Booth leaned forward, still straddling the chair, but pushed his upper body towards Hacker. "I have a lot to say for my actions, but nothing that you would appreciate, _Sir_. I wouldn't do anything different if I had to do it all again. I was on site. I knew what was going on. I was there _on time_. If I had waited for you and your team, like I told you in Maryland, Bones would have been killed. Baker had all intentions to kill her, in order to get to me. And when he was done with her, he was going to go after my son. Then, after my son, who knows what? But I wasn't about to let it get that far. It had gone far enough, with what he did to her. Too far. You have _no idea_, Hacker. You never will." Booth took a deep breath, turned his head to look over his shoulder at his best friend. Disregarding the fact that his bosses were sitting there in the living room with them, he turned slightly, enough to reach his hand around his back and grasp hers in a tight hold. He then locked eyes with Hacker once again. "_You_ weren't standing in the doorway to that cook-house listening to her screams of pain and terror. You weren't there to hear the insanity in his voice. You weren't there to see the determination in his eyes as he emerged from the shadows. He had his sights set on killing and if I didn't take him out, he could have succeeded. He broke out of prison once, who's to say that he wouldn't escape a second time if he was locked up?" He gently brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, and then released it, turning his body back to face his bosses face on. "You only saw _some_ of the photos; you saw the envelope of evidence that was delivered to my office. But you _didn't_ hear her screams… the recording he sent to us…the screams that filled the air of the Gardens. _I_ will hear those screams until the day I die…You didn't read the texts with which he intended to taunt us, assuming we wouldn't find him. You didn't smell the fresh blood filling the air when I arrived; the acrid scent of fear that bathed Bones as he took out his frustrations on her body. I will _never_ be sorry for what I did; I will hold no regrets. If you and your investigators find that I was out of protocol, or that I acted irrationally, then so be it. Fire me. But don't expect an apology. _Ever_."

Hacker visibly paled as Booth described his viewpoint. He had to admit to himself, that if he had come upon Temperance being hurt, he was likely to act out of protocol as well. But he couldn't admit that out loud. He sat up straighter, not knowing what to say.

The momentary silence was broken by Parker coming out from the bedroom, "Dad?"

Booth raised his eyes and painted a smiled for his son, "Yeah, Parks? You okay?"

"Yeah, um... Can I play that game on your phone? The Stupid Zombie Game?"

Booth grinned, "TV boring, son? Sure, my phone is charging in on my nightstand. You know where to find the game?"

"Yeah, thanks Dad!" Parker trotted back into the bedroom, none the wiser to the tension that filled the living room.

Cullen was once again the one to break the silence. "Um, Dr. Brennan? Since you are here, and involved with this case not only as Booth's partner, but as the unfortunate victim, do you mind if I ask you some questions? They may help in clearing Booth of any fault in this case." Cullen truly didn't want to lose his best Special Agent. He believed that Seeley Booth acted no different than any other man; not only protecting his Partner, but protecting the woman he so obviously loved. _Hacker's blind if he thinks Dr. Brennan would see someone other than Booth in a romantic sense. These two are made for each other. They would protect each other to the end. _

Dr. Brennan looked eagerly at Cullen. "Yes, Sam. Anything. Anything I can do to help. I am willing to answer any questions if they will help Booth. If, however, you betray me and use my words against Booth's defense, I guarantee you that FBI will _never_ have the cooperation of the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Lab again. I don't often use my status there for my own benefit, but you should know that with the amount of money I donate to the foundation, combined with the probable media circus that would surround the termination of the most successful FBI team in DC history, and my influence, the Jeffersonian will have nothing to do with the bureau again." Her words were clear and concise, the message contained therein, even more so. _Don't screw with me… Don't test me on this. You will lose._

As Cullen drew a breath, preparing to question Brennan, their conversation was shattered by screaming coming from Booth's bedroom. It was the recording of Bones' screams that Baker had sent through.

"Shit," Booth lunged from his chair and launched himself into the bedroom. He found Parker sitting high up on the bed, his back against the headboard, as he stared horrified at Booth's cell phone, which rested discarded at the foot of the bed. Booth scooped up the cell phone and cancelled the media program.

Booth felt a presence at the doorway of his room, and assumed that, at least, Cullen had followed him upon hearing the screams. Booth ignored the man behind him. He sat on the bed and faced Parker, cupping his cheeks to draw his boy's eyes up to meet his own.

Unshed tears came spilling out from the eleven-year-old's eyes. "Dad – I – I just tried to get the game. I swear. I wasn't snooping. I hit the media button and I thought I hit the right icon to open the Zombie game, but then… then pictures flashed up. And… And I tried to cancel out of it and then the screaming started… Dad, I'm sorry; please don't be mad. I'm so sorry." Parker was openly crying. Upset that he'd found something on his Dad's phone that he obviously shouldn't have found, but even more upset that it was Bones' screams that he was hearing. Bones' pictures that he saw.

Booth opened his arms and his son crashed into his Dad's chest. "Shh... Parker. You're not in trouble, son. I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry that you found those. I thought that Angela had removed them from my phone at the lab, when she downloaded them. Parker, I'm sorry that you witnessed all that."

"Bones – Bones was the one in the pictures, right? And I know that's her scream; and it was her voice asking for you. Did that man do that to her? Why, Dad? Why did this happen to her? Why, Dad? What did she do? She didn't deserve that!" Parker was speaking rapidly through his sobs. Booth could feel his son's tears through his t-shirt as he swayed his boy from side to side.

"Shh…Parker. Shh… Yes, it's her. You knew that. It's her." He pulled back and held his son's face to look into his eyes. "But she's alright, now, buddy. She's going to heal and be back to normal in no time."

"Dad… what – what can I do? What can I do to help? I want to help her." Parker's frantic sobs subsided slightly, but tears still fell from the brown eyes that mirrored his Dad's.

"Parks, we can love her. We can stand by her side when she needs help; we can hold her hand when she needs holding. We do what we've been doing since she came home. We keep on loving her, son. Can you do that?" Booth knew his son loved his best friend unconditionally. He knew that his young mind was not completely ignorant to the trials that he and Bones could face in their professions, but it broke his heart knowing that this is how he witnessed it, for the first time – terrified – by himself in a darkened room while he held a phone, simply trying to find a game to play.

Bones' voice carried through the apartment, "Booth? Parker? Hey! Guys?" She wanted to know what was happening, but she had been abandoned by all three men who had been occupying the room with her.

"Do you want to go out and see Bones? You wanna go give her a big hug?" He smiled as his son nodded eagerly. "Go on, then, climb up with her. We're finished out there." Booth made the decision that their meeting was to be adjourned, effective immediately. He had to take care of his family; that was more important than protecting his job at that point.

Parker pushed his way past the two men who stood by the doorway leading to the hallway that would take him to his idol. He ran to her, climbed up into the lounge chair and buried his face into her chest as she cooed and rocked him, even through her own discomfort and pain, she rocked him softly, side to side.

Booth stood from where he sat at the edge of the bed and turned to see both his superiors watching him in slight shock and awe.

"Sir, I request that we postpone the remainder of this meeting until a later date. I need to see to my son. He never should have witnessed that. He shouldn't have seen what he just saw, heard what he just heard."

"Absolutely, Booth. Absolutely, your family comes first. Always." Cullen held Booth's eyes, conveying a message hidden in his words. "Family _always_ takes precedence over work, Agent Booth." He retreated back down the hall, pushing past Hacker, who was still standing with his jaw slightly agape. "C'mon Andrew, it's time we leave."

Hacker turned to follow the Deputy Director, but then turned back to Booth. "I'm sorry, Booth. You're right…I had no idea. And even now, I have only a slight one. But I understand more; better." He turned back and walked slowly down the hall and paused when he saw the woman that he'd so desperately wanted to return his affections, hugging and rocking the miniature Booth as he curled into her body. He understood now, that she was meant to be here. She was meant to be with Seeley Booth. And Seeley Booth was meant to protect her; to keep her safe no matter how fierce he had to be; despite what the FBI said; despite what he or Cullen said…

Cullen spoke quietly to Brennan, "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you, Dr. Brennan. Please rest assured that I do want to have your statement, your point of view, and it will be used in _defense_ of Agent Booth's actions. But now is no longer the time. We will be in touch, and when it's a good time for you, we'll come back." He touched the anthropologist's shoulder gently, feeling the soft spot he'd always had for her, grow just a bit more.

"Thank you, Sam. I will be ready the next time." She moved her lips back to the top of Parker's blond curls, and continued to whisper to him, comforting him that she was going to be fine and his love was a big part of her healing process.

The two men moved towards the door, saying their goodbyes as they moved. Cullen carried the weapons that Booth had surrendered, giving his favorite Agent an apologetic glance. Booth nodded slightly, understanding that Cullen was, in fact, on his side, and held his hand out to bid them both a warm goodbye. Locking the door behind them, Booth moved back into the living room and sat to the side of the lounge chair, rubbing his son's back gently, as he'd done countless times when Parker was sick. He and Bones shared a silent conversation, supporting each other, supporting his son, vowing to get through this _as a family_.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, was it OK? We will be moving out of the apartment soon, fear not… I don't want anyone to get bored with the setting, but there were just a few things that needed to be addressed while they were still at his place. **

**Please review! It helps my Muse's motivation to write more! PLEASE?**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N welcome back! **

**We are still at the apartment, but don't worry, tomorrow we're planning a field trip, so we'll have a change of scenery soon! **

**I hope you're all still enjoying it. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything of real value… just the mere satisfaction that there are a few of you out there who like my plot! **

**Thank you to those of you who take time to review! It really means a lot to me! I am a little behind in my replies, so please forgive me... I had the time to either reply or work on the story, not both... so I chose the story. I hope to, this week, have the chance to reply to those who still haven't heard from me, and hopefull I will have some folks to write to after you review this chapter... HINT HINT**

**Let's return to the apartment, where Parker is being consoled after finding Booth's media folder...**

With her lips pressed against his soft bouncy curls, Brennan spoke softly to Parker. "Are you ready to tell me what happened? You want to talk about it?" Bones had immediately encased the young Booth in her arms when he came running to her, but she still didn't know _exactly_ what had happened; Parker had simply snuggled himself against her chest and sobbed, and Booth didn't want to say anything until Parker was ready to talk.

"Parks, buddy, it will make it easier if we all talk about it. Whatcha think?" Booth still sat facing Parker's back, his hand resting on his boy's shoulder. He bounced his gaze back and forth between Bones' worried blue eyes and the dark blond curls on the back of Parker's head.

Parker's tears had finally subsided, and he just let himself settle into the warmth that surrounded him. Bones' arms cradled him; her hands lightly tickled his back, lulling him into a sound sense of security. The large, strong hand that rested on the back of his shoulder brought him a feeling of calm that he only ever experienced with his Dad; not even his mom could provide him with that calm peace of mind. He lifted his eyes to meet the concerned pale ones that were looking down at him, and he nodded his head slowly in consent. "OK," he whispered, "we can talk."

Booth's calm voice spoke first, knowing that he had to explain to Bones what had occurred. "Bones, when Parker was using my phone to play the game that he asked me about, he accidentally entered the media folder rather than the games folder. The, ah, media folder contained all the evidence that came through during our search for you. My phone was on the receiving end of the texts and photos." He locked his eyes on Bones', to make sure she understood what he was talking about. "When Angela downloaded them into her computer, she didn't wipe them off my phone, and I didn't know that they were still on there."

Realization dawned on her. She knew about the recording – she remembered that vividly; Baker had told her what to say, and threatened her if she said more...She could only imagine the photos, and the images that her imagination churned out were horrifying. She pulled her best friend's son closer, as close as possible without hurting the boy. "Oh, Parker, sweetheart, I'm sorry." She kissed his head and turned her teary eyes to Booth. "Booth, I'm so sorry," she whispered to him. "I'm-"

Booth placed a finger to her lips and shook his head. He didn't want her to apologize any more. She was taking blame that wasn't hers to take. He whispered softly, "Baker did this, not you, Bones." He removed his forefinger from her mouth and traced her cheek, before moving his hand to his son's hair. "Parker?" But his son didn't move to look at him. "Parker? Look at me, please."

At the specific request, Parker turned his tear-swollen eyes to meet his Dad's. "huh?"

"Parker, listen… I never meant for you to see those things, but you have now, and we can't go back in time. But, I think it would do you good if we talk about what you just saw."

Parker nodded, and then turned his eyes back to Bones. "I'm sorry you were hurt so bad, Bones. And I'm sorry that I opened your pictures…I didn't mean it, really, I didn't." He took a deep breath and turned his gaze back towards his father. "What should I talk about, Dad?"

"Well, Pal, first, you should know that you don't need to apologize for opening the files. It was an accident, and we're not upset with you. But I want to know what you thought about when you saw them; and when you heard the recording. I mean, you can see that Bones is here, she's safe and she's going to be alright. But it was very clear that you were affected by the files and that you needed to be near her, so I just wanted you to, ya know, be able to talk about your feelings." He looked to Bones for support. He hated psychology and this situation was _all about_ psychology… Bones recognized the overwhelmed look in Booth's eyes and turned her eyes to Parker. Bones hated psychology more than Booth did, but she was more rational than he; less emotional, and that was what the situation needed.

"Parks, I am sorry that you got scared for me. The last thing I would want is to be the cause of any upset. But, like your Dad said, I _am _going to be alright. You know that, don't you? You believe us, right?" She saw a doubt in the youth's eyes that she didn't understand.

Parker shrugged shyly. "Some—Sometimes Dad doesn't always tell me the way it is. He tries to protect me from the truth sometimes. And, maybe you do…too? Maybe today you guys are telling me that you're OK, but that you're really not… Sometimes I don't know how much to believe." He looked into her deep pools of blue, searching for the truth.

At hearing his son's confession, Booth's heart sank. He only ever tried to keep his son from seeing the harsh reality and cruelty of the world…of the world in which he worked. He never meant to jeopardize his son's trust. He tried to speak, but no words were formed…he had a lump in his throat the size of a grapefruit and he _could not speak_…

Upon seeing Booth's deflated and distraught look, she spoke for both him and herself. "Parker, I will never lie to you. And your Dad protects you because he loves you more than anything in the world… more than he loves anyone else, and he doesn't want you to be hurt or scared or upset. He doesn't mean to make you not trust what he tells you. He would never purposefully hurt you, you know that right? When he – um – _softens _the truth, he always has legitimate reasons for doing it." She ducked her head a little, so her forehead was leaning on his. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Parker nodded.

"He does it to me, too. Sometimes he does something, or sees something, but doesn't tell me the reality of it. I've learned that this is his way of telling me, or showing me, that he loves me." Bones was thinking about a particular day, when she was standing at the side of a grave, waiting for him to join her, and he didn't come. Instead, he was off threatening the life of the Mara Meurte gang leader, who'd put a hit out on her head. It wasn't until years later that she found out that the truth of why he was late to the funeral - - he was protecting her; but he didn't tell her that at the time, he simply apologized and said something had held him up. In her eyes, this was the ultimate proof of how he felt about her; she was just too stubbornly blind to see it and she didn't want Parker to miss out on his father's noble characteristics and acts, and, as a result, misinterpret them.

Parker's eyes got big, and he turned back to look at his father. "Dad, it's not that I don't trust you. I _totally_ trust you. I know that you sometimes sugar-coat things... You don't _have_ to sweeten _everything_, though. But I know you do it because you love me, and I don't think badly of that. I didn't mean for it to come out like that." He shifted in Bones' arms so he was facing his dad completely, with his back pressed against Bones' chest as she looped her arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

"Parks, I – uh – I don't want you to lose your childhood like so many kids do. I know you probably don't understand that just now, but when you're older, you will. When you have a son of your own, you'll want to protect him, too… But I would never, _never,_ keep the truth from you. Especially if it was urgent, or if it directly affected you in any way. If something was truly wrong with Bones', if her wounds were not manageable, she wouldn't be here. She'd be in a hospital, whether she wanted it or not, because I would not let her hurt herself by _not_ going. And I know those pictures were bad, and I know that sound bite was horrible, but I want you to believe that she will honestly be fine." He looked up to meet Bones' eyes, which were brimming with tears.

"OK, Dad. I didn't mean to doubt you. It's just – just that you guys are _finally_ together, like _really_ together, and I didn't want something to happen." His voice softened, suddenly, "and I've wanted this for so long…The two of you to be like this…" He smiled wanly, "I _do_ trust you, Dad. More than I trust anyone. But the photos looked really bad. There was a lot of blood in them, and – and," he turned his eyes back to Bones, "you sounded really _really_ scared, Bones. I never heard anyone sound so frightened before…And you were asking for my Dad… What if he didn't get to you? Would you – would that man have…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words, but his eyes did – _would that man have killed you?_

"Parker, he found me. That's all that matters. Your Dad _saved_ me. He searched for me and he found me, just like I asked him to do. Just like he always promised to do. Your Dad didn't let me go through this alone. So I don't want you to think about 'what-if' any more. 'What-if' doesn't solve anything, it only causes anxiety. Your Dad, and you, are here to help me, and you'll see how quickly I heal. I am above average in everything I do, so I expect that my body will also mend at an exponentially faster rate than most." She gave the boy a squinty grin, knowing that it drove Booth a little loopy when she praised herself immodestly.

"But… so much blood…" Parker's memory was fixated only on those photos. "How much blood did you lose, Bones? How much _can_ a person lose? It was everywhere in those pictures…"

"Parker, would you like to see my back, now?" Bones offered.

"Wha - Bones! _No_, no, Parker doesn't need to see your back." Booth gave her a look that said '_have you lost your mind? My kid's already traumatized_…'

"Booth, will you trust me on this, please? If Parker sees how much better my back is, he will realize that those photos, and the blood that was evident in them, are no longer relevant. If he's going to be bothered by memories of what happened to me, I would think he would be better off remembering me _now_, rather than _then_." She stared at Booth over the top of Parker's head, not trying to omit Parker from the conversation, but still talking about him as if he wasn't there…

Booth nodded in understanding. "Of course, Bones. You're right…it would be better for him to see your wounds cleaned." He lowered his eyes to Parker, "do you want to, Parks? Would you feel better, do you think?"

Parker felt a little weird. He wanted to see the stitches, because, of course, boys think stitches are awesome, and he was _all-boy_. But he hated that they were _her _stitches. Like his Dad, Parker never wanted Bones to hurt. He knew a little about her childhood and knew that she had been hurt back then; and he knew that his Dad had vowed to do everything in his power to never let anyone hurt her again. He'd heard his Dad pray for Bones plenty of times when they were in church. Booth had even told Parker once, that his second most important job (the first being keeping Parker protected and safe) was to ensure that no one ever harmed Bones again…And Parker's stomach flipped a little, at the fact that he _wanted_ to see the stitches that caused her to be in pain… _Is this wrong?_ He pondered in his young mind. But, in the end, the sheer _wanting_ won out… he did want to see what the end result looked like. He couldn't imagine that it looked nice, based on what he'd already seen in the photos, but he understood why it was being suggested. The day before, he had asked to see her stitches, but she told him no…now _she_ was suggesting it… _adults are sometimes confusing_, he mused. "Are you serious? Bones, yesterday when I asked, you told me I couldn't see them, but now, are you really OK with me looking at them? Because I am…um…a little _curious_."

"Yesterday, you hadn't seen the 'before' pictures, and I didn't see a need for you to see my scars, in case they bothered you. But now, it only makes sense to let you see them. If you still want to… I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to."

"No, I think I would like to see them. If they look better – then maybe I won't think so much about what I saw on the phone… hopefully." Parker lowered his eyes, a little embarrassed. He saw blood and stuff on TV shows and it never bothered him, but knowing the person, _loving_ the person, that it happened to was a completely different experience.

Booth spoke up, "Parker. I think that Bones has a very valid point; it will be good for you to see the end result of Dr. Saroyan's care. Let me take Bones in and lay down. I'll come get you when it's OK to see her, alright?"

Parker nodded as Booth moved to Bones' side to lift her from her place. He carried her down the hall, holding her close as she nuzzled into his neck. His heart swelled in his chest at the patience, understanding and care she just demonstrated towards his son.

He spoke quietly as he laid her on the bed, "I didn't hear Parker ask you yesterday to see your stitches. When did that happen?"

"While you were in the kitchen and he climbed up to lay with me."

"Hmm…" Booth wondered what else he'd missed… "Why did you tell him no?" Now he was just curious of the conversation.

"Because I knew that you worried about how much he knew; how much he saw. I didn't want you to be upset with me. I mean, I completely understood his desire to see them; he is a very inquisitive and science-oriented boy, Booth. His curiosity to see a medical treatment is actually quite commendable."

He smiled down at her, and sat down on the edge of the bed, just in the curve of her waist. "He was curious, Bones, but not for the medical side of it… He was curious because stitches are considered 'gross'… He's a boy, Bones. It's what boys specialize in – all things gross."

"Booth, you're not giving him credit." She gave him an admonishing look.

"Bones, baby, trust me on this one." He smiled as he slipped that little nick-name in there. "Maybe today, his reasons are different, but yesterday, his brain would have been saying to himself, '_Self? Ask to check those stitches out. They're gunna be so cool_'. It's a boy-thing, believe me – I was once a boy once too." He smiled at her. "But, Bones, thank you. Thank you for using discretion and for thinking about how I would feel about it. That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Booth. I would never want to do anything that involved your son, if it would upset you." She rested her cheek on her pillow, then reached over and pulled his, replacing hers with it. "hmm…. Your pillow smells like you…" Her brain fuzzed-over… "Oh, God, did I just say that out loud?" She looked a little embarrassed, when her eyes met his laughing face.

"YUP… sure did, Bones. You're so cute." He bent over and kissed her blush-emblazoned cheek. He twisted at his waist and brought his hands to the bottom hem of her shirt. "OK, I am going to raise this up to your shoulders, Bones. And for God's sake, please do not go moving around when he comes in… I want him to see your back, not sneak peeks at your boobs…" She looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Booth!"

"Again, Bones… He's a boy… _my boy_, and trust me, if he's given a chance to see _them_, he'd take it!" He rose and moved to the bathroom to wash his hands then walked to the bedroom door, "Parks, come on back here," he called out to his son, and the boy came bouncing down the hallway.

Parker stopped at the doorway and looked up at his Dad. "OK, I'm ready Dad." His face showed a mixture of emotions: anxiety, excitement, curiosity, dread…

Booth ushered him over to Bones' side of the bed. _Bones' side of the bed – that sounds very nice_, he thought momentarily, as he smiled at her questioning eyes.

"OK, Parks. See all these tiny Band-Aids on her back?" He waited for Parker to take a deep breath and focus on what he was seeing. "Well, each one covers a group of stitches. What I am going to do, because it's time to re-dress each one anyway, is, I am going to take the Band-Aids off, apply this," he held up the anti-bacterial cream, "and then put fresh Band-Aids back on." He held his son's gaze. "Do you want to stay in here for it? Or is this enough, now that you see there is no more blood?"

"No, I'm OK to stay. If – if you guys are still ok with me being here?" Parker tossed his look from his Dad to Bones, asking with his eyes.

"Sweetie, it's fine if you stay," Bones replied quietly.

"Cool – uh – I mean, um, thanks…" He was torn as to the correct way of responding, so he just shut up. _The less I say, the less I'll get in trouble if I say something wrong,_ he talked to himself, instead.

Booth smirked, "OK, buddy, but if you find that you don't like it, you don't have to stay."

"No, I'll be fine Dad. Actually, Bones, your back _does_ look pretty good. Not at all what I was expecting…" his voice trailed off as he looked from stitch to stitch as his Dad removed the dressings. He noticed large scars, older scars, raking down her back, starting just under her shoulder blades, and disappearing beneath the pants she wore. In his mind, he worked out that these must be from when she was young; when she was injured as a foster kid. These must be what his Dad knew about; why he was so protective of her, and suddenly he became very emotional, but swallowed his approaching tears. _Can't let this upset me_, he told himself, _be strong – I know she's going to be fine now… And now they're a couple – Dad will really never let anyone hurt her again… He'll keep her safe, I know he will…_ And his emotions turned to pride as he thought about how much his Dad loved Bones, and how he knew that they would all be alright from now on…

He watched in silence for the most part, as Booth applied medication and Band-Aids to her back. Occasionally Booth would say something to him or to Bones, breaking the silence, discussing the plans for the rest of the day, or recapping the movies that they'd watched the previous day; addressing anything _other_ than what he was actually doing. And the time went smoothly and quickly and before they knew it, Booth was done, and moved into the bathroom to wash his hands again.

Parker moved up and knelt on the floor to be eye-to-eye with Bones. "Thanks, Bones, for letting me come in. You were right; I _do_ feel a ton better seeing your back. Actually, I think you're going to have some really cool looking scars after all this is done!" He smiled at her, in boy-fascination over kick-ass scars and pretty blue eyes…

She chuckled, "Well, Parker, I intend to use special creams to limit the scarring, but I am glad you approve." She smiled warmly, wanting to reach out and stroke his face, but remembering Booth's warning to remain still, so that's what she did. "Now, why don't you go pick out a few movies and get them ready for the day, huh? I think that we'll be having another lazy day in the living room. And maybe get some snacks out, huh? Something healthy this time… _if _Dad has anything out in the kitchen that would pass as healthy…"

"Sure thing, Bones! Anything you want!" He hopped to his feet and trotted out the door, now on a mission.

Booth, who had been standing just inside the bathroom door, watching the interaction, re-entered smiling, and walked over to her side. "You know, Bones, if that boy was older, and _not_ my son, I'd have to worry about competition…" He was trailing his fingertips along her cheekbone, "He's got such a crush on you that he'd jump off a bridge if you told him to."

"Booth, you're being dramatic, he does _not _have a crush on me… and _why_ would I ever tell someone to jump off a bridge? That's just insanity, and I am not insane."

He squatted, as he pulled her t-shirt back down to cover her tender skin, "Again, Bones, he's a boy… You're a beautiful woman with stunning blue eyes, fair skin, and a killer smile… believe me, he has a crush on you. He's got good taste, like his father…" He brought his lips to her nose and kissed it gently. "And… the bridge – thing…. It's just a saying, Bones. It means he would do anything you asked, no matter how crazy your request might be."

"Well, that's a silly saying. And I still think you're wrong. Besides, I'm too old for him to have a crush on. So stop embarrassing me." But secretly, she loved that attention that Booth showered on her. She wasn't sure how she felt about his son having a crush on her, but the way he just described her… even though the words were few, his eyes told much, _much _more about how he viewed her. And the feelings he provoked in her, were ones that she could really become accustomed to.

"Yeah, too old, huh? When I was his age, I was in love with Olivia Newton John… like she wasn't too old for me? Hah!"

"Booth, I don't know who that is… Was she your teacher? Ooh, no, I know… She was your librarian, wasn't she? You have a thing for librarians… was she the one who turned you onto librarians?" Bones smiled broadly, proud of her deductions, certain she was right.

"Oh, God, Bones… You don't know Olivia Newton John? Are you serious? 'Let's get Physical'? '_Grease_'? '_Xanadu_'?" He looked at her eagerly, hoping that something would spark… but nothing lit up in her eyes except confusion.

"You want to use grease to get physical? Umm… They make personal lubricant for that Booth, you shouldn't use grease. But I don't understand what Kubla Khan's summer palace Xanadu has to do with sex. Did your librarian turn you onto reading Coleridge's poem about Kubla Khan?"

Now it was Booth's turn to be confused. "Bones, what? What the hell are you talking about? No, I don't want to use grease to have sex!" He scrunched up his face, baffled by her babbling. "Wha-what? I know all about personal lubricant, Bones. And what the hell about Kubla Khan? No, no, never mind, I don't think I want to know…" He shook his head in pseudo-frustration. "Bones, _Grease_ was a very popular movie – a musical – that starred Olivia Newton John. And 'Let's get Physical' was a HUGE hit on the music charts… and _Xanadu_ was a move that she starred in. She was the focus on thousands of boys' wet dreams in the 1970's and early 1980's…including mine! Jeez, Bones, we have a lot more work ahead of us…"

Bones looked up at Booth, his meanings sinking in a little… "Oh… I see…they are pop-culture references. Booth you should know better… But you should at least know the meaning of Xanadu. If you read Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Kubla Khan poem from the 1700's, it makes reference to a summer paradise, or a palace of sorts, belonging to Kublai Khan. You _do know_ who Kublai Khan was, don't you Booth? He was an ancient ruler in China. You really should know these things, Booth…"

"Bones… stop… I don't want a history lesson here… And yes, I do know who Khan was. I _did_ pass world history, you know." He was laughing and moving up closer to her shoulders, pulling her into his arms. "C'mere."

"Aww…" Bones cooed as she was embraced within his strength. "I guess I have a lot to learn, don't I?" Her words were muffled against his chest.

"Well, Bones, it just gives me more excuses to have movie nights with you…to cuddle in front of the TV…or listen to music…And I'll take any excuse I can get." He planted a firm, loud kiss on top of her head, inhaling her scent as he did so.

She giggled, "Booth, you don't need excuses anymore, right? I mean, we _are _moving forward, aren't we? And doesn't that mean we don't need excuses?"

"You're right, Bones. We don't need excuses, but I'm gunna use them anyway, to make you watch the movies _I_ want you to see." He laughed, knowing that she was pretty much game to watch whatever he thought she would like, and in return, he often suffered through her dry documentaries and auditorium lectures, outwardly projecting, for her benefit, that he enjoyed each and every moment of them. It was a brilliant give-and-take relationship that they shared already, and it was bound to get better…

"HEEEY! Are you guys coming out _or what_? Food's ready and the movie's ready to begin!" Parker was yelling from the living room, not bothering to walk down the hallway, knowing that his Dad and Bones were probably being mushy; he could hear it in his Dad's laugh. _He only laughs like that with Bones_…Secretly, it made Parker smile, but the 11-year-old was anxious to watch the next movie in his pile. _Bones is gunna love this one_, he mused with a cheesy grin as he held the DVD case in his hands. '_Wall-E' is all about conservation and protection of the planet… She's gunna really like it._ He was proud of his choice, and waited impatiently for them to join him; he started munching on the fruit salad he brought out from the fridge.

B/B/B/B

Baby-Booth was right, of course. Bones truly enjoyed the animated Disney movie, and she quoted statistical facts throughout, referencing recycling, conservation, land-fills…etc…etc… But neither of the boys minded; Parker loved to learn stuff from her and Booth just loved to listen to her talk. So, neither interrupted her lessons, they listened attentively and let her teach them, as she saw necessary.

The day passed without event. Parker claimed the couch as his own personal lounge; complete with his bed pillow and blanket. Booth, of course, relaxed with Bones on the lounge chair. He wasn't there because she needed him in order to sit comfortably. He was there because he _wanted_ to be there, almost as much as _she_ wanted him to be there. They cuddled and snuggled like teenagers, stealing kisses from each other as often as possible, both enjoying the challenge of getting away with not being caught by his son as they smooched. Around 4:30, Booth turned to Parker and tossed a spare throw pillow his way, bopping him on the head.

"Daaaad! What the heck? What was that for?" Parker was laughing as he recoiled in delayed reaction. He and his Dad often had pillow fights with the living room throw pillows. It all stared one time when Parker asked '_why do they call these 'throw pillows'?_' And his Dad showed him… by throwing one at him. Ever since then, they would try to catch each other off guard, and the winner of the day would gloat his success and set punishment for the 'loser'. They hadn't really had a good pillow fight since Hannah was there, though. She got mad when they got too 'wild' as she put it. It felt good to have a pillow flung his direction again…

"A-ha! I gotcha! Now YOU have to wash the dinner dishes…heh heh heh" He gave his son a big toothy grin, "you're slipping, kiddo. You missed all your chances…"

"Dad! I was behaving, because Bones is here. You always told me to behave when _guests _are here. Bones doesn't live here, that makes her a _guest_ and _**that**_ means YOU misbehaved, so _**I**_ get to set YOUR punishment. You not only have to wash the dishes, but you also have to take out the garbage _and_ sweep the kitchen floor!" Parker beamed at his success to actually get one-up on his Dad.

"What? Bones isn't a guest. She's been here too often to be a guest. Therefore, it was a fair pillow-toss…AND since you questioned my judgment and authority in the matter, you have to wash the dishes, take out the garbage, sweep the kitchen floor _and_ sort the laundry loads to lights and darks. HA!"

"Booth! You're terrible!" Bones laughed and stretched her neck to look over to Parker. "I'm with you, Parker. Your Dad's behavior was completely unacceptable, given that I am present. I _am_ a guest, thank _you_ for recognizing that. In addition to the punishment you set out for your father, I think he should also sweep both bathrooms, vacuum both bedrooms and the area rug in here." She nodded smugly, with a firm nod and a wink to her young partner-in-crime, and then spared a sideways glance to the man whose arms were wrapped around her fragile frame. She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently, teasingly, "We win, Booth, looks like you get to suffer the punishments." She chuckled quietly, knowing that he wouldn't try to get her back… It was playfully wrong, she knew, but he wouldn't disagree with her… and she enjoyed that little bit of leverage.

"Wow…" Booth feigned exasperation and shock, "Both of you are against me… I can't win." He chuckled as he bent in to allow his lips to grab hold of her throat. "Guess I'll have to do it all, then, won't I?"

Parker yelled in triumph, pumping his fists in the air as he jogged off to use the bathroom. "Good call, Bones! We won!"

"Yes, we did Parker," Bones grinned as she called after him. Then she lowered her voice as she felt Booth's tongue caressing her neck, "I know _I_ won…" Her words were deep and throaty, and Booth could feel the vibration of her voice against his lips, to which he moaned in approval.

"You know, Bones, I won't _always_ let you win… Sometimes _I_ like to win, too, you know…" He spoke the words softly into her ear, before letting his tongue reach out and grab her earlobe, bringing it to his lips to be sucked into his mouth. After allowing some attention to be reigned on her so-very-soft lobe, he pulled his head back and looked at her with darkened, nearly black, eyes. "Mmm…Yummy…"

"Booth…!" Bones whispered loudly, in a sing-song tone, "you better stop that… You're going to get me started…"

"That's what my plan has been all along, Bones, why would I stop now?" He was proud of himself, now, because he knew the affect he had on her body. He brought his hand from her waist and ran it up her side, just grazing the material that covered her suddenly heaving breast. "I _love_ knowing that I can get you started… And I am going to use that information to my benefit often… _very often_…" To prove his point, he tweaked her nipple before pulling his hand away, knowing that his son would be making an appearance again shortly. "_That,_ Bones, is a promise…"

She was left slightly breathless and tormented. Just moments before, she was conspiring with his son against him and now… _now I'm just a pile of goo in his arms… How does he DO this!_

Parker came out from the bathroom all smiles, thinking about how they got his Dad to have to do all the chores. _We're a great team, me and Bones._ _She may be my dad's partner at work, and obviously his girlfriend now, but when we gang up on him, we'll be invincible! He's powerless against her… this is gunna be great! Ha! _

The adults had composed themselves by the time the boy re-entered the living room. "What are you laughing at Buddy?" Booth asked his son, knowing perfectly well what had him so happy.

"Oh, gee, nothin' Dad… Nothin' at all… Can't I just be a happy kid?" Parker answered and smiled at Bones' matching grin.

"uh-huh… Sure, Parks, sure you can." Booth answered with a laugh as he tightened his arm around the tight waist of the beauty beside him, and looked down at her, "Yeah, you can just be a 'happy kid' too, there Bones…Just keep laughing you two, one of these days you'll both get yours."

Booth's cell phone rang from the bedroom and Parker ran in to retrieve it for him. As he came running down the hall, he saw the caller ID. "It's Angela, Dad, can I answer it? Please?"

"Yes, Parker, go ahead!" Booth called to his son, then chuckled and turned to Bones. "Another one of his crushes. Not nearly as crush-worthy as you, but a definite object of crushability."

"Booth, that's not a word, and I think you're making this stuff up." Bones laughed, but then looked to Parker as he strolled slowly the rest of the way into the living room.

"Hi Angela, it's me, Parker." –pause- "Really? Wow…" –pause- "Well you know, I _am_ getting older now, so it would make sense that I sound more like my Dad than I ever did before." –pause- "Uh-huh. They are right in the other room, I'm walking the phone in there now." –pause- "Are you coming over tonight, Angela?" –pause- "Awesome. Yeah, that sounds great!" –pause- "yeah, OK, see you soon, Angela. I can't wait to see you!"

Booth laughed at his son's facial expressions as they changed during the course of the conversation; his smile grew upon obviously hearing she was coming over, and bright rosy patches filled his cheeks. "Bones, I'm telling you, look at him…listen to him… he's practically a dribbling puppy! I may not be a genius like you, but I know my kid…"

Her retort was cut off as Parker approached closer, but she was not yet finished with this conversation. She had full intentions of revisiting this topic when she and Booth would not be interrupted. Parker had a crush on her best friend? No way…. Booth was crazy…

B/B/B/B

Parker set the dining table for dinner, seating for six, because Angela and Hodgins were coming over (bringing home-made baked ziti) and Cam would be joining them as well, as soon as she was through at the lab. Booth moved about the kitchen, making iced tea and fruit punch, and then as agreed upon when Angela called, he popped some garlic bread into the oven and threw together a quick tossed salad. After some thought, he whipped up some brownies for dessert later. _Bones loves my brownies_, he thought with a small, smug grin… _And what's not to love? I make the best brownies in the world. _

While the Booth boys would be busy in the kitchen, Bones asked Booth if he would take her into the bedroom, so she could lie down for a while. She knew that if Angela was in a talkative mood, that the evening could turn into quite a late one.

Once the boys were done, Booth told Parker to sit for a bit and read his school books. Him School was cancelled the next day, for a teacher-service-day, but that didn't mean that Booth wanted his son to wait until the last minute to finish his homework. Meanwhile, Booth walked quietly down the hall to check on his Bones… who was resting in his room… in his bed…wearing his clothes... _What a great feeling… Bones in my bed… Good times, good times… _

When he poked his head through the slightly ajar door, he noticed that she had dozed off clutching his pillow to her chest. He walked softly over to his side of the bed and sat down carefully, trying as much as possible to not shake the bed. Folding one leg beneath himself, he sat at her chest level, facing her head. He reached up and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek. He loved watching her sleep; loved that she didn't have any worry lines marring her forehead; he loved that she had that tiny, peaceful smile that graced her lips in her slumber; loved that she was finally comfortable enough to start sharing her life with him; loved that she finally let him in.

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the caress of his fingers along her cheekbone. She met his smile with one of her own. She loved his smile; loved his eyes; loved his touch; loved that he was giving her a second chance.

"Hey, beautiful. Did you have a good sleep?" His voice was tender and full of love; his eyes so soft that she could feel the warmth in her chest expand, stealing the breath from her lungs.

"Oh, hmmm, Booth… I know this is going to sound cliché, but I could really get used to seeing you every time I wake up. Does that make me a weak woman?" She smiled coyly.

"If that makes you a weak woman, then I am a weak man, because I don't think I could ever get enough of watching you wake up in my bed." He smiled against her mouth as he dipped down to kiss her. "You are beautiful, Bones. And I love watching you sleep; I love watching you wake; I love hearing your groggy-tired voice; I love feeling your sleepy kisses on my lips…" He leaned over and kissed her again, letting her cup his cheeks and hold him there for a lingering moment, relishing in her scent.

She pulled back and looked up into his deep eyes, "Booth, I'm going to miss this when I have to go home." Her eyes were brimming with tears and her voice was shaking. "I – I find that I like having you near me when we wake up; I like the feeling I experience when you hold me as we fall asleep. I know it's only been a couple of nights, Booth, but… it feels like so much longer. I feel like we've been in this…. arrangement… forever, metaphorically speaking, of course, because no one lives forever, you know." She lowered her gaze momentarily, and then raised it back to look at him. "I, well, I just think that it's going to be lonely, for a while anyway, until I get used to it again…"

He was caught quite off guard. He wasn't expecting this topic to come up for at least a few weeks. By then, he had figured that they would have been able to discuss their respective living arrangements…he had planned to approach her about staying longer, or sharing time with each other, but she brought the subject up far too soon…

"Um, Bones…Listen… Neither one of us _has_ to be lonely. I agree that, once you get better, if you go back home, it will be very… _empty…_ here without you. But, Bones, there's no rush. You can stay as long as you want; I am not in a rush for you to leave, and I don't want you to think that I am. I mean…Bones, you can stay…indefinitely, if you wanted to. I love falling asleep with you next to me. I love having you in my home; sharing our meals together; I love just veg'ing out in front of the TV with you. All of this, and more, it all feels so…perfect, Bones. And I know you feel it too, _I know you do_. I see it in your eyes and I hear it in your voice. I feel it when you relax against me, and I feel it in your caresses, in your kisses."

His nervous voice betrayed his cool exterior. She could visibly see his pulse rate increase by the throbbing of his jugular vein; she could see the sheen of sweat that appeared on his forehead. "Booth – we can't let our emotions override our rationality, here. We only just crossed that blasted line…and by me staying longer than necessary to heal, that could threaten the basis of our relationship. If I go, when that time comes, we'll know if this is real… you know that Booth. You know that we have to challenge ourselves to ensure that what we're feeling right here, right now, is valid."

"No, Bones. No, I don't agree. We spend almost every day of our lives together; day in and day out. We work well together; we complete each other's thoughts; we are more than partners – have been for years. This – this new step in our relationship is natural; the natural progression of life. We've lost so much time already, Bones. We've come so close to not taking this step, we could have missed out on so much. I don't want to risk that again, by allowing us to fall back into a comfortable, familiar existence that we already know so well. Part of growing in a relationship involves taking steps that sometimes are scary. Now, I'm not saying that either one of us has to sell our apartment and move our belongings in the other's tomorrow… But what I am saying is that we don't _have_ to spend our nights apart; we don't _have _to miss each other. Nothing states that just because we're not officially living together, that we can't wake up in each other's arms every morning, Bones."

"Booth, I don't believe in marriage-"

He cut her off, "I'm not proposing, Bones. I know where you stand, and I'm good with that. I just want to be with you."

"But Booth, your Catholicism teaches that cohabitating is a sin. In fact, I never understood why you let Hannah live here to begin with. You follow your teachings, and yet you break them when it's convenient? I don't understand that, Booth. You believe in marriage; a family; a home with a white picket fence, with a dog running around in the back yard… You've told me all this before… I can't promise you that, Booth. And it would be wrong for me to lead you on…to hold you back from your dreams when I can't share those dreams."

"What? Bones, where the hell is this coming from? Listen, I don't need all that. I just need to be with you. If you never want to be married, I don't care – I will still stay with you until the day I die. If you don't want any more family, other than what we already have, that's fine. I have all I need with you and Parker, and hell, our strange little 'family' of sorts that we built around ourselves at work. Why – why are you saying all this now? What happened? Did I do something or say something? Or did Parker say something? If so, I need to know what is going through that brilliant mind of yours so I can understand."

She started to cry softly, leaning forward to bury her face into his chest. To better hold her, he scooted around and laid down next to her, snaking his arm under her shoulders and pulling her close. "Shh… Bones. It's OK. Whatever it is, we'll work through it. It's what we do best, Babe. We work through things together." He rocked her gently; confused about what happened between the time he brought her in to lay down for a nap and the time he came to wake her.

"Booth – I – I had a dream. I had a dream that I did stay. That you asked me to stay here with you, and I said yes, and one day I came home and found your things packed and a note on the counter." She sobbed openly, leaning hard against him; the dream was so vivid in her mind's eye that she momentarily thought it might be true. Then she knew that she had to protect herself _and Booth_ against the inevitable hurt she would cause them both. " '_Bones – I can't do this… I can't live like this any longer. We are too fundamentally different. I want more out of life than you do, and I can't sacrifice my happiness for you any more than I already have. I've lost too much time; too many missed opportunities. Goodbye, Bones…Temperance. I hope that you will someday, find someone who you can actually love; someone with whom you can settle down and make a life together. Obviously, I'm not that man. I tried and I can't try anymore. I loved you once; more than life itself; but I can't love a woman who doesn't love in return. –Booth.'_ That's what your note said. You were gone, Booth! You left me…You left me after I gave myself to you as much as I could. I didn't have anything else to give; I surrendered everything to you, and it wasn't enough…I can't lose you, Booth. I can't lose you again…Not like that." Her sobs were loud, evidence of the tortured visions her fragile mental state developed.

Booth pulled her close, cupping the back of her head, holding her impossibly close, needing to feel her body against his. His eyes drifted up to the open door of the bedroom, and he saw a tearful Angela standing there, stunned at what she was seeing. He shook his head, silently asking her to leave, and she understood, she backed away and pulled the door over quietly.

"Shh... Bones. I need you to listen to me. Look at me, babe, look at me…" he pleaded with her, but made no move to physically turn her head up. He needed her to consciously make the decision to look at him; he didn't have to wait long before his own tear-filled eyes found hers. "Bones… that was a dream. A bad dream. I am not going anywhere. I will not leave you, Bones. I will not leave you…I am not that guy…I am not your father; I am not your brother; I am not any of those men who professed love for you then left you. I am Seeley Booth; I am your partner; I am the man who has loved you for almost 8 long years, and even when you didn't want me nearby, I never left you. We both hit a couple of road blocks and had to take detours; but we both always found our ways back together again. And we always will… Bones, I need you to believe in me; believe in what we can be together. Trust me when I tell you that _you are everything_ I need to be happy, because there is no other truth in my life. Just you. You are my truth; my constant; my anchor; my lighthouse. And without you, I am lost. So terribly lost that I don't know what end is up and I don't recognize right from wrong." He held her face in his hands; calloused thumbs wiped the tears away from her porcelain skin. "Bones, I love you with everything I have. My heart, my soul, (whether you believe in souls or not), my body, my life. Everything, Bones. I love you and I will never leave you."

He sealed his promise with a hard yet loving kiss to her lips. He held her face steady as he deepened their contact, his tongue seeking the entrance which she permitted. The tears they each wore on their faces co-mingled as their cheeks, chins and noses collided. When the need to breath broke their caress, he held her close, not willing to allow her to pull away.

"Booth," she spoke, her breath against his cheek and dancing past his ear, "I'm sorry. I don't know what that dream was so real. I don't know what it scared me so much. It's just, when I saw you looking at me when I woke up, and then you touched me, all these feelings rushed into my body, like I was about to chase you away right now… right here. That you were going to tell me that you loved me, _but_, I wasn't enough for you…"

"You don't ever have to worry about that, Bones. _Ever_. I will never feel unfulfilled with you in my life. And I'll strive to make sure that you feel the same. I want you to know that you are loved. That _I_ am the man who loves you, and that I will_ not_ let you down, Bones." He kissed her temple as he pulled her head down to cradle in the crook of his neck, still whispering words of love, trust, devotion…

He felt her body lull into relaxation. She settled against his torso, and let her fingers trail little circles across his t-shirt-clad chest. "I'm sorry, Booth. I didn't mean to – doubt you. I just doubt myself, I guess. I'm not good at relationships, I told you that…"

"And _I told you_, that you are good with me… and that's all that matters, right?"

He felt her nod against his shoulder, then she tilted her eyes to his. "So, does this mean that some nights I will stay here and some nights you will stay at my place?" The vulnerability in her voice returned.

"As long as that's something that you would agree to, then yes… That's what this means. We can be together, Bones, each and every night. Hell, I don't care if I have to sleep in your office on the couch… I just want to be with you."

She smiled warmly and his heart leapt… _That's the smile I love so much_, he mused. _That's my Bones_. He kissed her nose and reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a tissue for her. "Here ya go, Sweetie, I think you need this." He smiled at her knitted eyebrows at the nick-name… again…

"Booth, you can stop anytime with the pet names. I happen to like my normal nick name… I don't need all those soppy romantic names that I hear on TV." She reprimanded his words, but again, secretly, she found them a little charming; and she knew that no matter how many times she admonished him for using them, he would not stop. And _that_ made her smile.

They stayed as they were for a little longer, both knowing they should make their way out to the main of the apartment, because they could hear that everyone was out there, but neither really wanted to get up.

"So, Bones. I was thinking, maybe tomorrow, I can take you back to your place so you can pick up some things you may need, then we can stop by the bakery on our way back here… I am in the mood for pie."

She nodded her agreement, "What time does Parker go to school tomorrow?"

"Parker's not going to school tomorrow, it's a student holiday; the teachers have some work day."

"Then why did Rebecca say that she would see him on Monday? Why is she making him go home tomorrow?" She looked shocked at the fact.

"Well, we agreed that you may be a little tired, and we didn't want Parker to wear you out with his antics. I didn't want you to become overwhelmed, so when Becks and I spoke on the phone yesterday, we agreed that she could pick him up in the morning."

"Booth, that's ridiculous. I'm not too tired for Parker to be here. I love to have him close by. His youthfulness is actually refreshing; and I have to admit, he has your charm, you know. I like having him here. Unless you want him to go, then please don't send him home yet. Let him stay and we can take him to school on Tuesday, _then_ Rebecca can have him back…" Her dissertation had a pouty quality to it, and he fell a little further in love with her at that moment.

"OK, we can call Becks tonight and ask her. As long as she didn't make plans for him, I am happy to keep him. I love it when he's here. There is something about a kid's innocence, and his laughter that makes a house feel like a home. I know that sounds crazy, but I always feel like we have a _home_ when he's here, but I feel like I have merely an _apartment _when he's not…"

"No, it makes sense Booth. It makes perfect sense." She inhaled deeply and used her palm to smooth his t-shirt. "We should probably go out there, shouldn't we?"

He nodded in agreement and jostled her a bit. "Yeah, God knows what they think we're doing in here. We better get out there before your best friend puts suggestive visions into my kid's imagination…" He chuckled and scooted out from under her. He carried her to the bathroom where they could both wash their faces and then went out to enjoy the company of their friends and family.

As he carried her down the hall, he whispered to her, "By the way, Bones, I made you brownies for dessert… I know you find my baking irresistible…almost as irresistible as you find _me_…" They laughed together as they entered the living room, and were met with smiles and greetings, and the overwhelmingly delicious aroma of their awaiting dinner.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so there you have it. I don't plan on writing out the dinner scene, so we should be taking our little field trip starting in the next chapter… At least that's my plan, I guess we'll see what my Muse has in store for us… LOL **

**Please don't read and run! Please review and let me know your thoughts~! THANK YOU!**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N Hello! Welcome back! **

**Wow, we are up to chapter 34 already! Thank you for making this process enjoyable and for continuing to let me know what you think! This chapter has a bit of a twist, and I hope that you like it. It's another long one, but again, I felt the need to keep it whole in order to maintain the consistency. I hope you all don't mind. **

**Disclaimer: same as always – I still don't own anything of monetary value…I have this story line and a few minor characters… that's it! **

Brennan loathed waking up as Booth's alarm sounded from the bedside table.

"Ggrrr…" she playfully growled into his chest as she tightened her hold on his naked waist, and slipped her bare leg between his thighs possessively. "Turn it off, Booth… We don't have to get up so early. No work, 'member?" Her sleepy whine brought a smile to Booth's lips and he tilted his head to kiss her forehead after turning off the annoying beeps.

"It's actually not _that_ early, Bones. I set the alarm to go off at 9:30, and I've already 'snoozed' it twice – _you_ just didn't hear it the first two times." He chuckled, and she felt the deep vibrations from his chest against her ear. She turned and planted a tender kiss on his exposed, well-sculpted pec.

"Hhmmm…" she hummed in satisfaction as she reveled in the feeling of her naked body snuggled tight against his. "But I'm still sleepy, Booth… Let's stay like this for a while longer..." She moved her lips up to his neck and nibbled, knowing that he would give in to her wishes.

"Well, maybe a little longer, babe… This _is_ nice, isn't it?" He craned his neck so she could munch on as much skin as she wanted… _Who I am to deny this woman a little while longer in my bed_, the pondered with a grin…

Brennan had enjoyed herself previous night, spending time with Angela and Cam, as the three ladies commandeered Booth's bedroom and his bathroom, while he, Hodgins and Parker were held captive out in the living room, playing games on his Play Station. (Not that the boys _really _complained…) But now, she was feeling the effects of her late night visitors, and she did not really want to wake up.

B/B/B/B

_The night before_:

Once dinner was complete, Cam wanted to take a few minutes to give Brennan a proper, complete check-up to see how her injuries were looking, so the three ladies retreated into the sanctuary of Booth's room. After receiving Cam's approval regarding her injuries, Brennan asked Angela to help her shave her legs, as it was difficult for her to bend over. They turned the two rooms into a mini spa, in which Angela and Cam doted on Brennan for a bit; helping her to shave her legs, under her arms, painting her finger and toe nails, conditioning her hair. At first Brennan was uncomfortable with the attention, but soon the girls were all gossiping, and she found that she was really enjoying this time together.

Cam didn't stay very late, she still had to keep an eye on Michelle, and so she excused herself and left around 10:00, leaving Angela and Brennan propped up on the bed, sharing secrets and dreams; basically re-bonding with one another – something they hadn't done for quite a while. As Cam left, she provided further instructions to Booth about what to do and expect over the next few days, and she praised him for his excellent care for his Partner thus far.

At 12:20 am, after finally getting Parker settled in bed, Booth walked down the hall and knocked lightly on his bedroom door. He was a little surprised to hear giggling floating from the other side of the closed door. A red-faced, laughing Angela opened the door to him, "We know, big-guy, it's late and Bren needs sleep, and I need to get Hodgins home, and you want your room back… We were wondering how long it would take you to come get us!" The girls looked at each other and smiled. Angela walked over to the side of the bed and bent over to give Bren a hug. "Goodnight, Sweetie. I had fun. It was almost like a slumber party, right? HA!"

"G'Night Angela. Thanks for helping me. And for spending time with me. I had a good time, too." Brennan smiled appreciatively at her long-time friend; Angela always went out of her way to make Brennan feel better when she was confused or upset or just unsure of what to do in various situations. After discussing the evolution of the relationship that Booth and Brennan were experiencing, Angela offered great insight and advice for her socially-awkward friend. Angela was over-the-moon-happy that the couple had _finally_ consummated their relationship and although Brennan refused to give up too many details, out of respect for Booth, she disclosed enough info to light Angela's imagination on fire.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Bren." Then she winked at her friend, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do…" She turned and left the room, smiling at Booth as she passed him in the doorway. "Excuse me, _big-boy_, I'm gonna use the bathroom before we leave." She flashed him a toothy, knowing smile, making Booth wonder what she knew…

Booth walked over to Bones, "Are you OK? You girls were in here a long time." He wasn't sure if he _really_ wanted to know what they discussed; he just hoped that his most private secrets were still – well – private. He also wanted to make sure that Bones was not upset by anything, and that her visit with Angela was purely for enjoyment, not for the purpose of being reassured about anything to do with their relationship.

"I'm good, Booth. We just had some… girl time, I guess you would call it." She flicked her fingers in his direction, showing him the bright red polish that now covered her nails. "And my toes match." She flashed a cheesy smile in his direction, her cheeks blushed at the darkening brown eyes that locked on her.

"Red, huh? Pretty sexy, there, Bones." He bent over to kiss her. "I've, ah, gotta go see our guests out. It would not be very polite of me to make them see themselves out." He claimed her lips briefly, before pulling away. "You should, um, you should just wait here. I won't be long." He grinned and trotted out the door.

"Where the hell else would I go, Booth?" she gently called after him as he made his exit.

When he re-entered the bedroom, after locking up the rest of the apartment, he closed and locked his door, once again ensuring their privacy. A small shiver ran down Bones' spine as she caught the predatory look in his eyes, and the possessive smile on his lips.

"You know, Bones, I have a _thing_ for red nail polish. I can't think of anything sexier than a beautiful woman wearing bright red nail polish. Unless that beautiful woman is _you_, sporting the red nail polish while lying in my bed, beckoning me with your sex-famished smile and wearing very little to cover that indescribably gorgeous body of yours." He met her hungry look with one of his own as he scooted down next to her, pulling her to him.

He kissed her hard, picking up on a sexual tension built-up in her that he hadn't noticed earlier. Her clear blue eyes turned darker as her pupils grew with want and her breasts were heaving as she breathed heavily; he could see her nipples straining against the thin material of the t-shirt she wore. She had removed the shorts she was wearing earlier, leaving her milky white legs completely naked and soft under his calloused fingers. He palmed her bare ass, massaging the muscles tenderly. Pulling back, he looked into her velvety eyes, "You and Angela were talking about sex, weren't you?" He smiled a cocky, but irresistible smile. "You're all horny because your little 'girl talk' session got your panties in a bunch, didn't it?"

"Booth, I'm in no mood for teasing, so shut up and touch me." She allowed her fists to grip the collar of his t-shirt, which she yanked down a bit so she could better reach his neck. She whispered against his rough skin, "Besides, Booth, as you can tell, I'm not wearing any panties… so it's hardly possible for them to get bunched."

He felt her smile against his throat and he reached for the hem of the t-shirt she wore, and slowly started to draw it upward, careful to not hurt her, but anxious to appease her lustful desires. She broke her contact with his neck only long enough for him to finish peeling the soft shirt from her body; then she immediately refocused on that spot of his throat that she'd been enjoying. He lulled his head to the side, giving her full access to his muscular neck. She was intent on marking him; she nibbled and sucked hard, alternating between soft, tender kisses and licks. He knew what she was up to, and he let her have her way with him. _If she wants to lay claim to me, I'm not going to stop her. The more women who know I'm taken, the better. And the more men who see that she marked me, the better - they'll know to back the hell off from her..._ _Oh God, that's nice… she's got great lips; a wonderful mouth… Oh yeah, Bones, my little vampire, suck…suck…_

He tried to focus his mind… he wanted information… "What, ah, what did you ladies discuss that got you so worked up, baby?" He mumbled against her soft, wavy hair as he stroked the silky skin of her waist and sides, dragging his fingertips up and dancing them under her arms, and grazing the luscious swell of her breasts that were pressed hard against his chest; he caused her to shiver, yet again. "Hhmmm… I can smell you, Bones… not just your yummy clean scent that is uniquely you, but _you-you_… I can smell that you're worked up, babe." His voice was low and gravely. "Tell me, Bones… I want to know what gets you hot like this."

She broke her contact with his throat and looked admiringly at her handiwork. She smiled, smugly satisfied that there would be no mistake if any of those bimbos who watched him running in the park were to see. She found herself very territorial of Booth after talking to Angela. She knew that many women admired Booth; women at the Hoover; women in the park; women at the gym; women at Parker's school. Hell even women who are with other men when they walk by – she has spotted them watching Booth and checking him out. It never bothered her, though, until tonight. She felt odd at the fact that she was so focused on marking him...She had never felt that need with another man. Her alpha-female characteristics were surfacing, and they caught her by surprise. She understood, anthropologically speaking, about her need to prove that he was hers; but never having experienced pure jealous tendencies before, she felt both troubled and sexually aroused at the same time.

B/B

Thinking back, Angela had told her about something that happened at the lab while she was being held captive. A woman from the Antiquities Department had brought a mis-delivered package over to the Medico-Legal lab while the team was working on locating Brennan. The woman lingered and watched - looking Booth up and down, undressing him with her eyes, practically drooling, and actually had the gall to interrupt Angela's work to ask her if 'that sexy piece of man-meat' was single, and noted that he was not wearing a wedding band. Angela, of course, in true Angela-fashion, warned the woman to get the hell out of their lab, before she had her fired for interfering with an FBI investigation. Angela was quite proud of herself, because the woman practically ran out of her office, not even looking over her shoulder.

Brennan had laughed at the recount, and told Angela how much she appreciated her support. It was then that Angela told Bren that she needed to make sure she 'claimed' her territory. "After all," Angela had added, "it's pretty obvious that's what Booth did to you," she grinned as she admired all the love marks pebbled up and down Bren's neck. "Until you put a ring on that man's finger, you need to make sure all those other chicks know he's not available. When you two are together it's obvious, but when you're not there for him to gawk at, then he needs to have something visible to ward those vultures off."

B/B

"Booth," she breathed heavily, desperately, "I want _everyone_ to know you're mine. I want all those other women out there to know that you're no longer on the store shelf. I don't want any misunderstandings anymore. We're more than Partners, Booth, and I want those _other women to know_…"

"Hmm… I _love_ 'Territorial Bones'. _She's hot_..." He clamped his lips to hers, fisting his hands in her hair and pulling her tight to him. He dominated the kiss, taking control and feeding off her frenzied passion of ownership. "But, Dr.-Hot-Ass-Territorial-Bones, you don't have anything to worry about. Those women will see me looking at you, and they will know they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of catching my eye…ever."

"I'm talking about the women who see you when I'm _not_ there. I want _those_ women to stay away from you."

He traced his tongue around the rim of her ear, breathing heavily, and blowing hot air on the wetness his mouth left behind. "Mmmm… You're marking me, huh? You're claiming me, you vampire…You're jealous…But baby, you have nothing to worry about. Even when you're not with me, I'm not looking at those other women. I'm still thinking of you..." He gave her a cock-eyed grin and raised his eyebrow. "Oh, and Bones, the saying is 'off the market' not 'no longer on the store shelf'…wherever the hell _that_ came from..." He chuckled at, yet another, misunderstood colloquialism. "You know what? It's even hotter when Hot-Ass-Territorial-Bones doesn't understand the same things that Dr. Rational-Logical-Genius-Bones doesn't understand."

His light laughter was cut off as she closed her lips over his; she took control of _that _kiss. "Fuck you, Booth." She jokingly said; acting frustrated at his teasing, but privately loving him for it.

"OK, Bones… if you insist..." He smiled at her and reached down to dip his fingers into her wet heat. "I'll let you do that," he referenced her mocked insult, "but only if I get to fuck you first."

Spreading her thighs to straddle his hips, Bones permitted herself to enjoy the feeling of his long fingers fondling and stroking her from the inside, before getting completely lost in the all-consuming experience of his cock thrusting deep into her core, riding her into ecstasy.

B/B/B/B

And now, with the alarm having disturbed her peaceful slumber after a fabulous night of sex with this powerful man, she allowed her sleepy grumpiness to be soothed by his touch and his voice.

"Hey," he whispered softly, "I was thinking about our day. We have some errands to run today."

She rolled her head to the side to look up at him. "What do you mean? I thought we were just going to go to my apartment to get some things, then coming back home. What else do we need to do?"

Her reference to coming back to his place as _coming back 'home'_ flooded him with sudden emotion and he wanted to take her again. He schooled his features, though, not wanting to get side-tracked like he did last night. _I never did find out what they talked about – I'm gunna need to really work on my focus skills now that we're together… she can so easily distract me._

After clearing his throat, he continued. "Well, I thought that we'd go to your place, but on the way, stop at the hardware store. I want to get a new lock and chain for your door. We have a temp on there now, but I want to get a decent one and I'll install it for you. Then I'll have to leave you, and Parker if that's ok, for about a half hour. I need to go over to the Hoover and get a few personal items from my office and then turn in my keys and my truck. I'll get a cab back to your place, and we'll have to use your car to come back home."

"What do you mean? You have to turn in your truck? Why?"

"Bones, I'm on suspension. I have to turn it back over to them, I can't use it. So, we'll have to use your car."

"Booth, oh God, I didn't know you were going to have to give up your SUV. I'm sorry." Her voice was full of apology, feeling, once again, like it was her fault.

"Bones, it's no sweat. Once they clear my actions and reinstate me, I'll get it back. And _again_, don't apologize for what happened. It's not your fault, sweetie. I don't hold you to blame, so don't do it to yourself." He kissed her gently, and rubbed her satin skin with his fingertips. He spoke absently, "Hmm… You feel good, Bones. I love feeling your body next to mine. We fit perfectly."

She nodded in ascension and trailed her fingers lazily across his torso, enjoying the feeling of his firmness. "What do you need to get from your office? Will they let you take something out of there, even while you're suspended?"

"I have a few personal items in my safe over there that I want to bring home. But we'll take care of your lock first. Will you be OK with Parker, or do you want me to bring him to the office with me?"

"Yeah, he can stay with me. I don't mind. Actually, I think I would like the company. I – I think… uh, never mind." She lowered her cheek again, to rest on his shoulder, suddenly shy.

"Hey, what? What is it? Listen, Bones, I don't mind keeping him with me, I just figured that-"

She cut him off, knowing he had misread her hesitation. "NO, no, Booth, it's not that. Of course I want to have Parker with me. That's not it... It's just, well, it's my first time back there since, you know, and I will like having someone with me. I know it's irrational, because Baker's dead, but it will just help me feel better having company, that's all." She felt foolish for feeling this way, but she knew that it was safe to tell Booth about her fears. He would never mock her, he would never play- down her worries.

"Bones, listen, I can bring you and Parker back here after we pick up your clothes and stuff, and then I can go to the Hoover. I don't need to leave you there. I'll just get a taxi back to here, we can pick up your car another time, it's OK, Bones."

"No, Booth, that's too much running. We'll be alright. I'm just, I don't know, being stupid, I guess."

"Bones, you're not being stupid. You're not stupid at all, hon, you're human." He smiled gently, cupping her cheek in his palm. "Tell you what, we'll go to your place, see how you do when we get there, and then we'll play it by ear."

"I don't know what that means, but my ear likes the sound of your voice," she smiled sweetly then buried her face back into his chest. "hmmm… Could stay right _here_ for weeks, and I'd be a very happy woman…" she inhaled his scent and sighed in appreciation.

"Well, Bones, that's very sweet. But we don't have weeks… We gotta get up, baby." He kissed her on top of her head and started to scoot out from beneath her body, which was half on/ half off his.

"You're mean…" she playfully accused him.

"Yeah, I know… A right bastard, I am…" He laughed as he bent over to gather her into his arms and he moved them into the bathroom to begin their morning routine.

B/B/B/B/B

"Morning, Bones!" Parker chirped from the couch, as they made their way into the living room.

"Good morning, Parker, how did you sleep?"

"Good, Bones, how about you?" He hopped up, a big grin painted across his lips, and moved over to the lounge chair into which he knew his Dad would place her.

"Good morning, _Son_…" Booth smiled at his boy, who, upon seeing the blue-eyed beauty in the room, had basically forgotten his father existed, (not that Booth could really blame him).

Blushing, Parker looked up at his dad, "Morning, Dad… Sorry."

"It's OK, Parks." He ruffled the messy blond curls. "What time did you get up?"

"I dunno… about an hour ago, I guess? I read a bit, but then wanted to watch TV for a little while. Usually Mom doesn't let me watch TV on my days off of school; she makes me go to work with her. So… I figured I should take advantage… sorta." He grinned, almost guiltily, but not quite…

"Yeah, I don't blame you. You want breakfast?"

"Naw, I had some toast and jelly. I'm good." Parker looked to Bones. "But if you want something, I'll help make it!"

Bones reached out and pulled him in for a morning hug, "No, Parker, I am just going to have some coffee. Go ahead back and watch your show." She smiled at the warm brown eyes that were so much like his father's.

He shrugged and moved back over to the couch, where he flopped down, burying himself back into his pillow.

Booth moved to the kitchen to make their coffee, and when he came back into the living room, he sat on the coffee table facing Parker. "We've got some errands to run today, Parks. Your mom said you can stay with us all day today if you want, she didn't have anything planned, but if you think you'll be bored, and if you want to go back home, it's up to you."

"No, Dad, I won't be bored. I want to stay with you guys." Parker answered immediately.

"You haven't even heard what we're doing yet, Parks. How do you know you won't be bored?" Booth laughed at his son's eagerness.

"Well, I'm with you, and Bones, and that's all I care about. So, I won't be bored and as long as you say I can stay with you, I will." Parker had no question in his own mind that no matter what they did, he would not be bored. They could sit and watch the washing machine churn their dirty laundry, and he wouldn't care, as long as he was hanging out with his Dad and Bones.

"Alright, Buddy. Go take a shower, get dressed, we're going to be leaving in about 20 minutes." Booth shook his head, humored by his son. Most kids didn't want to hang out with their parents, but Parker was not like most kids. He actually seemed to enjoy just hanging out with Booth. He especially enjoyed staying with Booth when there was a guarantee of seeing Bones; and today there was no doubt about the permanent presence of his Partner.

"Bones, you should have something to eat. You want toast? Or oatmeal? You won't like my cereal, but we can pick some up while we're out, so you can have some later this week." He eyed her, waiting for a response. None was forthcoming, however. Bones seemed a little distant at the moment. She looked worried. "Bones? You OK? Listen, we don't have to go to your apartment if you don't want. You and Parker can stay here and I'll just run over to the office, it's no biggie." He was worried about how she would react when seeing her apartment, most importantly, her bedroom; the last place she felt safe before having her world turned upside down. She was always a pro at compartmentalizing, but he feared, now that he had suggested it, that it may be too much for her just yet.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Booth. No, I'm not hungry. No, I was just thinking about everything that I would need to bring back here with me. How long, do you think, it will be before I can walk? Or even take a proper shower? Cam didn't really talk to me about that; did she to you?"

"Um, yeah, kinda. She said that you should be able to begin to put a little pressure on your feet by the end of this week. Mind you, that's not walking, that's sitting with your feet down and allowing the natural pressure of the weight of your legs to bear down on your feet. Walking will be a bit longer." He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes. He knew the next few weeks were going to be very difficult for her. Temperance Brennan was not a patient woman when it came to her health. She was not the type to enjoy her time recuperating, if it meant sitting and doing nothing. That said, it also meant that the next few weeks would be very difficult for Seeley Booth… He had to deal with said-impatient-patient. "But while we're out today, we'll stop by the store - she told me the brand name of some waterproof bandages to pick up, and then you'll be able to, at least, take a real bath. That will feel better, right?"

She sighed in slight frustration, "yeah, I guess."

"Bones-"

"I'm Ok, Booth. I just know that it's going to be a long recovery. I know that I am not a good patient… and I don't want to be difficult for you. It will only put a strain on our relationship, Booth. So, I was thinking…" She took a deep breath, "I can hire in-home care, Booth, and they can come to my house and care for me there, and that way I won't be your burden. I don't want to ruin..._this_...I don't want to mess _us_ up, Booth." Her insecurities were clear to him, and it hurt him to think that she was still so uncertain of just how deep his feelings for her went.

"No way, Bones. Nuh-uh. I am not trusting your care to some stranger."

"Booth, theses would be medical professionals; trained in emergencies and for caring for invalid patients. In-home care is a full time profession, Booth. They'll know what they're doing."

"No. I am not going to agree to this Bones. I don't want some stranger to be the one watching over you day and night. I don't want someone else cooking your meals – I know what you like and what you don't like, and how to cook it the right way. Bones, you're too important to me. I can do this for you, just let me in. Please?" His eyes pleaded with her, almost more than his words.

"Booth, you're going to get tired of helping me. Your own frustration of being suspended from work is going to get on your nerves, and with me being incapable of doing anything for myself until I can walk, it's going to make it harder on you."

"Bones, don't try to always make things easy for me, OK? I am an adult. I'm a big boy, I can handle difficult cases and situations. You are not a burden, and I don't want someone else to be taking care of you." He looked down at his feet where he sat with his elbows planted on his knees. "Bones, what if it were reversed? We talked about this already, remember? What would you do if _I_ was the one who couldn't get up and move around?"

"Booth, that's hardly a fair comparison, because I'd need help caring for you. I wouldn't be able to carry you like you can carry me…" She rolled her eyes a little, "but I see your point, though. I would not want someone else helping you with everything either… I'd want to do it." She agreed reluctantly, with her eyes cast downward, and she continued quietly. "Especially since 97% of in-home care is provided by women…I would_ not_ want another woman helping you, Booth…"

He looked at her with a lopsided grin. "You'd be jealous…" He teased her, trying to put her at ease. "You'd be jealous if another woman had to give me a sponge bath, huh?" He dropped to his knees, sliding off the coffee table where he still sat, and he scooted over to lean on the side arm of the lounge chair. Leaning over it, he reached out and lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Well, Bones, for the record, I would be insanely jealous of someone else giving you a sponge bath every night… woman or man – especially a man – that wouldn't happen…. But, Baby, this is what loved ones do for one another, we care for each other – always."

She sighed deeply, "OK, Booth. I'm sorry; I am just so used to being alone; I'm used to _not_ having someone… I just don't want to push you away, or drive you away by being needy. I don't want to make you leave." Despite his continued reassurances to her, she continued to question her ability to be a good companion, a perfect partner, and the only lover he would ever want. Now that she was finally starting to understand the depth of her own feelings for him, she worried if his feelings for her were as strong. He had changed his mind before, when he met Hannah, and that still plagued her mind... Despite logically knowing that he never stopped loving her, there was something deep down in her soul that she didn't understand. She believed him when he told her that he never loved Hannah the way he loved her. She knew it had been her own fault that he found love in another's arms... But that didn't stop her from being scared. She still had a hard time imagining that anyone could love her like that. So many men had called her cold; bitter; a great lay but a terrible lover; dead inside… She started believing those things of herself. But with Booth, everything was different. With Booth she felt cared for; appreciated; respected; treasured. Booth _knew _her; understood her better than anyone ever had. And that still frightened her a little. She was not sure how long he could maintain those feelings for her…

"Bones. You haven't been alone for a long time. And I would never let you go through something like this alone…Especially now that we're...well, we're an '_us_' now, so neither one of us ever has to face anything alone, ever again. OK? Can we put this conversation to bed?"

"Booth, you want to go back to bed? Really? I mean, Parker will be back out soon, so I don't think we have time to engage in intercourse before he's ready to leave…Unless you are almost ready to cum _now_, because it will take longer than the allotted time we have to build up that kind of-" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the confused look on his face, then realization reach his eyes.

"Bones," he laughed, "it's a saying… No, I don't want to go back to bed… well, _I do_, but I know we can't. No, it's a saying that just means to end something… like this crazy conversation in which you think I don't want you here… I would like to end _that_ conversation, effective immediately."

"Oh, well, why didn't you just say that?" She gave him a look that said, '_what the hell is the matter with you- why can't you speak English_'. "Yes, we can stop this conversation, for now. But I can't guarantee that I won't bring it up again, Booth. Sometimes, I might just need a little reminding. I know I have a steep learning curve and all, but this is hardly academia that we're dealing with, here; this is emotional-stuff… this is your department."

He smiled at her phrasing, knowing that she was still learning… He leaned in a kissed her lightly on the lips, "Deal, Bones. Now, I am gonna go get my shoes on and as soon as Parker's ready we can hit the road. Uh - I mean we can leave." He caught his colloquial slip and changed it before she could question _his_ phrasing again.

She smiled as he walked away from her, admiring the play of muscles beneath his tightly fitted t-shirt and wonderfully snug jeans. She could hardly believe she could finally admire him openly, without having to sneak sideways glances or look at him when he wasn't watching. She could finally watch, touch, kiss, hold, all of him…

B/B/B/B/B

The trip to Bones' home was uneventful; Bones sat in the back seat with Parker, so she could sit sideways, leaning on her shoulder, facing Parker as he entertained her with his school-yard gossip. Booth stopped at and ran into a hardware store enroute, picking up a few needed items, while leaving Parker and Bones to enjoy each other's company in the truck. When they reached the parking space Booth had always claimed as his, he went around to her side and gathered her into his arms to make their way up to her apartment.

The doorman and desk clerk were shocked and pleased to see their resident returning, but disturbed that she was not walking on her own. They both greeted Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth as they entered, then acknowledged young Parker. After briefly explaining a little about what happened and that she would not be home for a while, she was just here to gather some personal items, they moved to the elevator. The men agreed to let the rest of the staff know the situation, and they would hold her mail, and notify Agent Booth if they needed anything.

As Booth approached her door, Bones' body stiffened in his arms. He felt her pulse quicken and sensed that she was having difficulty controlling her breathing pattern. Obviously she had underestimated her ability to compartmentalize revisiting the 'safety' of the apartment from which she was abducted. Holding her tightly, he pressed his lips to her temple. "It's OK, Bones. You're not here alone; I'm right here." He kissed her ear and maneuvered so he could unlock the temporary deadbolt that his colleagues had installed at his request.

She buried her face against Booth's neck as he entered the foyer area. "Why am I feeling like this Booth? This is irrational." Her voice was tight, and she was struggling to stop herself from crying.

"Bones, emotions are not rational, baby. Don't try to rationalize feelings, Bones. You'll lose that battle every single time." He stood still in the foyer, allowing her to gather her composure, and he mentally decided that he _would not_ be leaving her and Parker when he went to the office. They would either join him on his errand, or he would take them back home before he continued on to the Hoover.

"Bones, I am going to replace your locks and door chain. Do you want to sit on the couch or your lounge chair? I'll help you gather your things after I do this. Then we'll all go, together." He didn't want to draw attention that he _refused_ to leave her here, even for a half hour, but he knew she would read into it and understand.

And understand, she did. "Uh, thank you, Booth. I think that would be wise. Can I sit on the lounge, please?"

He nodded as he moved into the living room, indicating with a nod of his head, that Parker should follow. Booth placed Bones down gently, then tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as he pulled away. "You guys sit tight. I won't be long." He winked at Bones then tossed the TV remote to Parker. "Find something educational, pal. Something that Bones'll like too… not cartoons again."

As Booth worked on the door locks, he shook his head in disbelief. He told his son to find something that Bones would like, expecting to hear the Discovery Channel or History Channel playing… Instead, the sounds of classic Scooby Doo reached his ears, accompanied by the light laughter of one eleven year old boy, as well as the hearty deep chuckles of the woman he loved. _Who'da thought those two would end up on good ole' Scooby Doo? Who'da thought Bones would actually understand Scooby Doo?_

Walking through the living room, towards the kitchen, once his task was complete, Booth grabbed a glass of ice water. "You guys want anything?" He directed his question to the new Scooby-twins, and they both declined politely. Booth smiled, meeting Bones' eyes with adoration. They momentarily blocked out everything else in the world, only seeing each other…they were enjoying a 'moment', as they had come to affectionately term these times. He walked over to her side and squatted beside the chair, crossing his arms and resting his chin atop them, as he leaned against the chair. "You wanna go into your room and boss me around a bit, Bones? Tell me what to pack for ya and what to stay away from?"

She smiled at him and reached out to touch his cheek. "If you don't mind, yes." Then she got that ornery look in her eyes, "I like to boss you around in the bedroom, Booth." She giggled at his blushing cheeks and leaned forward to brush her lips to his.

"I guess I kinda walked right into that one, didn't I?" He chuckled against her smile.

"M-hmm. Sure did." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her up with him.

"Parks, we'll be right back. I'm gunna help Bones pack, and then we'll all go to finish today's running. Sit tight, k?"

"Uh-huh. This is a good episode, I love this one…" Parker, at that point, was more interested in the Scooby Doo cartoon that was infiltrating his brain, and couldn't be bothered with what his Dad and Bones were doing.

Once in the bedroom, Booth sat Bones on the edge of her bed and moved to the closet to pull down her travel duffle bag. When he looked over at her, he noticed her featured were pinched and her complexion had paled. Her eyes were fixed on a chip taken out of the corner of her night stand, caused, surely, when the small table had been pushed over during her struggle with her abductor. The bedside lamp was absent, having been broken when it crashed to the ground.

"I, uh, I asked the team to straighten up in here a bit for you, after we gathered what we could for the investigation, Bones." He walked over and sat down beside her, gently placing his hand on her knee.

She turned her eyes to him, and then lowered her head to his shoulder, needing to feel him close; to feel his warmth and comfort. "I'm sorry, Booth. I didn't think I would be so bothered…"

"Don't worry about it, Bones. You're allowed to be bothered. I mean, over all, you are doing really well, but hell, you were tortured, Babe. You're bound to have some residual tension; some anxiety. I did after being tortured, and _I_ was trained for it; prepared in an essence, Bones. You've never been put through the foundational drills to learn about handling or coping with torture. No one expects you to be over it already, least of all me." He cradled her head against him, running his fingers through her loose tresses. "We'll get through it, hon. Let's get you packed and get on the road, huh?"

She nodded and sniffed, drawing strength from him. "I, um, I want some of my yoga pants, they're over there, in the second drawer," she indicated to her chest of drawers as she lifted her head from his shoulder. "And a couple of my tanks, in the same drawer," indicating her yoga tank tops as well.

She watched Booth as he gingerly opened her drawer and held up a couple of pieces, asking if she approved of what he was pulling out. She nodded and continued her instructions, sending him back and forth to the closet for various articles of clothing, back to the chest for others, finally directing him to her undergarment drawer. She chuckled at him as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment when he was thumbing through her underwear and bras. "Booth… You've seen me, now, _without any_ of that… why are you blushing?"

"Well, Bones… these are… uh… wow…" He visibly gulped, "these are sexy… I was expecting, you know, practical pieces… cotton panties, bikinis, maybe even some pastel colors… But, um… these…" he held up a set of royal blue thongs with matching lace demi-bra, "these are… wow…" _Against her milky white skin… Oh my God, these must look amazing…_ he couldn't wait to see how much like his imagination the real life image would be…

Her laughter was deep and sexy, "Booth, there are some practical sets in there, look on the right side of the drawer, not the left… But hey, you should know that just because I am a rational, scientific genius, that doesn't mean that I don't have an appreciation for sexy lingerie." She tossed him a saucy smile, "wait til you get my PJ's out of the third drawer…"

He groaned playfully and added the undergarments to her bag and moved to her pajama drawer and selected a couple of sets that appeared to be comfortable. As he made his selections, he allowed his eyes to linger on the barely-there lace pieces that scattered the bottom of the drawer. He sighed as he closed the drawer, _can't wait… can't wait… can't wait…. One day I will be able to see her amazing curves snugged into those…_

On the floor, just to the side of her dresser, he spotted something pink. He bent over with a laugh and held up his finding, addressing her with raised eyebrows. "Bunny slippers, Bones? You must look adorable…"

"Oh, ha ha, Booth," her sarcastic tone was unmistakable. "Amy's daughters gave them to me. Put them back. I only wear them when the girls are here. I prefer my moccasins, which should be just inside the closet door, so please get them." She rolled her eyes at his teasing, but she found him utterly charming; and at a time that she would normally feel embarrassed at a man seeing her fluffy bunny slippers, she felt a sense of closeness, intimacy, that he was seeing these things of hers…even more intimacy at his finding her secret Bunny Slippers than she felt with him fingering the lace of her underwear… It was a nice feeling and she hoped that she would experience that feeling at learning some of his secrets too.

They heard Parker's footsteps trotting down the hallway towards her bedroom. "Dad? Bones? Can I come in?" he called in through the open door as he approached.

"Of course, Parker, come here," Bones held her arm out to him, inviting him to sit beside her as his Dad finished gathering her toiletries from the bathroom, which she had asked of him. Parker smiled, gladly joined her and flopped down, allowing her to snake her arm around his shoulders to pull him close.

"Look, Bones. Someone must know you're home already. I heard a noise out by the front door, and found this on the floor. I guess someone slipped it in the mail slot." He held up a manila envelope, smiling ear to ear. "And look, they know Dad's with you, it says 'Dr. Brennan & Agent Booth', so they must know you're together, right?" Parker's face was happy, thinking that the news about his Dad and Bones was now public, but Bones' face was not as enthusiastic.

"Parker, did anyone knock? Did you open the door?" Her face was serious and her eyes locked on his waiting for an answer.

"Nuh-uh. No one knocked and I didn't open the door; should I go see if someone's out there?" he started to stand and she grabbed his arm, keeping him close. Her stomach clenched with uneasiness. _No one knows we came here today; no one knows we're both here._

"No, Parker, stay here with us." She continued to hold him to her side and turned towards the bathroom, "BOOTH?"

He popped his head out of the door and smiled seeing his girl with her arm around his son, but curious at her urgent-sounding beckoning, wondering if something was wrong with Parker. "You OK, buddy?"

"Sure, Dad." Parker smiled and pointed to the envelope that Bones held, the boy still did not pick up on her unease, "Look! Someone must be happy that Bones is home, a letter was dropped off in the mail slot. _And_ it's addressed to _you_ too!"

Booth's eyes zeroed in on the pale beige envelope that was sitting in Bones' open palm, then gazed up and locked on her concerned blues. "No one knows we're here." She silently shook her head as he approached; his apprehension as clear to her as hers was to him.

She raised her hand, limiting her fingerprints as much as possible, and held the envelope up to Booth. He took it from her, holding it with a tissue he pulled from the bedside table. Parker observed the interaction with confusion, but didn't interrupt the adults.

Booth looked to Parker, "Parks, where was this?"

"It was on the floor, just inside the door, like someone had dropped it through the mail slot."

"You didn't open the door, right? Did anyone knock?"

"Nope. Bones just asked me the same thing. I heard a noise out by the door while I was watching my show. And so I peeked my head around to the corner and saw it laying on the floor. What's wrong? Why are you two all weird-ed out by this?"

"Maybe nothin' buddy." But Booth's face told a different story. He pulled his pocket knife out of his jeans and sliced open the top of the envelope, leaning over the now-cleared night stand. With great care, he pulled out the single sheet of paper contained therein. Opening it, his face hardened and his breath hitched. Bones recognized his immediate alarm and sensed his metaphorical hackles rising. She'd seen this look on his face before; she had received a pair of dismembered knee caps in the mail compliments of the Gormogon. Upon the realization that she was a target, and in all probability in danger, Booth had worn this same look for the remainder of the case.

Using the blade of the knife, Booth flipped the page open and read the message silently, not wanting to alarm his loved ones any more than necessary. He closed the letter, but left it lying on the nightstand. "I'll be right back, don't leave this room," his tone was not to be challenged. "And don't touch that," he indicated to the letter. He moved towards the bedroom door, reaching down to his ankle and unholstering his personally-owned pistol as he exited the room.

Parker's face paled as he looked up to Bones. "What – What's going on Bones? Why's Dad upset about the letter? What's it say?"

"I don't know yet, Parker, but we're going to stay right here, just like he said. Come here." She pulled him close to her again, and tucked his head under her chin as she looked towards the closed bedroom door, silently asking the universe to keep Booth safe as he did whatever it was he was doing.

B/B/B/B/B

Booth cautiously left the bedroom and gently closed the door behind him, his weapon at the ready. He searched the apartment completely, even though he could see the door was still locked and the chain still latched, just like he'd left it after installing it.

After ensuring the apartment was empty except for himself and his family, he moved to open the front door. Resting on the floor, just outside the door, he found a bouquet of black roses, wrapped with a white bow, also adorned with a long lock of Bones' auburn hair. He looked up and down the hall, knowing that the guilty party would be already gone, but needing to satisfy his investigative and protective nature.

Jogging to the kitchen, he found a new trash bag and brought it back to the front door, opening it again and gathering the flowers carefully, preserving as much evidence as possible as he placed them into the improvised evidence bag. He swept the floor immediately surrounding the flowers, hoping to gather something that Hodgins would find insightful. Closing and relocking the door, he moved quickly through the apartment, stopping for a Ziploc bag on the way, intending to use it for the letter.

Re-entering the bedroom, he moved to the bed and without a word, and wrapped the two most important people in his world in a large, embracing hug. "We need to go. We're going to the Hoover. Parker, you need to use the bathroom before we go?"

His son nodded, "yes. I'll be right back."

He started to exit the room, feeling like he shouldn't use the personal ensuite bathroom, but Bones stopped him, indicating silently that he could use that one, that she didn't mind. He nodded in understanding and moved that direction.

Bones turned to Booth as he slid the letter and envelope into the baggie, and placed her gentle hand on his bicep, waiting for him to explain what was happening. He had opened it and once it was encased in protection, he handed it to her.

Her breathing increased as panic started to set in;

_**Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth – do you two really think that Baker was smart enough to pull that stunt off on his own? Think again, my unbeatable nemeses. He may have been the one to supply the tools, and to deliver the punishment, but he was hardly the brains behind the operation. It surprises me that you and your team didn't pick up on the fact that there was a second party involved. That party was me, not that you know who I am… **_

_**You never found the phone…did you? The phone that sent you the messages... **_

_**Did you even bother to look for it? **_

_**Agent Booth, you are slipping in your old age; or just losing your edge now that your objective view has been skewed by love… Loving your partner can be a dangerous gamble, you know. And you, of all people, should recognize the hazards of gambling. **_

_**I'll be in touch…**_

_**Oh, and PS, I can hardly believe how big Parker has grown; what is he, about 12 now? Practically a man…**_

Bones raised her teary eyes to meet Booth's dark browns. He stepped into her personal space, standing between her knees, and drew her into his arms, bowing down to plant a firm kiss on top of her head as she pressed her face into his abdomen and clutched his waist. "I'm not leaving you alone, _anywhere_. We're going to get this guy, whoever he is, Bones. I won't let you get hurt again. I promise. No one is going to lay a hand on you again. Not as long as there is breath still in my lungs." His words were soft and he spoke against her hair.

Parker opened the bathroom door and felt a little uncomfortable re-entering the bedroom, not understanding what was happening. His dad was on high alert, Bones was scared, he did not comprehend any of it, and that bothered him. "Um, 'scuse me, dad?"

Booth turned in Bones' arms and met his son's questioning look. "C'mere, Parker."

He sat down next to Bones and indicated for his son to sit for a moment, also. "Listen, Parks, we are going over to the Hoover and I have to talk to Mr. Cullen; but while I'm tied up a bit, I need you to stay with Bones in my office. Do you think you can do that for me? Keep an eye on Bones for me?"

Bones understood that Booth was charging his son with a job, to distract the boy as much as was possible, in order to keep him occupied. She smiled at Parker, and nodded, indicating that she, too, wanted to stay with him with her.

"Sure, Dad. I can stay with Bones. But are you going to tell me what's going on? Or are you going to tell me that I'm not old enough, or some other excuse not to tell me?" Parker met his Dad's gaze with a confidence that betrayed how he really felt.

"Parker, I don't know exactly what's happening yet. But when we figure it out, I will tell you. I just know that we need to stay together and I need to make sure you guys are safe. No one was supposed to know we were here; I never even mentioned it to the team that we were coming here today. But somehow, someone knew. So, until we know more, I just need you to trust me, OK?"

Parked nodded without question. He trusted his dad to keep them safe; he trusted that his dad knew how to figure out what was happening.

Booth asked Parker to carry Bones' duffle bag, as he carried Bones and the two evidence bags. They moved down to the lobby and asked the men present if they saw anyone they didn't recognize enter or exit. Both men assured the Agent that _no one_ had even come or gone since they, themselves, had arrived a couple hours earlier; it had been an extremely quiet day for the apartment building lobby.

Upon reaching the Hoover, Booth walked both his charges up to his office, along with her luggage and the evidence bags. He was going to fight to keep the SUV, given the new developments in the case, but if he failed in his quest, he needed their belongings with them, and he wanted to get the evidence bags over to the Jeffersonian.

"OK, I need you both to stay here. Do not leave this office, for any reason, until I come get you. Got it? Do not leave with anyone else." He spoke as he placed Bones down on his couch and indicated to Parker that he was to sit in the chair opposite his desk. "Parks, you can play some games on my laptop, if you want. Do either of you need anything? Anything to drink or a snack?" Upon receiving negative responses from them both, he took a deep breath and bent over to kiss Bones. He knew that they agreed to keep their relationship quiet, out of the workplace until he found out about any consequences, but he needed to feel her skin beneath his lips; needed to feel her warmth, and he wasn't about to deny himself those feelings right at that moment. Damn the FBI and their rules; damn them if they tried to split the partnership up.

He whispered to Bones, "I'll be back as soon as I can, sweetie. If you need anything, let Parker call out to Charlie. I'll let him know you're in here. If you need me, tell Charlie to call up to Cullen's office and find me. Do not leave, do not let Parker leave. Please."

Normally, Bones didn't like being told what to or not to do, but in this case, she didn't argue. She knew the implications of the letter; they were being followed, they were being watched. And it scared her, and put Booth on high alert; so she wouldn't argue with his need to protect them. She nodded in agreement with his requests and kissed him in return. "Come back soon, please. We'll miss you… I'll miss you…"

He thought about leaving his cell phone with her, but decided against it. If this second asshole was the one sending the original texts, then another one could come through at any moment, and he wanted to be the one to answer that call. "I'll miss you too. If Charlie's not at his desk or within yelling distance, use my desk phone and call my cell if you need me. I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you, Bones. With everything I have, I love you." He kissed her again and stood back up to leave. He turned to Parker, "Don't leave, Parks. Keep an eye on her, and make sure she doesn't try to escape, huh?" He smiled, knowing that Bones couldn't walk, but he wanted to try to keep his son at ease as much as possible. "Love ya, buddy," he ruffled his son's dirty-blond curls.

"Love you too, dad. We'll be here when you get back. I promise."

Booth exited his office, closing the door behind him and walked over to Charlie's desk.

"Hey, Agent Booth. I, uh, I thought that you were off work for a while…" Charlie was uneasy at addressing the rumor that his pseudo-boss was suspended. No one was saying why he was off, neither confirming nor denying the various excuses that were flying around the gossipy office. "oh, Oh! How is Dr. Brennan? I was real sorry to hear about her ordeal; is she doing better?" He berated himself for almost forgetting about the Dr.'s kidnapping.

"Uh, yeah, Charlie, I am off for a while, and Bones is doing a little better; shaken and scared, but she'll be alright. But listen, I need to go see Cullen; it's urgent. And I am leaving Bones and my son in my office until I'm done. No one, I mean _NO ONE_, is to go in or out of there, right? No one should be expecting us to be here, so no one should be looking for us. If anyone tries to go in there, call me on my cell or call Cullen's office and have me interrupted. No one, Charlie, ok?" The young rookie agent nodded in agreement to Booth's terms and looked over towards the closed office door. "Hey, Charlie, thanks. I told them that if they needed anything they can call out to you, so if you can, just keep an ear open for them?"

"Sure Agent Booth, I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks, man," Booth took off down the hallway towards the elevators, carrying a white plastic garbage bag and small clear Ziploc bag, causing Charlie to wonder about what was going on. Booth was really tense; more than normal... He turned his attention back to the closed door of Agent Booth's office. He thought about the beautiful woman who was obviously behind that closed door, and the adorable boy who was accompanying her. Charlie admired Agent Booth and strived to be like him one day; an admired and decorated agent, hopefully paired with a beautiful partner, with basically free reign to do as he pleased. Agent Booth's and Dr. Brennan's success rate was legendary within the NE Division and they were an applauded partnership. If Charlie could help keep one of those partners safe, along with the Agent's son, he was happy to lend a hand. He sat back down at his desk, having repositioned his chair so he could keep a better eye on the closed door, and he continued working on the files that were piled high on his desk.

B/B/B/B/B

Booth entered his boss's office without an invitation. "Sir, I need to see you."

Cullen looked up and paled when he met Booth's eyes. "Booth, how did you know I needed to see you? I need to talk to you about something I received. There's a development, it seems." Cullen raised his hands from the desk, holding up a photo that was encased in an evidence bag.

Booth raised his hands, showing Cullen that he came bearing his own make-shift evidence bags.

"What the hell did _you_ get, Cullen?"

Cullen pushed the photo in his star agent's direction. Booth's blood ran cold as he studied the scene. It was taken no more than 3 hours ago…It showed Booth carrying Brennan into her apartment building, trailed slightly by his son, who was carrying the bag from the hardware store.

"Booth, we have a situation, I think, let me see what you brought to me." Cullen's voice was full of concern. "But first, I trust that your Partner and son are safe?"

"Yes, sir, they're down in my office."

"Well, tell you what, why don't you bring them up here? They can wait in there," he indicated to the glass-walled conference room that adjoined his office. "That way we can keep an eye on them both. No one seems to know how this photo made it onto my desk, so I would feel better if we could see them."

"Yes, sir. Be right back." Booth exited his boss's office, heading, once again, to the elevators.

**Postscript A/N**

**OMG! Baker's got a partner? For REAL? And whoever it is can obviously get in and out of places without being noticed! Even in and out of Cullen's office at the Hoover! **

**PLEASE don't read and run! I really love hearing from you! My Muse loves to hear from you all, too! It only takes a moment! Please?**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello FF friends! Welcome back, we're already on Chapter 35! **

**SO… I still don't own any of the Bones characters. I only own this story line and a few of the minor characters… **

**Just in case any of you thought otherwise… I felt the need to clarify. LOL **

**This one is not as long as the previous chapter, but I hope that you like it anyway. It's a pretty calm one, but contains some very interesting bits! **

**Enjoy! Please let me know what you think! **

Booth was relieved to see Charlie still sitting at his desk, just like he'd promised. He was more relieved to find Bones and Parker right where he left them, safe in his office. When he entered, Bones looked surprised that he was back so soon but Parker's attention was completely on the game he was playing on the laptop.

Booth sat down in the hollow by Bones' abdomen, as she was lying on his couch. He reached out and lightly rubbed her arm, "Hey. How are you feeling?" He smiled warmly down at her, trying to hide the concern he was feeling deep in his soul.

"Hey back. I'm OK… stressed and a little tired, but alright."

Booth nodded in understanding. "I wanna take you guys upstairs with me. There is a conference room that shares a glass wall with Cullen's office. I'd like you guys to hang out in there. I think Cullen wants to talk to you, anyway, Bones, and this way, we're all up there together. And I can keep an eye on you..."

Bones eyed him suspiciously, knowing there was something else. She might not be good at reading the general population, but when it came to Seeley Booth, she could always tell when he was hiding something from her. She moved her eyes over to Parker and saw that the boy was not even paying attention to them, so she raised her glance back to Booth's soulful brown eyes. "What's going on, Booth?"

"Whatdya mean?" He tried to sound unassuming, but he knew she would read right through that guise.

She simply cocked her head sideways and leveled her stare. "Tell me what else is going on, Booth…"

"I will… just not yet. Let me figure it out first." He nodded his head sideways, trying to get the point across to Bones that he didn't want to discuss the topic in front of his son just yet. He knew that even when it appeared kids weren't listening, they had the uncanny ability of hearing _everything_. "But Cullen will want to see you, Bones; I think he likes you, wants to see you safe. So please don't argue with me on this, OK? Just let me take you up there. There's a couch that you can sit or lay on, and it's even more comfy than this one; Parks can sit that the conference table with the computer and amuse himself." His eyes pleaded with her to just give in and not question him.

"Of course I'm not going to argue with you, Booth. I just wanted to know what was going on. Usually Cullen doesn't invite people to just sit in the conference room, does he?"

"No, but today's different. C'mon." He helped her sit up and she surprised him; rather than leaning sideways, for him to pick her up as they had been, in a bridal-carry-style, she pulled herself onto his lap and straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Can you get up like this, or should I have waiting until you were already standing?" She asked, almost as an afterthought…

"Umm...no Bones, I, uh, can get up, alright…" He blushed at the hidden double meaning of getting 'up,' but he stood up with relative ease, wrapping his arms around her bottom, supporting her weight as they got themselves sorted. She tightened her legs around his waist, allowing them to rest just on his narrow hips and she pulled her torso flush against his, as she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"This OK, Booth?" Her words were whispered, and the feather-light feeling of her breath on his neck caused him to shiver. She knew her effect on him, and smiled knowingly. _I shouldn't do this to him at work, but I just can't help myself…I need to feel him close. There's something wrong, I can see it in his eyes, but until I know what's going on, I just want to be close…Please don't fight me on this Booth… I need this… I didn't fight you, please don't fight me…_

He gulped and took a deep breath, "Yup,'s good, Bones." He glimpsed at her sideways, knowing that she knew what she was doing… but letting her do it anyway. He smiled and turned his attention to Parker. "Parks? Pause the game and bring it with you, please. Can you grab Bones' bag, too? She might want something while we're up there."

Almost as if Parker was just processing that his Dad was even in the room, he looked at them with slight confusion. "Where are we going? We just got here."

"I'm taking you guys upstairs with me. In case you need anything, you can get me. That way, we don't have to bother Charlie." Booth smiled at Parker as his boy closed the laptop and put it inside Bones' bag, to carry everything up together.

They exited the office and Booth thanked Charlie again, for keeping an eye while he was upstairs. They moved to the elevator and Booth let Parker push the buttons for their destination.

When they reached Cullen's floor and headed into the conference room, Booth was pleased to see Cullen's part-time, motherly, secretary leaving some food on the table.

"Oh, Agent Booth, how nice to see you again," she remarked, as she looked confused about the 'bundle of Dr. Brennan' he held tight against his chest. "I, uh, well, Director Cullen asked me to provide some refreshments for Dr. Brennan and your son. So, I ordered up some cut veggies and dip from the cafeteria, and I thought that Parker might enjoy some chocolate chunk cookies, which I baked last night, so I pulled them from my lunch for him." She gave him a conspiratorial wink then looked back to his father. "There's a pitcher of ice water and a few cups in there, too, but if you need anything else, please let me know."

"Sweet!" Parker exclaimed as he squeezed past his father and into the conference room, heading straight for the cookies. "Thank you ma'am!"

Booth smiled at how his son just made himself at home, and turned his attention back to his boss's assistant, "that's very kind of you, Mrs. Wembley, thank you."

Bones unburied her face from Booth's shoulder and smiled at the older woman. "Yes, Thank you very much, I find that I am quite hungry, now that you mention it."

"You're very welcome, Dr. Brennan. I must say, I am very happy to see you. I was so worried when I heard what happened, we all were. But we all knew, like Director Cullen said from the very beginning, that if anyone could find you, it would be Agent Booth. He wasn't going to rest until he had you back in his arms… uh, er, well, um… back by his side, I mean…" She blushed at her slip, but kept her attention trained on the young woman's pale blue eyes, and smiled gently. "He's a good _Partner_ to have in a pinch, isn't he, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is...And thank you for your concern, you are very kind." It was Brennan's turn to blush as she realized that the mature woman knew _exactly_ what was going on between the Partners. "I am very lucky to have such a caring Partner, you are right."

Booth felt the end of the conversation drawing near and excused himself as he moved Bones into the conference room. "Perceptive old biddy, isn't she?" he whispered to his best friend, causing them both to laugh, as he placed her on the over-stuffed couch. He pressed and held his lips to her cheek, savoring the feeling of her smooth skin; he smiled against her as he heard her appreciative hum from deep in her chest and her fingers intertwined into the short hairs at his neck. Then, reality set in, almost simultaneously, reminding them of where they were. They pulled apart and blushed furiously, as they heard Director Cullen clear his throat from the doorway.

"A-hem… Excuse me?" Cullen laughed quietly as he entered the conference room. He walked up behind where Parker sat munching on cookies. He ruffled the boy's hair and looked down at him, "How ya doin' there Parker? Mrs. Wembley makes some awesome cookies, doesn't she?" The Director gave his attention to the young Booth, allowing the 'Partners' to compose themselves once again.

"I'm good, sir. Yeah, she makes great cookies!" Parker resembled a chipmunk with his cheeks bulging full of chewy chocolate chunk cookies.

Booth's boss laughed at him, then turned back to face Booth and Dr. Brennan, finding them smiling guiltily as they sat side by side. "Still just 'partners', huh?"

"Um, well, sir-" Booth began, as he sat up straight in his seat on the couch.

"Zip it, Booth. It's about time" he laughed at the pair. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't see anything, because I would hate to have to split up my star-team." He gave them a friendly smile as he approached. "Temperance, how are you feeling? You look well; someone's been taking good care of you…"

"Thanks, Sam, I am getting there. I'll be happy when I can move around on my own, but if I have to be incapacitated, then I guess I am in the best possible care available." She smiled at Cullen but leaned towards Booth. Her feet were resting up on the cushion next to her and she shifted, slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't want to show too much to the FBI Director.

"I'm glad to see you, and I hate to pull your partner away so soon after getting you and Parker settled, but I am going to have to steal Booth from you for a bit. If you need anything, we'll be right over there, just let us know. Or let Mrs. Wembley know, she'll be out at her desk." He indicated towards his desk, which could be seen through the shared windows between the two rooms, then towards the door that led to the reception area.

"Thank you, we'll be fine, I'm sure." She moved her gaze to Booth, "maybe you will share with me what's going on after you're through with your meeting?" She spoke loud enough for Cullen to hear, hoping that one of the stubborn men would give in...

"I will, Bones. Let me go talk to Cullen. I'll be back soon." He gave her a heartwarming smile as he moved away from the couch, brushing her arm as he stood. "Need anything?"

"No, just go. Then come back and talk with me."

Booth smiled and moved towards the door, closing it softly behind him. Bones could see him enter Cullen's office through the glass and she admired his stature and the proud way he carried himself. "Parker, can you please hand me my laptop before you get wrapped up in your game? I think I'll work on my chapter while we wait for your father."

Parker hopped up from his spot at the table, where he was parked in front of his Dad's computer, once again absorbed in playing one of his favorite games. "Sure Bones, is it in your bag?"

When he saw her nod the affirmative, he moved to her bag and dug down until he wrapped his fingers around the computer. After he handed it to her, he walked back over to her, carrying a plate of fresh cut veggies. "You should eat something, Bones. Dad will be worried about you if you don't eat." He smiled at her, his rich brown eyes so very reminiscent of his father's. "We can watch something together on dad's computer while you eat, if you want. I'll bring it over here. It's more fun to eat when you're eating with someone, rather than alone."

"Thank you Parker. You're right; he will be upset if I don't eat something. This looks great, Parks." She smiled as he walked back over to the table and grabbed the laptop he was using. Her eyes drifted over to where her best friend sat opposite his boss, and she wondered what was being discussed. She didn't like being omitted from the meeting, but she understood that Booth needed her to be with Parker as much as he needed to ensure she was safe. Booth didn't look happy, but neither did Cullen… _What is going on…I hope we're not in trouble... I hope that they can figure out what the hell is going on and who left that letter. I just want to get better and move on with our lives…I just want to make this thing with Booth work; I want to be able to __name__ this thing with Booth… OK, concentrate, Brennan… Watch whatever Parker wants to show you and then WRITE - The publishing House is still waiting on the next installment of my draft…_ Brennan spoke to herself in her own mind. She was still somewhat confused about her feelings and her lack of concentration, but she was feeling more secure about Booth's feelings towards her. She felt good when they were together and she missed him terribly when they were apart. _Good grief, I have to get a grip on myself… We can't spend every minute together; and I can't be overly surprised when he sends me back home… it's bound to happen…He's a healthy man who is going to get tired of waiting on me… Wait a minute… not necessarily. He said he's in no rush for me to leave, and he said he's happy to help me recuperate. Oh, Christ, stop it, Tempe! Just stop thinking! ggrr…_ She berated herself as she started to munch on her carrots and cucumbers, letting her eyes once again wander to the strong figure, who was now standing over Cullen's desk yelling about something unknown to her.

B/B/B

"Booth, sit." Cullen indicated, as Booth entered his office, pointing to the chair opposite his desk. "Tell me what you know about this shit."

"Sir, all I know is that I took Bones home today, so she could gather some of her clothes and personal items; and while we were there, I replaced her deadbolt, which was busted when Baker broke into her place. While we were in the back room, someone dropped that letter through the letter slot, and Parks found it on the floor. When he brought it to my attention, I searched the place and found the flowers outside the door. I don't know anything more."

"Booth, have you received any other emails or phone messages? None? Whoever this is obviously has knowledge of where you are and that you have Dr. Brennan. The fact that he waited until now to contact you doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"I don't know what to say, sir. Look, I called Hodgins and he said when we're ready for him to come collect this stuff, let him know and he'll make his way over here with a collection kit, so he can take everything back to the lab. Maybe he can get the photo to Angela and she can see what information her magic machine can gather from it. But, first…" Booth took a deep breath. "Look, sir, I want to talk to you about my status. I want to be reinstated today. _You_ know I didn't do anything more than any other Agent would have done if their Partner was held prisoner."

"Booth, I can't do that. You _know_ that this has to be taken to the investigative board. Now, listen to me. I will release the evidence to Dr. Hodgins, but you cannot have contact with the lab during this case. You are on suspension, that's all there is to it. As soon as we can get you cleared to return to work, we will. But, Booth, you can't come back yet."

Booth stood up, leaning over Cullen's desk with his fists planted shoulder width apart as he supported his weight. "Bullshit, Cullen. _You_ can reinstate me. You're the fucking _Deputy Director_, you can make that call."

"Booth, you're out of line, sit the hell down," Cullen rose from his chair to meet Booth's angry glare.

Booth was struggling to control his anger at the moment and remained standing, meeting his boss's eye level. "No. I am not out of line, and you know it, goddammit. What would you have done if it was your wife that was kidnapped? What if the woman you loved was being tortured and _you_ were receiving texts and photos showing you the progress every step of the way? What would you have done if it was your wife's voice screaming for you to come find her – begging through sobs for you to save her? How would you have reacted?"

Cullen schooled his features, and spoke through clenched teeth. "Agent Booth, sit the _fuck_ down. Do not preach to me about what I would or wouldn't have done if my _wife_ was kidnapped. Dr. Brennan is not your wife, Booth. She is your PARTNER, right? I'm going to let you rethink your argument here, Booth."

"My argument, _sir_, is that if someone you cared about was captured and going through what Bones was going through, you would have reacted the exact same way I did. Now, all I am asking is to be reinstated until we catch this motherfucker. If, after that, you need to suspend me again in order to rake me over the coals of the investigative board, then fine. But I need to be able to protect my son and my partner, now; today, tomorrow, until we find this guy. And I need to know that I can do that as an Agent, not only as a civilian." By the end of his rant, Booth's temper had cooled a bit and his voice dropped, almost to the point of dejected begging. He flopped down into his chair and held his forehead in his hand, breaking the stern eye contact with which he'd been challenging his superior. "Sir, I just - I need to know that I can keep them safe. I need my badge back; I need to keep the SUV; I _want_ my guns back. I swear, you can have it all returned after we finish this case, but for now… I need to do this."

Cullen sympathized with Booth. In reality, he knew he would have reacted the same way. He knew that his best Agent was in love with his partner. He knew it long before he witnessed it that day; _everyone_ who knew Booth and Brennan knew they loved each other. He lowered his gaze to the photo on his desk, then to the letter that was brought into him by the very man sitting across from him. Softly, he continued, "Booth, listen to me. I know this is hard…" Cullen sighed in resolution, "you have to trust me. You _will _get your badge back, _and_ keep your truck _and_ get your guns. You'll get it all, but you've gotta give me a few hours. I'll make some phone calls, I'll call-out a few favors due to me and before the end of the day, you'll have it all back. Do you think you can manage to sit tight for a few hours, and not pummel someone? Namely me?" He waited for the soulful brown eyes to meet his, and he smiled at the younger man.

Booth nodded in agreement. "I can do that, sir. Thank you." He turned his head to look through the common glass wall, separating his present location from the one in which he'd rather be. He saw his son, sitting on the floor, his back against the couch where Bones was lying. Parker held his laptop on his raised knees and they were both laughing at something on the monitor. Bones' arm was snaked down around Parker's shoulders as he sat, just about even with her chest area; her other arm was crooked, holding her head up so she could watch the screen that Parker was sharing. He smiled and sighed, feeling his sour mood soothed as he observed their interaction. As if on cue, Bones raised her eyes and met his across the distance, flashing him a smile that seared his soul. Without moving his gaze from his Bones, he spoke to Cullen. "I'm sorry, Sir. I _was_ out of line. I just go…_crazy_ when I think of someone hurting her, or my son." He winked at Bones and turned his head back to face the Director. "I didn't mean to get so angry with you, Sir."

"ah - Forget about it. I know you…You've got a shit-load of passion, Booth. That's what makes you such an excellent agent. Besides, you're just about one of the only people around here with enough balls to give me a good run for my money in an argument. It feels good to get that outta your system sometimes." He turned and looked at the scene that Booth was just observing. "Now, listen. I want you to go over there and sit tight for a bit. I'll bring you back over here when I can officially talk to you about the case."

"Thank you sir. Do you think, that while we're waiting to get permission to talk, maybe you could send a team over to my apartment and sweep it for bugs? Whoever this is knew we were going to Bones' place, so unless he was following us, or tracking my truck, then he was listening to us. We haven't been anyplace other than my apartment since I got her back."

"Booth, go over and sit with your girlfriend and son, huh? Let me do my damn job?" Cullen smiled at his agent, full well planning to do as Booth requested, but reluctant to let his subordinate know that he had called the shot.

"Um, sir, we haven't really established our relationship as such; I'm not sure Bones would approve of being regarded as my 'girlfriend', since she's not a 'girl' anymore… she's pretty literal."

"Tomato, Tom-ahto. Call her what you want, Booth, that woman's your girlfriend." Cullen observed Booth falter a little as he started towards the door. "Don't worry, Booth, your secret is safe with me…for now. Get Caroline to find you two a loophole, though, you won't be able to keep this secret for long."

Booth bowed his head in slight embarrassment, but he was full of appreciation for his boss. "Yes sir, thank you. Please call me as soon as possible. Bones is anxious to know what's going on too." He moved out of his boss's office and moved over to the conference room and entered with a warm smile for his two most important people.

"Hey guys, whatcha watching on there?" Booth reached onto the conference table and grabbed a handful of veggies and moved over to sit on the couch with Bones. She raised her head slightly then lowered it onto his thigh as he sat, smiling up at him.

"Parker was showing me the video you took of his last soccer game."

"Match, Bones. It's a soccer _match_, not game." Parker corrected her from his perch on the floor. "It's OK, Bones. You'll learn. And you gotta come to my matches, too. Now that you and dad are together, you know, I will expect you to be there." He was very matter-of-fact in his statement.

"Parker! You can't invite Bones to come watch you like _that_! And it's not polite to tell someone that you _expect_ them to be there. Now, apologize to Bones, and ask her _nicely_ if she's like to come watch you one day."

"No, it's OK, Booth. Parker was not trying to be rude, he was just being honest. Right, Parker?" Bones, of all people, totally appreciated how blunt the eleven-year-old could be. She wished that more people were frank and honest rather than giving in to the socially expected "politically correct" mannerisms.

"Right. Dad, I didn't mean anything by it. I just, well, I want Bones to see me play more often. It's been a long time since she saw me on the pitch and I'm a lot better than I used to be! And I figured that now, since you guys are, you know, together, that she'll come see me when you do."

"Alright, well, just remember your manners. Not everyone is as accepting of bluntness as Bones. Now, start it over, that was a great play, I wanna see it again." He grinned and made himself comfortable, rubbing his fingers through the soft tendrils that had fallen over his leg.

Bones looked up at Booth, silently questioning him about what was going on. He winked and smiled, quietly indicating that he would fill her in later. She accepted his notion and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers dancing through her hair.

While they waited for Cullen to work his magic, Booth and Parker logged onto Fox Soccer Channel online and watched some highlights from the Barclays Premier League, cheering as they watched Rooney kick another spectacular goal. Bones napped, still resting her head against Booth's thigh, obviously exhausted and able to sleep through their soccer chants. She had rolled onto her right side, so she was facing Booth's torso, and he continued to rub her hair between the fingertips of his left hand, knowing that the sensation was relaxing for her, while he kept her safe from rolling off the couch by keeping his right hand firmly on her hip.

Mrs. Wembley came rambling in about an hour after Booth joined his family, and she came bearing more food, sent up compliments of Dir. Cullen. There were sandwiches for the Booth boys and a fresh feta garden salad for Brennan. Noticing that Dr. Brennan was sleeping, she made her entrance and exit with almost no sound. Parker eyeballed the sandwiches and raised his eyebrows at his father, asking permission to dive in…

"Go on, Buddy. Get something to eat; I'm sure you're hungry."

"Dad, aren't you hungry too? You only had a few carrots when you came in, you must be _starving_ by now…!" Parker's views on hunger were charming to Booth and he smiled to his boy.

"I'm OK for now, Parks. I'll wait til Bones wakes up and eat with her. But you go ahead and have your sandwich." He winked at Parker and then looked back down at his sleeping best friend.

"Bones won't be too hungry, I don't think, Dad." Parker once again took on a matter-of-fact tone, in between shoving bites of Turkey and Swiss into his mouth.

"Why would you say that, pal?" Booth was confused about his boy's opinion; Bones, too, had skipped breakfast and it was well past lunch time now, and there were still snacks left on the table from when they had first arrived.

"When you were in talking to Mr. Cullen, I gave her a full plate of veggies. And I mean a FULL plate. I told her that she had to eat because otherwise you would be worried about her and she said she didn't want to make you worry. And she ate it all. She didn't even argue with me." He smiled at his dad, "I don't know why you always say you have trouble dragging her out of the lab for lunch or for dinner. You said she never wants to eat. She didn't give me a hard time…Just tell her that you worry about her, Dad. She'll eat." His son gave him a smugly satisfied smile then went back to his sandwich, feeling like he'd solved the world's hunger problem by just telling his Dad how to make Bones eat.

"Is that so, bud? She ate, just like that? No arguing or pouting or anything, huh?"

"Nope. She wanted to eat so you didn't worry. So, next time she balks at you, just tell her you care."

Booth chuckled at his son's offer of grown-up advice. _If only she was so simple_, he thought to himself. _Maybe I'll just bring Parker with me on the days she's being difficult, then she won't put up a fight. Heh heh_.

By the time Parker had finished his sandwich and moved the laptop back over to the table to continue playing his video game, Bones started to stir from her nap. Rubbing the hair off her forehead with gentle fingertips, and allowing his other thumb to make lazy circles on her hip, Booth waited patiently for her to come out of her sleepy state. "Hey, gorgeous. D'you have a good nap?"

"Mmm, Booth. Sorry. I didn't mean to doze off like that; I just wanted to rest my eyes." She wrinkled her brow sleepily, "why are we still here? How long was I sleeping?"

"Cullen's trying to get me reinstated today. I wanna wait to see if he's successful, then he'll talk to me about the case." He looked up just as Cullen was rising from his desk chair. "Hodgins was by just a little while ago and collected the items we brought in, along with something else that was left here. He's taking it all back to the lab. He waved, but didn't come in. I think Cullen told him they couldn't discuss much with me yet."

"What was left here, Booth? What else needs analyzing by the lab?"

Booth looked over to Parker to ensure that he wasn't paying attention to them; he was deeply engrossed in his game, making faces and all, so Booth continued. "There was a photo left on Cullen's desk. No one knows who dropped it off, or how it got as far as this office. But, ah, it's a photo of us."

"Of us? From where? When?" The concern in her eyes was immediate.

"From this morning; it was taken from behind as the three of us entered your building this morning." Booth paused to let that sink in. "So whoever this is, he's either staking out your building and waited for us to return, or he's staking out my place and followed us."

"Booth-" She looked up at him, her tears threatening to break free.

"I know, Bones. I know." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "We'll get him, whoever it is." He brought his hand up from her waist and stroked her cheek. "You hungry? Cullen sent a salad in for you and a sandwich for me. I'm a bit famished, but I wanted to wait for you."

"OH, Booth, I'm sorry. I'm not really very hungry just yet. I had a big plate of Mrs. Wembley's veggies earlier, while you were in with Sam."

Booth grinned knowingly. "So I heard…Parker said you didn't even put up a fight about eating." He smiled widely, "thanks, Bones."

She just blushed in reply and snuggled her head against his strong abdomen.

"Well, I'm gunna eat, then." He raised his head to look at his son, "Hey, Parks, can you pass me my sandwich, please? You were right, Bones doesn't want her salad yet." He thanked his son and started to unwrap his lunch. "Parks, I'm gunna bring you with us to lunch the next time Bones complains about leaving the lab, OK?"

Parker, of course, agreed readily, but Bones gave him a look of disbelief. "What's that all about, Booth? I never complain about leaving!"

"Oh, yeah, right. Next time I'll record your moans and gripes about the civil war bodies waiting to be ID'ed and the thesis papers that need grading and the chapter that your editor is waiting on and…"

"OK, OK… I get it. It's just that you pick inopportune times to want to eat, Booth. You think that just because you're hungry it's lunch time, and _everyone_ should be hungry."

"That's because it _is_ lunchtime, Bones… Weekdays between 11:30 and 1:00 – anytime in there is an acceptable lunchtime for the rest of humanity."

She didn't argue with him, because she knew he was right. Sometimes she just liked to give him a hard time, so she yelled and pouted about leaving. But she _always_ had intentions of joining him for whatever meal he was ready to take her to. Before Booth came along, she thought nothing of skipping lunch and often times, skipping dinner too. But, from the very beginning, he always wanted to make sure she was eating properly. At first he did have to practically drag her from Bone Storage, but she quickly learned that it was his way of showing her he cared; it was one of the only ways she would let him show her how he felt – for 7 long years, she wouldn't let him get in any closer. _I was such a fool; I should have taken the chance with him back when he first asked me. He's been taking care of me for years, now…_

They both looked up at the door as it opened, and Cullen entered the spacious conference room. "Agent Booth? I have some papers I need you to sign and we have a case to discuss, if I can have your attention for a while?" Cullen smiled as the partners both grinned at him in appreciation.

"Yes, sir. That's great. 'Scuse me Bones, got stuff to do." He scooted out from beneath her rested head, and removed his button-down over-shirt, rolling it for her to use a pillow. "I'll be back." He spoke quietly to her and she admired him as he exited, following behind his boss. She loved to watch the play of his muscles beneath his tight t-shirts. She had watched him earlier that day, but before they left his apartment, he had donned an over-shirt to cover the t-shirt, thus covering his ample muscles. She was glad to see him again… She felt heat flush up her neck and to her cheeks; _God he makes me crazy with want… Breathe, Tempe, breathe…_

B/B/B

"Booth, sit. Listen." Cullen took on his no-nonsense boss-tone as he pointed to the chair he expected Booth to occupy.

"Yes, sir. Hey, I want to say thanks for-"

"Yeah, whatever, Booth. Don't talk, sit and listen."

Booth sat. Booth listened.

"You better not screw up, Booth. I put my neck on the line for you. I cleared you of any improper actions against Baker. And you owe Sweets, too. You can thank him when he gets up here, he's on his way. We both attested that you were, and still are, in complete control of your actions and emotions. We both attested that your actions in Maryland, at the location of Dr. Brennan's captivity and rescue, were not taken in impulse, but instead out of the fundamental requirement to maintain security under the circumstances. There was no unnecessary force used, and the fact that you killed Baker was very simply because he was wielding weapons. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Here's your badge and you can collect your firearms downstairs. You will not keep your SUV, however."

Booth started to interrupt but was, once again, cut off by his boss.

"_Instead_, Booth, you are getting a _different_ vehicle. On the off-chance that whoever followed you planted a tracking device on your truck, we can't risk you continuing to drive it, until we have had a chance to give it a complete going-over." Cullen paused to let that sink in, just as a knock at the door drew both of their attentions to Dr. Sweets as he entered the office. Cullen and Booth both nodded, but Cullen turned and continued to speak to Booth. "Agent, gimme your cell phone," he held out an evidence bag and waited for Booth to drop his phone into the plastic. "Now, we'll send this down to forensics and have them look it over, make sure there's no tracking or bug devices in it. There's a team waiting to gain entry to your apartment, so I need you to call your super and give the go-ahead to have them permitted; they will sweep your place and if there's anything there, it will be found. Dr. Hodgins took the items back to the Jeffersonian to be tested, so we will have to wait until he completes his tests to get further information."

"Thank you, sir." Booth was humbled by how quickly everything was going, meaning that Cullen made the arrangements quickly. He turned to Sweets, who'd been sitting quietly since he came into the office. "And thanks, Sweets. Cullen told me that you were instrumental in getting me reinstated. I – well, I really appreciate it, I won't screw up."

"I know you won't Agent Booth," the young doctor smiled at him. "But you and Dr. Brennan will have to continue attending joint sessions with me, so I can justify my evaluation."

"Great – look forward to it," Booth's voice was flat, but he knew that it was a small price to pay, to be able to protect his son and Partner from this newest psycho.

Booth looked back to Cullen and spoke, "I'd like a run down on all of Baker's known associates, before _and while_ he was in prison, and I'll review their files. Someone is going to know something. Someone knows who he would have teamed up with; someone would have contacted him for this scheme. Whoever he is was obviously aware that Baker was into weapons, he must know of Baker's history. I want to begin by going through all the files to try to find this guy. I'm going to especially focus on anyone with whom Bones & I were involved in putting away – someone who would have a grudge against one of us."

Sweets scooted forward and produced, from his pocket, a photo copy of the letter that was left at Brennan's door. "Well, Agent Booth, you may want to keep your options open. I had a look at this, and while I haven't yet had the chance to decipher any hidden messages or clues in here, I do believe that you will need to broaden your spectrum of who you're searching for."

Booth and Cullen both gave Sweets simultaneous questioning looks.

Sweets nodded to each of his colleagues, "Agent Booth, Director, in my opinion, we're searching for a woman, not a man."

Booth's mind reeled. "Wha-what? What are you talking about? Why do you say that, Sweets?"

"The handwriting in this letter belongs to a woman; again, my _opinion_. We should bring in an expert handwriting analyst to be sure, but the slant, the precision of the lettering, the phrasing, all point towards being that of a woman's handwriting more than a man's." He looked back and forth between the two older men. "I would be interested in seeing the original so I could study the indentation caused by the pressure of the pen; that would also provide some insight on the composer of this letter. But I am sure that whoever is studying it at the lab will observe that."

Booth looked at Cullen, then back at Sweets. "A woman? A woman is behind Bones' torture?" Disbelief was written all over Booth's face. _How could a woman be part of stripping another woman of her dignity? Physically having her stripped and beaten… that's harsh. Not something I would expect of another woman._ He turned this over in his mind as he let has gaze turn back towards the woman in the next room. He turned back to Sweets, "do you think she has a beef with me or with Bones? What would drive a woman to do this?"

"It's really hard to answer that just yet, Agent Booth. Without having more details with which to work, I can only make a premature educated guess." He inhaled deeply and focused his eyes on the Agent. "In addition to what I see in the handwriting, I have to consider the bouquet of flowers left at Dr. Brennan's door. The lock of hair that was affixed – that stands for something. A woman who might be jealous of Dr. Brennan – whether it be of her success, her status in life, her beauty, her relationship with you – whatever the reason, an overly jealous woman could easily take out her frustration and anger by defacing Dr. Brennan's appearance. Her hair had been crudely cut; her earring had been torn out, causing her lobe to rip and need the stitches that Cam provided; the whipping caused injuries that will surely leave scars; the mental anguish that she was subjected to will leave _emotional_ scars; the lies that were told to her about you – they will always be in the back of her mind, potentially causing her to distrust you or shut you out of her life, thus depriving herself of love…Injuring her to the extent that she has had to become completely and utterly dependent on someone – you – she has been stripped of her independence, and we all know that Dr. Brennan is a very independent woman. Her current _dependent_ situation must be weighing heavily on her mind. Individually, these treatments would not necessarily point to a woman, but when taken as a whole, as a complete picture, whoever was behind this has a vendetta that is only satisfied by taking action against Dr. Brennan. I believe this unknown woman wanted to take away some of Dr. Brennan's most positive attributes." Sweets lowered his eyes momentarily, before re-establishing eye contact with Booth. "Now, I can't say if it's someone who was involved with a case or someone with whom Dr. Brennan just had conflict, but whoever she is, she's smart and she probably blends in quite well with those around her. Otherwise, she would be noticed or recognized." He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach. "Or, on the complete flip side of the coin, it could be a woman who has something against _you_, Agent Booth, and she wants to hurt you by hurting the woman you love – uh, the partner with whom you are so close…" The boy-doctor blushed at his slip-up. _He_ knew they loved each other, but he didn't know for sure if _they_ knew it yet… or if they admitted it yet… "Beyond that, and with this little bit of information so far, that's all I have to offer; but I'd like to go to the lab and see what else I can gather from the rest of the evidence." He looked hopefully at the Agent, hoping to be invited along when they went.

Booth just nodded his head, looking once again through the windows separating him from his family, longing to be with them both. He wanted desperately to take them both into his strong embrace and never let them go. "Yeah, sure Sweets. Let me know what you find out; I'm going to gather some of the files and take Bones and Parker home. I don't want to have them out in public right now, so I don't plan on going to the lab." He turned back and looked at Cullen. "Can I go now? I want to go sign out my guns and get home."

"Yeah, Booth. The clean-up-team is probably still there, sweeping for bugs, but can work around you. I just suggest that you are both careful about what you say." He reached for another document from his filing drawer, "here, take this form downstairs with you, sign out another phone. When we hear back from forensics about your phone, I'll give you a call."

"Thanks, sir." Booth stood and extended his hand to his superior. "Thank you for everything, Director. And, again, I am sorry if I said anything out of line earlier."

"No worries, Booth, just get the hell out of here. I'm sick of looking at you today."

Booth nodded to the twelve-year-old shrink and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Sweets. Let us know if you have any other shrinky break-throughs, huh?"

He moved towards the door and made his way to the conference room, leaving his boss and therapist standing in the now-quiet office, watching the interaction between him and his partner. They observed as Booth walked with purpose over to the couch where Dr. Brennan was resting, and he squatted down, settling face to face with her. They talked, they each nodded in their conversation and Sweets gasped as Agent Booth leaned in and seized Dr. Brennan's lips with his own, cradling her face between his large hands.

Sweets turned his paling face to the Deputy Director, and was met with a sly smile. "Yup, Doc, you and I are privy to some knowledge that we need to keep between us for now… You know, doctor/patient confidentiality." He smiled and looked back at the couple who were now talking to Parker as the boy packed away the laptop he'd been using. "They've obviously moved beyond 'just partners', _finally_, but we need to find a loop hole so they can stay together. So, for now, we're going to pretend we didn't see that, right? We _especially will not_ be telling Hacker; he'd go out of his way to get those two separated otherwise. I don't want my best team broken up."

"Uh, yes sir. Between us… confidentiality… loop hole…" Sweets babbled in slight shock as he turned to leave. "They're _more_ than partners now… they just kissed…a _real_ kiss… yeah, loop hole…"

Cullen shook his head in humor at the young doctor as he sat back down and continued making phone calls. Booth and his brood left the conference room without ceremony and waved to him as they passed his open door, heading back to the elevators that would take them back downstairs. Booth carried Bones close, holding her on his hip, much as an adult would carry a child, as she held his strong shoulders and rested her head against his neck. The young Booth trailed behind, carrying a duffle bag on his shoulder, and smiling at his Dad and Bones as they quietly spoke to one another.

"Bones, they think it's a woman…"

**Postscript A/N**

**Wow… a woman? Did you see that coming? My Muse is evil, isn't she? But who could it be? Is it someone we already know? Or could it be someone that we've never met before? **

**I guess we'll all have to wait to see what chapter 36 brings! **

**Please review and let me know if you hate this or like this! **


	36. Chapter 36

**Hello again! Thank you, all, once again, for your continued support of my story. I hope you still like it! **

**I know there are many stories out there from which to choose, and the fact that you have stuck with me through 35, now 36, chapters, means the world to me. **

**Disclaimer. OK, so nothing has changed since my last disclaimer, and the one before that, and the one before that…. LOL There are a couple of Agents in here who are mine, but you will figure that out, I am sure. But other than that, I don't own anything here except the story line! **

"A woman?" Bones pulled her head back and looked into Booth's eyes, as he carried her cradled against his chest, her legs wrapped firmly around his hips. "Who? Who would do this?"

"I don't know, Bones, but the squints are working on it, Sweets is working on it - - we'll figure it out." He tried to assure her with words that he, himself, had trouble believing.

"You – you don't think - - You don't think Hannah would -" Bones started to say, hesitantly.

"No. She was pissed, yeah; I think she may be close to a nervous breakdown between having trouble at her job, having issues realizing that my heart wasn't hers, having to deal with living in DC, which she hates; but I don't think she would stoop this low. She was never really cruel, just pissed off most of the time. Well, I _hope_ she wouldn't do this, anyway…" Booth felt it necessary, even though they parted on bad terms, to defend her a little. Seeley Booth, _the man_, didn't believe in his heart that Hannah was that vindictive, but Seeley Booth, the _FBI Special Agent_, mentally put her towards the top of the suspect list to be brought in for questioning.

As they exited the elevators, several pairs of eyes that were roaming the hallway stopped and turned to see them. Some were shocked to see one of the Agency's best holding his partner so intimately; others were curious to see Dr. Brennan, having heard about her kidnapping; still others were just morbidly nosy, wanting to see just how far the injuries had incapacitated the normally-strong-willed and spit-fire doctor. Brennan lowered her eyes and her face, once again against Booth's neck. "Booth, why is everyone staring? Are they – are they looking at us? I don't want people to see me like this, Booth…there are too many people here." Her panicked words were whispered, barely loud enough to float up to his ears, but he managed to catch them all. He knew that Bones was usually a very self-assured woman, ready to face any conflict head-on, but since her rescue, her self-confidence had waivered. She was very conscious of the terrible bruising on her face and at the fact that she hadn't had her hair cut to repair the hack-job that was done to her; she simply wore it pulled back slightly, in a head band. Her body stiffened in his grip and she started to become visibly upset at the slack-jawed, gaping stares being cast in their direction. Even if they weren't all focused on her, she felt like they were.

Most of the people loitering around were rookies and lower-ranked agents. Booth stilled his features, stopped mid-stride and pulled his rank. "What the hell are you all standing around looking at? Don't you have work to do? If you don't, then you're taking up precious space in this over-crowded building and maybe we need to remedy that, huh?" His voice boomed through the congested hallway and people who were previously watching the partners and their situation were suddenly scurrying to get out of the Special Agent's line of vision, hoping to escape recognition and go about their respective days.

Watching everyone scatter, Parker's eyes grew wide. "Wow, Dad…That was cool." Parker looked up at his father, admiring the way he could make people do what he wanted them to do, _immediately_. The hallway was suddenly empty…

Bones peeked at his profile, noting the stern look still holding his features in check as he gazed around them, ensuring that no one else was staring, causing his Partner to be uncomfortable. She placed her lips near his ear and breathed, "That _was_ very 'cool', Booth. It was very alpha-male and I find that I am highly aroused right now, seeing you in action... Mmmm…"

He spun his face around to look at her, wide-eyed, and she rewarded him with a quick peck on the lips and then smiled gently at him. "Thank you, Booth."

He shook his head in disbelief and briskly started walking back towards his office. "Bones – don't go saying shit like that," he spoke into her hair as she lowered her face back into the crook of his neck. "It's not – it's not professional. What if someone heard you?"

She chuckled a deep, throaty giggle. "No one was going to hear me, Booth. That's why I spoke directly into your ear." She wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders and pressed her knees into his waist, just above his hips.

He took a deep breath, trying to control the desire that just washed over him at feeling his Partner pressed against his body so perfectly and hearing the words she breathed into his ear. Approaching his office door, he spoke to Charlie, "Hey, Charlie, you still have that _thing _you wanted to show Parker?"

Charlie looked up at the Agent, not knowing what the hell his superior was talking about. "Umm.. I, uh…" He looked frantically around at his desk. _What is he talking about? Oh God, did I forget to get something for him? Was I supposed to pick something up at the store…? What __thing__?_

Booth wanted a couple of minutes with Bones, _alone,_ but wanted his son safe, so he unwittingly enlisted the help of his young assistant. "You know, that _video game_ you were showing me the other day?" He knew that Charlie had recently downloaded a few new games onto his new iPhone 4S, and hoped the kid would pick up on his cues.

_Ah-ha. He wants me to keep Parker occupied for a bit. Slick, Booth._ "Oh, oh Yeah! Duh…! I do! Hey Parker, wanna see this? It's great!" He reached into his suit jacket and retrieved his phone as the boy approached the desk at complete ease, and totally oblivious to his Dad's motives. Charlie glanced up at Booth for the reassurance that he was doing what was expected.

"Well, have fun, Parks. We'll be back out in a few minutes. Hang out here with Charlie, huh?" Booth's eyes met Charlie's and the younger man nodded, showing Booth that he would keep an eye on Parker. The men shared a small smile before Booth schooled his expression, indicating to Charlie that he should keep his _suspicion_ under his hat.

"Yeah, sure, Dad. Whatever. What's the new game, Charlie? Can I play it?" Parker's attention was already captivated by the idea of a new high score to conquer.

Booth quickly walked into his office and shut the door behind him, drawing the blinds and locking the deadbolt. He leaned back against the door and turned his face to meet Bones' as she smiled back at him, slyly.

He immediately captured her lips with his, quickly gaining entrance for his tongue to tango with hers. They moaned into each other's mouths, muffling their enjoyment of each other. She fisted his short hair with her wiry fingers and held his head tight, not letting him pull away. He moved both his hands to cup her ass while he supported her weight. With one perfect cheek in each palm, he squeezed, pulling her center harder to his as he thrust his hips in her direction.

She pulled her lips from his and guided her tongue down his jawline, gently nipping along the way, enjoying the roughness of his barely-there stubble. He had shaved that morning, but by mid-day, that oh-so-sexy 5 o'clock shadow that always left her hot for him, made its appearance. _Now I can do this… Now I can touch this; touch him; kiss him; grind against him…Ooohhh, he tastes so good…feels so good..._

Booth groaned as Bones worked her mouth over his neck and settled on his Adams apple, swirling her tongue around it and locking her lips upon it. He felt her smile against his skin, and that brought on a small smile of his own. He tried to clear his mind enough to speak, but the feelings she was evoking were fogging his brain.

"Bones – Bones…" Booth breathlessly spoke, "Bones we have to stop. We shouldn't be doing this right now. Not here… not now…we have to stop, Baby."

She started to move her mouth back up towards his strong, sensual lips. "Mm-hmm… I know," she mumbled against his deliciously masculine skin. "I know. We should be working. Or leaving. Or…whatever…But I needed to taste you, Booth." She made it to his lips and only grazed over them with a gentle nip before moving along the other side of his jawline, towards his ear. "You knew I was uncomfortable out there, in that crowded hallway. You knew that I didn't like everyone looking at me. And you stopped them from staring; you raised your metaphorical hackles and protected me, Booth." She sucked his lobe between her puckered lips and flicked it with her tongue. "I know you've always been protective of me; I know you've always defended me. But today, hmmm, that was _so_ very sexy – so _alpha_ – so captivatingly irresistible. I just couldn't help it… You made me want you so bad, Booth. I can't wait until I'm better; I can't wait until I can properly love you, Booth."

Booth whipped his head around and arrested her lips, plunging his tongue deep into her mouth, demanding control from her. He stumbled towards his couch, still holding her flush against him, his erection growing more painful the longer he stood. He flopped down, careful not to crush her feet behind him when his ass made contact with the cushion.

Bones bent her knees so they were resting on the couch, on either side of Booth's perfectly proportioned hips. She straddled him as she continued grinding herself against the bulge that she could feel growing inside his tight jeans. He brought his right hand up and palmed her breast, squeezing it firmly through her shirt, successfully drawing a seductive moan from deep within her chest. His left hand continued groping at her ass, rubbing, squeezing, pulling her hard against him.

"Oh my God, Bones." Booth groaned against her throat, where he had clamped his mouth when she let her head fall backwards. "So fucking hot…so fucking delicious…so fucking _fuckable_." He sucked hard, knowing, once again, that he was marking her. Marking that milky white skin **above** her collar line, where everyone will be able to see. _Let them stare. Let them know that she's mine. Let them know that I am sleeping with my Partner and I am never going to stop. Those assholes who like to watch the way her ass sways when she walks by – let them figure it out: her sexy, tight, heart-shaped ass is mine; her body is mine; I'm the one making love to her every night; let their fantasies falter and crash to the ground when they figure it out – they don't have a chance in hell at ever touching her like this. No fucking way… _"Mine," he growled against her porcelain smooth skin. "Mine."

"Yes, Booth. Yours."

Bones brought her hand down between their bodies and grasped his cock as it strained against the tight denim of his jeans, begging for attention and release from it's constraint. She squeezed then rubbed the length of her hand down to his balls and cupped him firmly. "Booth…" She whispered his name in that husky, breathy tone that drove Booth nearly out of his head with desire. "Booth, I want you. I want you now. Inside me – all the way – I want to feel you fill me completely and spill your seed deep inside." She wrapped her fingers around his cocky belt buckle, frantically trying to unfasten it, but her hand was shaking uncontrollably and she couldn't unhook it.

He reached down and grabbed her wrist, reality finally setting in. "Bones, we need to stop. Baby, believe me, I want this too, but we have to stop, we can't do this here." He latched his lips onto her neck one final time, sucking hard and biting gently. "We need to calm down, Bones; we need to cool off, baby." He removed his hand from her ample tit and brought it to her waist, and allowed his other hand to release her wrist and brought it to her other hip.

Bones raised her head and met his heated eyes. She had no doubt that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, right then, right there; but she knew he was right. They were supposed to have been heading downstairs to reclaim his fire arms and sign out a new truck. She reached and cupped his cheeks in her fragile hands. "Booth. I – I'm sorry... I lost control. It's just that you and I – we're – we're so good together. And you make me crazy, Booth. I've never felt this way about anyone. I just – I – I love you so much, Booth." Tears of happiness filled her cerulean blue eyes as she looked deep into her best friend's lust-darkened irises. She saw nothing but love and yearning staring back at her as he reached up and mirrored her position by placing his palms on her cheeks, gently pulling her lips to his for a slow, sensual, loving caress.

"I love you, too, Bones. So much that it sometimes scares me. These last few days, even though the circumstances that brought it on are terrible, I feel so blessed to have you in my life; to be sharing my life with you. I've wanted this for so long; wanted _you_ for so long." He leaned in and closed the distance between them, kissing her gently again; their tongues lazily stroked each other as they just enjoyed tasting the now-familiar flavors, deepening the intimacy that they already shared. When he felt her cheeks dampen with her flowing tears, he pulled back from her lips. He placed light, loving kisses on each cheek, kissing away the emotion that was flowing from her eyes. He pulled her to his chest and held her tenderly. "Shh, it's OK. Don't cry, Bones."

"Booth, I don't want to lose you. If I lost you now, I think I would fall apart, Booth. My life, it wouldn't – it wouldn't mean the same thing as it does now if you weren't part of it. I'm just so worried that you will -" She tried desperately to control the emotions that were flooding her body, wreaking havoc with her normally logical brain, but she could not stop the crying from happening.

He understood her fears; he understood her completely. "Aww, Baby, don't cry. Bones, I am not going anywhere. I will _never_ leave you; I couldn't, I'd be lost without you. I don't want you to worry about that – _ever_. I meant it when I said I've wanted this for so long – for so many years, Bones. I fell in love with you the first day I laid eyes on you, in that lecture hall. You stole my breath away and I knew, _I just knew_, that we were destined to be together. You didn't believe in fate, but I did. I still do, Bones. And fate tells me that this is it for us. Everything happens eventually, and this is our eventually, Bones. So, please, I want you to stop worrying about losing what we have; I'm not going anywhere…and I won't let _you_ run anywhere ever again." He rocked her body against his, encasing her within his protective embrace.

"But, Booth… All this – all this _shit_ – that's happening around us...What if – what if something happens to one of us? What if this other person-"

"Nuh-uh. Stop it Bones. Remember - no what if's. That's what you told Parker. Nothing is going to happen to you, me or Parks. We are going to be safe; we are going to catch this bitch, whoever she is, and we are going to lock her up for life. Bones, we are the best team the FBI has – there's a reason Cullen isn't blowing the whistle on our relationship yet. He's giving us time to find a loophole so we don't have to be separated. He wants to keep us together. He knows that, if anyone can catch this woman, it's us – even if we are her main target. I want you to stop thinking for just a little while. Just enjoy _feeling_ for a while, okay? Just enjoy what we have together; what we're building together; and where we're going together. I'm not going to let anything happen to you; and in order to keep that promise, I can't let anything happen to myself, so we're good. Let's just enjoy being us, okay?"

He felt a tiny nod against his shoulder, where her head so often these days, found a comfortable home. "OK Booth. I know you're right. I'm just so emotional; I can't seem to control what's happening inside my brain, and inside my body. Like today, in the hall, if I was a healthy woman, I would have jumped you right there. I was so wrapped up and turned on by your actions, by that stern look in your eyes and the way your jaw locked; I thought I was going to pass out. That's never happened to me before, Booth. I am confused and I don't understand what's happening. I just know that with this new threat, I feel like I want to hide away with you and never emerge. I want to find a cave and just hibernate in your arms, against your warm body, and protect us from all the bad that's out there."

"That's what love is, Bones. When you love someone, you can't always rationalize what you're feeling. You can't always control how your body is going to react or how your brain is going to function. That's why I was always so crazy when you were dating other men. It wasn't _just_ jealousy because you were my beautiful partner, it was my love for you manifesting itself into a defense mechanism that made me do background checks on all those guys; I sat outside your apartment building at night to make sure you got home alright. I brought you breakfast so often in the mornings because I wanted to be the one to take you to and from work, so I knew you arrived safely both places. I know it sounds kind of creepy; hell, if I questioned a suspect in a case and he admitted to doing those things, I would categorize him as a stalker. But that's not what I was trying to do. I wasn't trying to spy on you. I just wanted to make sure you were not hurt. I wanted so desperately to protect you until you had the time you needed in order to realize that you and I were meant for each other. You needed time to come to the conclusion on your own, and I wanted to give it to you."

"Thank you, Booth. I didn't know you did those things. And while it does sound kind of, well, stalker-ish, I know now that you did it with my best intentions in mind, and for that, I appreciate it." She nipped and kissed his neck gently, playfully, but wary to not get started on _that_ again. "I love you, Booth." She laughed a little self-consciously. "I don't think I will ever get enough of saying that to you."

A wide smile spread across his face, "That's good, Bones. I'll never tire of hearing you say it. I've waited for nearly 8 years to hear those words fall from your lips, so you can say them as often as you want." He kissed her forehead as he continued to rock her slowly. "We've gotta get going. I need to collect some items to bring home, Bones; a few personal items. And some files to work on." He moved to turn, so he could place her on the couch. "Sit tight; I'll only be a few minutes while I get everything together." He moved to his chair behind his desk.

"Booth, if you're not suspended anymore, then you don't have to bring home your personal items, right? You're still working, so can't you leave it?" She was curious why he was still planning on gathering whatever he had originally planned to remove from his office.

"Well, there are a few things that I want to bring home. I'll leave most of my stuff, like you said, since I am no longer on suspension, but there are a couple things that, well, I just want to have at home." He moved to the safe, keeping his back to where his partner sat. He didn't want her to see one of the items was pulling out, but he soon realized that she wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing anyway; she had laid her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet for a few minutes before they left for home.

He placed his personal items into the empty briefcase at his desk-side, and then moved to the stack of files that Charlie had placed on his desk before they came down from Cullen's office. He stared quizzically at the pile, wondering when Charlie had the chance to pull the case files and get them to his desk so quickly. Determining that Cullen must have made the call to him while he was gathering his family, he placed those, too, in his case.

"Bones? Baby?" Booth stroked her cheek tenderly, hating to wake her, but he needed to. He did not want startle her in the process though. When her eyes fluttered open, he recognized a momentary flash of unrecognizing panic before she focused on him and where they were. "Hey, it's OK, it's just me." He smiled down at her as she relaxed once again. "I just wanted to let you know that I am going to go downstairs and do the paperwork for my guns and my new wheels. You stay here, and I'll come back up when I'm all done, ok?"

She nuzzled further into his couch and nodded in agreement. "Sure, Booth. I don't know why I'm so tired; we haven't done anything today. But I am exhausted." She stifled a yawn and looked at him beneath sleepy lids.

"Stress will do that to a person, babe. And you've been under a lot of it. You rest, I'll send Parker in here to keep you company."

"No, Booth, it's OK. If he's having fun with Charlie, leave him be. I'll be fine; I'll just lie here for a bit longer. Wake me when you're ready to go."

"Alright, I'll be back. Call out to Charlie if you need something, I'll leave the door cracked open." He bent and kissed her gently on the cheek, letting his lips linger for just an extra moment. "I love you, Bones. Truly." He stood and walked out of the office, not hearing her sleepy reply, "I've always loved you, Booth."

Parker was still with Charlie, playing yet another new game on Charlie's new phone. "Hey, Parks, I am going to go down and finish some paperwork. You either stay here with Charlie or sit in with Bones, but don't wake her up. If Charlie gets called away, you go into my office and wait for me."

"M'kay, dad." Parker replied, but didn't move his eyes from his game.

Charlie, however, locked eyes with Booth. "I'll keep an eye on them, Booth. Don't worry."

Booth smiled, "Thanks, man. And, uh, thanks for keeping Parker company for a bit… you know…" The strong Agent blushed as his self-appointed assistant smiled knowingly.

"Sure thing, Agent. Glad I could…uh…_help_ you two out."

Booth shook his head slightly, in amusement at Charlie's subtleness. "Yeah, I'll be back." He strode down the hallway towards the elevators for the sixth time that day.

B/B/B/B

Booth had been gone for almost an hour when the battery life on Charlie's cell phone finally gave out, forcing Parker to relinquish it back to its owner for recharging.

"All done, there Little Booth?" Charlie smiled at the boy.

"Yeah, your battery's dead." Parker smirked, "Sorry I used it all up."

"No worries, Parker, that's why they make chargers," Charlie smiled at the young boy's guilty look. "Did you like the new games?" He wanted Booth's son to be comfortable, not feeling bad about using the phone.

"Yeah, they were both cool. Thanks for letting me play." He started to stand from his seat and move towards his dad's office. "I'm, um, going to check on Bones." He wondered if Bones was alright, since she hadn't called out to him since his Dad had been gone.

"Sure, let me know if you need anything, pal." Charlie turned his attention back to his mound of paperwork, but felt the young boy still standing close. He looked back up and saw that Parker had stopped in his tracks, his hand resting on the doorknob that would lead him into his father's office, but his eyes were staring down the hall, scrutinizing something Charlie could not see from his seated position. The young Agent stood from his desk and moved towards the boy, looking in the direction that held the boy's attention.

He saw why the boy appeared so disgruntled; standing at the end of the hall, arguing with another Agent about letting her through, was Hannah. She was not wearing a clearance badge and the Agent had stopped her, trying to ascertain why she was there. The entire floor had been alerted to Booth's situation, or at least a portion of it, warning against any visitors who hadn't received clearance passes.

Hannah moved her glance and caught sight of Parker, standing slightly behind Charlie, almost as if the young man was sheltering the boy. "Parker! Parker!" she waved to him, flashing a forced smile. "Parker, I want to talk to your dad, can you please ask him to come out here? This bozo won't let me through." She glared out the side of her eye at the man who had stopped her.

Charlie could sense the young boy tense and heard his breathing pattern increase. "Parker," Charlie spoke quietly, "you go ahead in there with Dr. Brennan. And stay put, OK? I'll find out what's going on." He patted Parker's shoulder and waited to have his eyes met by the younger, and slightly lighter, version of Booth's intimidating brown eyes.

"Charlie, I don't want to talk to her. I don't want her to upset Bones and I don't want her to upset Dad. They broke up kind of ugly, you know? But Dad's with Bones now and _she's_ going to try to ruin it, I just know it." He moved his look back to Hannah, who stood with her hand on her hip, expecting the kid to obey her and obviously was upset that he was taking too long.

"Parker, I told you to get your father!" She called down the hallway, causing more heads to turn and other Agents to peek out of their offices.

Parker abruptly turned and marched into his Dad's office, as Charlie stalked down the hallway, intent to get this woman out of there before Booth returned to his office. Charlie was not a stupid man; he knew what was going on between the Partners, or at least he had suspected it for a while; and Parker just verified it. He liked Booth and Dr. Brennan together, they were right for each other. He never cared much for the bossy, bottle-blond who'd wormed her way into Booth's life, bringing with her a world of upheaval and angst. Not knowing exactly how much of Booth's relationship with his Partner was actually public, he knew he had to be cautious; he had no intention of ruining what they had going for them.

"Ms. Burley, is there something I can help you with?" Charlie spoke with the authority granted to him as Booth's Assistant.

"No, Charlie, you may not. I want to speak to Seeley, not you."

"Well, Ms. Burley, I am sorry, but Agent Booth is not available at this time, I will be happy to ask him to phone you, however, when he gets free."

"Bullshit, Charlie. If Parker is here, then Seeley isn't far. I'm not an idiot, you know. Now, tell this imbecile to let me through, so I can see Seeley." She rolled her eyes in the direction of the Agent blocking her entry to the bull pen area.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't do that. What I can do, is give Agent Booth your message and ask him to call you. Now, you'll have to leave, Ms. Burley, your presence here is not appropriate."

Hannah huffed and turned furiously, storming off towards the lobby elevators. "Idiots! You are _all_ idiots!" She turned her angry glare back to Charlie. "Seeley is going to want to hear what I have to say, so tell him that he better call me. If you think you can handle that long of a message, you ass." Without waiting for an acknowledgement, she turned and entered the elevator as it binged open. As the doors closed on her carriage, the neighboring one opened, revealing a smiling Agent Booth, who walked with a bounce to his step.

When he saw everyone gathered, including Charlie, he became slightly concerned, and his smiled faded, allowing his lips to draw into a tight line. "Charlie? What's going on?" Suddenly, everyone made themselves scarce, going about their business, trying to ignore the impending conversation.

"Hey, Booth. Be glad you didn't exit that elevator five seconds earlier." He shrugged his head towards his desk, inviting the Agent with him. "You had a visitor," he spoke as they made their way towards the area outside Booth's office.

Booth gave him a quizzical look, one mixed with impatience.

"Hannah Burley just made an appearance here, demanding to see you. She didn't have a clearance pass, and Mills stopped her from getting this far. She spotted Parker from a distance and called down to him, demanding he send you out of your office to speak with her." Charlie met Booth's eyes, "your boy didn't look too happy to see her, boss. I sent him in with Dr. Brennan and went to help Mills get her out of here. She begrudgingly left, but wanted you to know that she had something to tell you, something that she says you will want to hear. And she wants you to call her. She doesn't know that you weren't up here, we didn't indicate where you were."

"Bones?" Booth looked towards his closed office door.

"She probably heard some of the interaction; Hannah was pretty frigging loud. But no one's been in there, except, of course, for Parker."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Everything – watching Parker and Bones and dealing with Hannah. Sorry you had to do all that."

"No worries, Booth. Glad to help." Charlie's lips curled into a bit of a smirk and he looked at Booth. "Oh, and I wanted to say – uh, well, congratulations, man. You two are good together." He indicated towards Booth's office, where he knew Dr. Brennan remained. At seeing Booth's slightly shocked and alarmed look, he continued, "Don't worry, I won't say anything to anyone. Parker didn't mean to let it slip, so don't be too hard on the kid. He was just worried when he saw Hannah, and he just, sort of, mentioned it. I didn't make a deal out of it, though. I don't even think he realizes what he said." He patted his pseudo-boss's shoulder, "but I _do_ think you two are perfect together." He turned away, focusing, once again, on the mound of paperwork piled on his desk.

Taking a deep breath, Booth moved into his office, opening the door quietly, in case Bones was still sleeping. Upon popping his head through the opening, he found Bones, sitting partially up, leaning against the arm of the couch, holding Parker close to her, rocking the boy wordlessly. Their eyes met and Booth's heart sank into the pit of his stomach. He lowered his gaze to his son, and spoke gently, "Parks, are you OK?"

His son met his concerned eyes with red-rimmed ones of his own, "Dad, Hannah's gunna try to mess this up. She's gunna try to break you and Bones apart. She was out there yelling that she wanted to talk to you and she tried to boss me around, telling me to bring you out there to her. She's not allowed to boss me around anymore, Dad! She's not your girlfriend, anymore and she can't tell me what to do anymore. And you need to tell her that she can't come back! You need to tell her to go away and leave us alone. I don't want to lose Bones again, Dad! We just got her back!" The child buried his face back into Bones' chest, turning his tears away from his father.

Bones rubbed large circles across his back, trying to comfort him, while locking her stare on Booth, as she, too, fought back small tears. Her apprehensions and vulnerability were once again surfacing.

Booth knelt down beside his two most important people, placing one hand on Parker's back and one hand on Bones' thigh. "Parker, listen to me. Look at me, son." When Parker turned to face his father, he remained pressed against Bones, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Booth's gentle eyes held his son's, "Parker, I am not going to allow _anyone_ to interfere with the family we've established here. You and me; me and Bones; you and Bones. The three of us make up our family unit now. No one, _certainly not Hannah_, can ever change that, Parks. I love you, and I love Bones, and I will _not_ allow anything or anyone to come between us." He raised his eyes to Bones, "_No one_ will ever take away what we have." He could tell, regardless of how often he had already confessed his love for her, Bones was still very insecure about their blossoming relationship, and the mere presence of Hannah at his work-place affected her adversely.

"Listen, I don't know what she wanted, and right now, I don't really care. What I _do_ care about is getting you two back home. We'll order delivery for dinner…Parker, you can pick out a movie for tonight and we will just all be together." He looked back and forth between his son and his girlfriend. _Girlfriend? Cullen called her my girlfriend. I'm still not sold on the term, but we'll see how it unfolds._ "Are you guys ready to go home?"

Parker released his vise-grip on Bones, slid off the couch and crashed into his Dad's broad chest, nearly knocking him backwards. "Dad…thanks." His words were breathless and quiet. He didn't have anything else to say. He was just so happy that his Dad wouldn't be seduced again by the bossy blond, although he didn't fully understand the term 'seduced.' He knew that Hannah had, somehow, captivated his Dad's attention, when his attention should have been on Bones, and Parker never understood that. He never understood why Bones had made such a sudden exit from their lives after his Dad came back from the Army. And, further, he didn't understand why his Dad had let her make such an exit.

He looked up at his Dad's face, noticing that, while his Dad was holding him tight in one strong arm, his other was raised so his hand was cupping Bones' face tenderly; they stared into each other's eyes, silently communication. Parker knew there was no such thing as telepathy, but he swore that when his Dad and Bones looked at each other, they were talking, even without words. He could see that Bones and his Dad were truly in love with each other, and he now felt foolish at worrying so much and causing Bones to get upset. The minute he had walked into the office, while trying to escape from Hannah's burning line of vision, she had known something was wrong. He tried to tell her it was nothing, but, like his Dad always could, she could see through his ruse. He couldn't stop the tears from forming when he looked into her clear blue eyes and she beckoned him to her with an open arm. "Come here, Parker," she spoke gently, "tell me what's wrong." That was all it took. The flood gates opened and his tears spilled forth, revealing his fears and weaknesses. He didn't want to keep crying in front of Bones; regardless of how many times his Dad said it was OK to cry, he hated crying in front of the woman that he idolized. He couldn't stop from telling her why he was upset; the words fell from his lips as flowingly as the tears from his eyes. She had tried to sooth him, but deep down, he knew that she also felt a sense of unease at Hannah's reappearance.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled against his Dad's strong chest, where he felt so safe and protected.

Booth looked down, drawing his hand away from Bones and moving it to his son. "What are you sorry for, Parks?"

"I didn't mean to make Bones upset. I should have waited until you got here to talk to you. I shouldn't have told her why I was upset…"

"Parker, it's OK to talk to us about what upsets you. Don't apologize for that. Bones doesn't hold you responsible for how she feels, do you Bones?"

"No! No, absolutely not, Parker. In fact, I feel better knowing that you _are _comfortable enough to talk to me about how you feel, especially when your Dad's not here. Even if you're upset about something that you think might upset me, I want you to still talk to me, OK?"

He looked up from his perch on the floor beside the couch, where he was still leaning heavily against the wall that was his father. He nodded and wiped at his eyes, trying to dry the errant droplets that were still slowly leaking from his tear ducts. "I just want – well, I want _this_." He looked back and forth between his Dad and Bones. "I want you guys together and happy and not fighting and I want to be part of that, too." He locked his young eyes on Booth's, "like a real family, Dad. You know?"

Booth pulled him in for another fatherly embrace, "You _are_ part of this, Parker. We are a family; we always have been, we just got a little…_detoured_, but we're back, we're together and we're moving forward." He pulled back and looked down to Parker. "Now, I want you to go get Bones' bag, ok? We're gunna head home."

Parker extracted himself from his dad's hold and as he stood, he bent over and kissed Bones on her cheek. "Thanks, Bones," he whispered softly before moving away from the couch. Booth looked at his son with pride. He was growing up so quickly, but at the same time, Parker was still a young boy in so many ways. His insecurities and innocence spoke to Booth's heart, often reminding him that his son still saw the world through rose-colored glasses; he hadn't yet hardened to the harsh realities of life, and for that, Booth was grateful. He wanted his boy to enjoy his youth for as long as possible.

Booth turned to Bones and smiled softly. "Please don't doubt how I feel about you…about _us_. I love you, more than anything, Bones. Now, are you ready to go?" He stroked her cheek, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as his fingers danced over her soft skin.

She simply nodded, more than ready to go back to his apartment and lay down for a while. _Booth was right, I think I am just over-stressed,_ she thought to herself. _That's probably not only causing the exhaustion, but also the emotional turmoil I experienced at the idea that Hannah wanted back into Booth's life._

Booth shouldered his own bag while Parker waited, holding onto Bones' bag. He bent over and scooped Bones into his arms, holding her in a traditional bridal style, allowing her to rest her cheek on his shoulder. "Let's go, I wanna get outta here." He moved out the door, bidding goodbye to Charlie on their way past his desk. There were a few sideways glances at the Partners as they made their way through the bull-pen, heading towards the elevators for the final time that day. Booth kept his face stern, discouraging blatant staring and questioning looks. He was glad they had the elevator to themselves as they made their way downstairs to the parking garage, where they picked up his new SUV – a Sequoia identical to the one he turned in, but this one was, without a doubt, tracking-device-free, giving him the peace of mind that they were not being tracked by some psycho-bitch.

The ride home was relatively quiet. As they approached his building, he saw that the FBI vehicles were still gathered, surrounding the liquor store below his apartment. Booth parked the SUV and turned to Bones and Parker. "OK, there's a team here, sweeping though the apartment, looking for bugs. So when we go up there, let's not talk too much, until I get the report from the lead." He locked eyes with Bones, ensuring she understood and he knew she did. However, when he turned to Parker, he saw confusion written across his young face.

"What do you mean, Dad? I haven't seen any bugs, where did you find them?"

"Not insect bugs, pal. Listening-device-bugs. Look, that letter you found at Bones' place? That was left there by someone who knew we were there. No one was supposed to know. So, just to be safe, we're making sure no one is listening to us when we talk at home. I don't want you to be scared, I just want you to be aware, so you know what's happening." He made sure he still had Parker's attention, but the boy was looking through the truck windows, wide-eyed, looking for anyone out of place. "Listen, Parks, I'm going to keep you safe, don't worry. Parker, look at me." He waited until the eleven-year-old turned back to him. "Parker, you're going to be staying home from school for a few days; you're staying with me. I already called your mom and I already called Principal Schomber. I am telling you all this because I need you to be aware, in case you see anything or anyone that you recognize that doesn't belong; or if you see anything unusual. We'll be staying together, I'll be working from home for a bit and when I'm not, I will make sure that you and Bones are still safe. Do you understand?"

Parker's features paled slightly, but he listened and comprehended what his Dad was telling him. He nodded silently and waited to be instructed about what to do next.

"OK, let's get upstairs." Booth moved from his seat and walked around to Bones' door, opening it to pull her out. "Parks, can you hand me my bag, please, and will you get Bones' bag one last time?" His son did as he was asked to do, moving to stand beside his father until they were ready to move upstairs together.

When they walked into the apartment, they were greeted by no less than five FBI Forensics teammates who were diligently combing through his apartment, and three agents overseeing the operation, 2 posted at the door and one inside. "Booth, good to see you, man." Agent Trumball held his hand out to his colleague, who he hadn't seen since the Academy, but Trumball's eyes were not on Booth...

"Hey Trumball, how the hell are ya?" Booth smiled, but was unable to shake his hands, given that his arms were full of his Bones - currently the focus of his former classmate's attention.

"Oh, sorry, dude. I wasn't thinking." Trumball shook his head at his own stupidity, realizing that Booth couldn't shake. But he was captivated by the woman resting in Booth's embrace. She was beautiful; eyes like the sea, skin alabaster white; hair the color of chestnuts. "This must be your Partner that I've heard so much about. Dr. Brennan? I'm Agent James Trumball, the agent in charge of the Sweep Team, and in charge of assigning on-scene agents to keep an eye on you all." Trumball's eyes glistened and he puffed his chest out just a bit, trying to impress her with his status. Bones thought he looked ridiculous, though, as he was still quite a bit smaller than Booth, even puffed out like a peacock.

_Yeah, you heard so much about her, huh, Trumball? I guess you didn't hear enough to know to back the hell off – in your dreams, man,_ Booth thought to himself.

Bones didn't reply, she simply nodded at the man and laid her head back down on Booth's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck slightly.

"Yeah, this here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." Booth slightly turned his face, so his lips brushed against her hair, "Bones, Jim and I went through the Academy together." Trumball still didn't tear his gaze from the woman's face, he was entranced. Booth looked hard at the man standing before them, "Jim, you're making a puddle on my hard wood floors, man, knock it off. It's impolite to stare; didn't your mother teach you manners?" Booth made a joke, but his eyes were not laughing, Jim noticed as he broke his trance.

The slightly flustered Agent noticed that the doctor did not wear a wedding band. He knew that the Bureau didn't allow interpersonal relationships between partners, so he knew that Booth wasn't a threat, he assumed that Booth's over-protectiveness was simply as a result of his Partner's recent kidnapping. But, he _did_ notice the love marks on her neck. He wondered if that was a result of her abduction or if she had someone special in her life. "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Brennan, or may I call you Temperance?"

Immediately, Booth answered for her, "No, you may not. You may call her Dr. Brennan." When Jim met Booth's eyes, he was reminded of just how intimidating the man before him could be. There was a fire in his darkened eyes that Trumball recognized as a warning. Booth continued, "And this," he nodded to his boy, "is my son, Parker."

"Hello, Parker, it's nice to meet you. You can call me Jim if you want." He smiled down at the spitting image of Seeley Booth, just a younger version. But he was taken aback by the same dark eyes that he shared with his father. Parker seemed just as possessive of Booth's partner, as he stood in a protective stance just to the side, and almost in front, of Dr. Brennan.

"Hi." Parker's one word answer made it clear that he was not interested in being friendly with this man. He could innately sense that this Agent Trumball found Bones attractive. He didn't like how he was looking at her, and he picked up on his Dad's instant tension when the other man spoke to her.

Feeling a little awkward, Trumball shifted from foot to foot, as Booth started to move through his hallway, entering the main of his apartment.

Trumball followed closed behind. "We found a few things that I wanted to discuss with you, Booth. So when you have a moment, I'd like to go over them." _Now I remember why I didn't much care for this guy – he's too intense. Doesn't know how to cut loose. But my God, how can he stand to be partners with her every day? She's gorgeous. I can see why he was so rabid about finding her, though. Rumor had it, he worked his little science-geeks all hours, non-stop, until they led him to the details of where to find her. Wonder who bit her neck… I'd like to bite her neck. _He was so lost in his daydream, that he didn't hear the question that Booth asked. When he saw Booth's intense gaze lock on him again, he got flustered. "I – I'm sorry, Booth. What?"

"_I said_, is your team through with scanning in our bedroom and bathroom yet?" He made sure his statement was clear… _our bedroom_. "I want Bones to lie down for a while, undisturbed." Booth felt Bones smile against his neck, she knew what he was doing, he was claiming his territory and protecting what was his. If anyone had asked Temperance Brennan a year ago, how she would feel about being 'possessed,' she would have drop kicked whoever suggested it. But now that she had experienced being possessed by Seeley Booth, she relished in the feeling.

Trumball processed what he just heard. _'__Their__ bedroom?' How can that be? They can't have a relationship, it's not permitted among partners. I'm going to have to ask around about these two._ "Umm, yeah, they're done in there." He answered, somewhat distractedly.

"Good, I'll be back. Tell your men to stay out of there now, that room's off limits without good cause." He moved towards the back of his apartment, leaving Trumball standing next to Parker.

Parker looked up at the man through squinted eyes, knowing he should keep his mouth shut, but since he was a Booth, so he just couldn't help himself. He was a perfect specimen, a younger version, of the _alpha-male-Booth_. "Forget about it, _sir_. She's not the least bit interested in you. You're not her type." His tone was point blank, as the older man looked down at the little Booth.

"That's a lot of grown-up-talk from a little guy like you. What makes you think I'm interested in her?"

"Because I've been around Bones since I was four and I know how men look at her. I might be young, but I'm not stupid. In fact, Bones always tells me I have a very steep learning curve, which, she says, accounts for my intelligence. But in actuality, I just take after my Dad." He looked Jim square in the eye. "Don't stare at Bones. She doesn't like to be gawked at. Besides, if you keep looking at her like that, my Dad will kick your butt for being rude. If he doesn't shoot you first." Parker knew he was overstepping his boundary. He knew that if his Dad heard him say that, he'd be in big trouble. But, at that particular point in time, he didn't care.

"Why do you call her Bones, Parker?" Trumball tried to change the subject. "That sounds kind of rude, if you ask me."

"It's her nickname. But not one you can use. Only Dad and I can call her that. It's special." Parker looked defiant as the man's attention was turned back to the looming figure moving back into the living room from the hallway.

Booth stood at the entrance to the hallway. "If anyone needs to get back into the bedroom, you talk to me first. Do not go charging in there. My partner's resting and I do not want her bothered." He looked around and received acknowledgements from all the techs. He turned his attention back to Trumball and saw Parker standing beside him. He recognized that look on Parker's face; it was a look he often saw in the mirror. _What did you do, Parker?_ He wondered silently, and smiled. _You went all alpha-pup on Trumball, didn't you? That's my boy…_

"Parks, go ahead back with Bones and watch TV, **quietly**. Don't bother her if she wants to sleep, but come get me if either of you needs anything."

"K, Dad." Parker locked eyes with his father then turned back to Trumball. "Well, Agent Trumball, it was sure nice talking to ya." He smiled a wide, shit-eating-grin, as he once heard his mom describe his Dad's same smile. "See ya, dad." He strolled down the hallway, with a slight swagger and his head held high, carrying Bones' bag with him as he quietly entered his Dad's sanctuary.

Booth turned back to Trumball, all seriousness had returned to his eyes. "What did your team find, Jim?"

"Here on the table, Booth, I have them out here. Your place, it was pretty much riddled with these babies… Whoever planted them did a good job."

**Postscript A/N**

**Well, there you have it, folks. Chapter 36 is at a close. ****Please**** let me know how you like the story! My Muse feeds off reviews and when there are not too many, she starts to starve and shut down, forcing me to re-read old ones to get her jump started again… LOL **

**I want to thank all of you who have added me and my stories to your Alerts and Favorites; that is such an honor! And another great honor would also be if you left me a comment! hint hint **


	37. Chapter 37

**Welcome back! Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had computer problems and after I finished it, I lost it, so had to reconstruct the entire chapter again. jazzyproz was not a happy camper! I am not entirely happy with how it turned out, so I am sorry if it doesn't meet your expectations, but my Muse lost her rhythm with the upset of having to redo it. I promise I'll get back on track for chapter 38! Please stay with me, there are good things yet to come! **

**Discalimer: I still don't own anything major. There are a few more characters introduced here, and they're mine, but you will figure out which ones. **

"Booth, we found 17 bugs scattered throughout your place, man." Trumball took Booth to the collection of listening devices that were gathered on his dining room table, each individually wrapped in an evidence bag and labeled. "My guys have been through every room, closet, nook & cranny three times, and I am confident that we got them all. The team used both radio frequency scanners as well as the newest model x-ray detectors. I brought in a canine handler, let them do their thing. We're pretty much done now."

"Seventeen? There were _seventeen_ bugs in my apartment?" Booth stood with his hands on his hips, staring in disbelief at the array of gadgets gathered together on his table top. "Where the hell were they all hidden?" He locked his jaw, creased his brow and looked at Jim.

"Mostly they were in the main parts of the apartment - living room, kitchen and dining room; then there were a couple scattered down the entrance way and hallway; two in your bedroom and one in your bathroom. Looks like they left your son's bedroom alone, we didn't locate any in there, and didn't find any in your hall bath, either."

"Sonofabitch, fucking bastards!" Booth dragged his hand across his face roughly, thinking about everything they'd talked about; all the privacy they thought they had was suddenly no longer private. What was theirs was no longer _just theirs_.

Jim remained quiet as he watched Booth mentally process the reality of what his team found. Booth paced around the table, looking closely at the items the forensics team uncovered.

_Someone was in my house. Someone came into my private space and invaded my safety. More importantly, Parker's and Bones' safety was jeopardized. How could this happen? When did this happen? Why didn't I see it? I'm a fucking FBI Agent; I should have seen that my own home was illegally entered. Goddammit! I want to catch this bitch. __No one__ puts my family in danger and gets away with it. _

Once Booth resumed his original stance, after having done a complete circle around the table, Jim continued. "The apparatuses appear to be homemade. The materials used are easily acquired at most hardware and electronics stores. Whoever created them knew what he or she was doing; they are well made, long-distance transmitters, compact and durable." Jim met Booth's angry eyes, and a shiver ran down his spine and the fury he saw behind the stronger Agent's look.

"Baker made 'em. He had the technical background. Weapons and technology – that was what Baker was all about. Asshole."

"There's more, Booth." Jim waited, once again, until he knew that he had Booth's attention. When the ex-Ranger was listening, Jim shifted uneasily, unsure of Booth's actual relationship status and recent history. "Um, well, while searching for any trace evidence, fibers and such, the forensics team found several strands of hair, Booth. Many appeared to be from women, based on the length, anyway…More than one woman, it looked like, but I'm no expert. The strands were collected and, against _my_ better judgment, sent to the Jeffersonian Lab rather than the FBI lab. But there was some guy here named Bray, Cullen sent him over, and he was more than insistent that the locks be sent with him; Cullen's instructions were pretty clear that we were to concede to Bray's decisions. Once my team completes their final rounds, the rest of this will all be couriered to the Jeffersonian as well."

"Good; the squints will do a better job than our own - no offense, Jim, it's just the way it is." Booth looked around the room, not focusing on anything specific. "They'll find hair from Bones, of course. But they'll also find hair from Angela, Cam, Daisy and Hannah. Probably Rebecca, too." He spoke absently, not realizing that Jim's eyes grew at the list of women Booth was checking off.

"Jesus Christ, Booth. I always knew you were a ladies' man, but Jeez…just how many women do you go through? You always played yourself to be a 'gentleman', not a player." Jim shook his head, staring at his own feet, then mumbled, "And here I was, worried that I was over stepping my boundaries by admiring your partner." He raised his glare to Booth, "guess if _you're_ such a Don Juan, there'd be no real harm in me making a move on that sexy thing after all, huh? You won't be tapping that for long, will ya." It was more of a statement than it was a question.

Booth's anger flared in Jim's direction, "You make a move on her and it'll be the _last _move you ever make." He lowered his voice, "Bones is not _just_ my partner, there, pal. So forget about it. I would have thought that as an Agent, you would have been able to figure that one out. But I see that you are just as stupid now as you were when we were at the Academy."

"Booth, I'm not as stupid as you might think. I hear rumors about you. Hell the whole field office hears rumors about you and your scientist-lady-partner. _But_, the FBI doesn't permit personal relationships between partners. If you're playing in _that_ sandbox, then you're setting yourself up to fall into a sinkhole. You expect me to believe that you'd risk your entire career just to lay your hot-ass partner?" Jim challenged his former rival. "You always thought you were better than the rest of us. You and your damn cocky attitude; thinking that you knew more, could do more, could get away with more… Pretending to be all high & mighty, a church-going sniper… that's funny… A Catholic killer. You were full of shit then and you're full of shit now. You are not in a _relationship_ with _her_; Cullen wouldn't let you remain partners if you were. You just want to control her, like you want to control everyone around you." Jim gave him a snide smirk, "remember when I said I'd heard a lot about her? I wasn't lying… I heard that she's a cold-hearted ice-bitch who's great in the sack. '_A fantastic fuck'_, to be exact about what I heard…I was just unprepared for her to actually be beautiful…"

Trumball flinched but was unable to react in time as Booth lurched at him. Booth grabbed the younger man's collar, slammed him into the wall, holding him there with his forearm pressed against his throat as he spoke threateningly into his ear. "You were a dick back then and you're a dick now, Jim. All you've ever been interested in is who you can fuck to move up the ladder; who you can fuck to add another notch in your belt; who you can fuck to gain something for _yourself_." Booth felt his blood boil and could hear his own heartbeat flooding his ears. _How dare he say those things about Bones? My Bones. Threaten me all you want, you bastard, but you leave my Partner out of this_. Booth pushed his mental thoughts aside as he continued pressing Jim against the wall and continued his threat.

"I'm warning you to stay the fuck away from Bones. I want you out of my house. I want you off this case. I will deal directly with the head of forensics; I will _not _be dealing with you again." He pulled Jim away from the wall only to shove him against it again, wanting to make his point. "I will see to it that this is all transported to the Jeffersonian. You're through here, I'm calling you off this case."

"You can't do that, Booth. You're not my boss."

"I can and I will and I just did. I out-rank you, you piece of shit. Now, get the hell out of my house before you have an accident and fall down the stairs."

Jim's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. Booth was right, he knew. He was out-ranked by the Special Agent, and Booth certainly could pull him from this case. But the idea that he would threaten one of his own? Outrageous. And over a woman, for that matter? Partner or not, they were supposed to be Brothers-in-Arms. _Brennan isn't even employed by the FBI, she's only contracted, _he thought to himself. But to choose a scientist over a fellow-Agent? And rumor had it that the only reason they were partners was because she black-mailed him into taking her in the field_. They're partners by default, and he'd still choose her over me? Tomorrow morning, I am paying a visit to Cullen's office… We're going to talk about this. Booth has become a loose cannon, and that's dangerous for us all_.

Jim called out to his team, all of whom had suddenly become enthralled by the spectacle of the senior Agent finally putting the ass-kissing-Trumball in his place. "Wrap it up, folks, we're through! Agent Hot-shot, here, wants to control everything to do with this case, including all the evidence, so we're going to let him deal with the paperwork of it. Let's go!"

Jim tried to move away from where he was still held, against the wall, but Booth wasn't letting him go until _he_ was ready for him to go. "Just one more thing, _Jimmy-boy_, if I _ever_ hear you say anything negative about my partner again – if you ever spread those bull-shit rumors about her personality – if you ever comment on her appearance again – if you so much as look at her sideways, I will make the remainder of your time with the bureau a virtual living hell. You got that? Don't test me on this; you know I'm a serious man, and you know that those who really count already know what you are…You're nothing but an ass-kisser trying to slide through your days by doing as little as possible and making those around you do all the work – all the while, you take credit for the outcomes. If you want to go after me, personally, for something, have at it, but you leave _her_ out of it. You got that?"

Jim didn't reply, he simply pulled to the side, yanking his collar out of Booth's grip, and moved quickly towards the door. The Forensics Sweep Team ambled slowly behind their boss, but not before a couple of them stopped to congratulate Booth on his performance. One of the guys, Peter Stowe, stopped to talk a bit longer to Booth, wanting to provide him with additional information as to the locations of the found devices; after concluding that conversation, Peter extended his hand towards Booth and thanked him before offering Booth his phone number, in case he needed anything. Peter had never met Booth before, but his reputation preceded him, and Peter could see that the rumors were not _entirely_ false at all – but rather mostly truth. Hell, the man was legendary in the whole North East Division. Special Agent Seeley Booth was an intense and intelligent FBI Agent, tough and controlled; but as Peter witnessed Booth carrying his Partner into the other room, it was obvious that Booth had a lion heart; a brave and dedicated man, protective of what was his and what he deemed worthy of defense. Peter was honored to have been part of the search team that uncovered so many instruments of personal invasion, and he hoped to be able to work with the man again in the future.

After seeing Peter to the door, Booth took a few minutes to talk to the Agent assigned to hall-duty. Cullen wanted to make sure that Booth's apartment was under surveillance, both from the inside and outside. Booth learned that while Agent Duke would be in the hall for the evening, Agents Dowey and Marks would be outside in their vehicle. Booth offered Duke a drink or snack, but the man declined. Booth advised him of who would most likely be stopping by that evening and told him not to hesitate to ask if he needed anything.

He moved back into the apartment, and was surprised to find Parker sitting in the living room, whereas he had been in the bedroom with Bones when Booth had walked out into the hallway. "What's up, Parks?" His son had a look of dejection written all over his face.

Parker looked up from where he sat, "Bones woke up, she had a bad dream and she asked me if she could have some time by herself, so I left and came out here."

"Was she upset, Pal? Did she wake up on her own or did you have to wake her?"

"No, she woke on her own. I was gunna wake her up because she started crying and punched the air, but before I could make it to her side, she woke herself up. She looked upset, but she didn't want me there. I offered to just sit with her, but she didn't want me. She just got all quiet and closed her eyes, but I know she wasn't going back to sleep." Parker looked as though he had just lost his puppy; his eyes were sad and his voice deflated.

Booth sat down next to his son, "Aw, Parks, don't take it like that. Bones is just really private; she wouldn't have meant for it to sound like she didn't _want_ you. It's just, well, when she wakes up from nightmares, she needs a few moments to process them and let her mind realize that she's safe now. She's been waking up several times a night these past few evenings, nightmares being the blame each time. And whenever that happens, I need to just let her alone for a while. But it's nothing personal, Buddy." Booth waited for his son to acknowledge what he was being told, and once he seemed to understand, Booth stood and started down the hall. "I'll just go check on her, make sure she doesn't need anything. Sit tight for a minute, bub."

"Ok, Dad." Almost as an afterthought, Parker looked back to his dad, "Can I play my game?" Parker indicated to the Play Station on the main TV. "I'm done my homework. And besides, you said I'm not going to school tomorrow." He smiled expectantly.

Booth smirked a crooked smile, "Sure. Go ahead, kiddo. Don't answer the door, though. If anyone knocks, come get me."

Parker launched himself from his seat to the floor in front of the TV and started pulling out his controllers. "m'K, Dad. I will." His young mind was easily distracted, and for that, Booth was slightly eased, knowing that his boy was still a _boy_.

Booth gently tapped on the bedroom door as he reached for the handle, opening it before he received an answer. When he popped his head in the cracked doorway, his heart sank. Bones was laying in the middle of his bed sobbing into his pillow; she didn't even bother to raise her face at the sound of his quiet rap, although she definitely had heard it. Booth's gut wrenched at the fact that she's been in there, alone and _crying_.

"Bones, baby…" Booth quickly moved to his side of the bed and slipped in next to her, leaning against the headrest. "Oh, Bones, come here." He spoke softly as he gathered her into his arms, pulling her up from her nuzzled position against his pillow. "Sshh, Bones. It's alright. Sshhh…You're safe now." He moved her so she was lying between his thighs and resting against his abdomen. He rocked her slowly, whispering to her the whole time; confessing his love for her, promising that she was not alone, giving his word that he would always be by her side…

Between sobs, Bones tried to speak, but her emotions were entirely out of her own control.

Booth didn't want her to feel like she had to explain anything. All too often, Temperance Brennan tried to rationalize her feelings by talking herself _out_ of experiencing them. He wanted her to just have a good cry. Everyone needed a good, cleansing cry from time to time, and she was no different; it's just that she didn't know it. "Shh, shh, don't talk, Bones. It's OK, just let it out." He continued rocking her until she was so exhausted from her ordeal that she was sinking against him, letting him lull her into relaxation.

Just when he was about to maneuver to lay her back onto her pillow, because he feared she would be too uncomfortable sleeping in her current position against him, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, deeply. She reached her hand out and held his face as she looked up from the half-seated position where she'd collapsed, now with her head leaned back against his bicep. "Booth?"

"Mm?" He brought his fingers to trace her cheekbone, still fascinated by the silky smooth surface of her flawless skin.

"I don't like having nightmares when you're not here. I know that's irrational. I know it doesn't make sense, because when I _do_ have them, and you are here, I don't talk to you about them. But – " she huffed in frustration. "But knowing that you're next to me if I need you, it makes a big difference." She lowered her eyes, fighting back the tingling she felt prickling behind her eyes, threatening another torrent of tears. "I'm sorry, Booth."

"Bones, why are you sorry? Don't be sorry; whatever it is you think you need to be sorry for – you don't need to feel that way. I'll be here for you, and I will do my best to not let you wake up alone from a nightmare again. I promise. As long as it's in my power, I will be at your side." He leaned in and kissed her forehead, still a little baffled at her apology.

"I – I didn't mean to become so dependent on you, Booth. It's not fair to you, to have to worry about me, but I just don't know what else to do. I just, I don't know… I just have these thoughts that when you're not here, that maybe all this – you and me - has been a dream… that I'm still back there in that disgusting basement on that filthy mattress, being whipped and beaten, and all of _this_ is just my imagination. But it's not fair to _you_, Booth. I don't want to be your burden, and that's all I've been for three days now. You have enough to worry about without worrying about me now." Her tears resurfaced, even though she fought them with all her remaining strength.

"Bones, please stop crying. It kills me to think that you're crying because you're worried about how I feel, or what I think… Especially because you're wrong." He was wiping away her tears as they fell. "I want you to listen to me. Closely. You could _never_ be a burden, I promise. I would take care of you for the rest of our natural lives if you needed me to. I want you to feel safe. I want you to experience being _loved_. Baby…" he palmed her cheek, forcing her eyes to look at him, "…Bones…I want everything for you. I want to give you everything I have, and I hope that you accept it, willingly. I know you're an independent woman, Temperance Brennan, believe me, I've learned that about you." He smiled, wanting to put her at ease. "And you will be independent again - I have no doubt about that. But being independent doesn't mean that you're not allowed to _need_, Bones. You are allowed to be the one who needs to be taken care of sometimes. You don't have to go through this alone." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I won't _let_ you go through this alone, Bones."

Fresh tears appeared as her fears resurfaced. "Booth, I am going to have to get used to it sooner or later. When I go back home, I am going to be waking up in the middle of the night, alone, just like I always do whenever I have nightmares. I just – I just have to get myself over this bump." She started to turn away from him, but he wouldn't let her. He wouldn't let her rebuild the walls he'd worked so hard to break down. He could see she was starting to close him out with her insecurities, and he wasn't going to let her do that. They had too much at stake now, and he needed her to realize it.

Booth looked at her for several quiet moments, stroking her cheeks and drying her tears, holding her close. He knew he shouldn't speak aloud the thoughts that were rolling around in his mind; he didn't want to push her too soon and scare her away. But he couldn't stop himself. "Bones. You don't have to go home alone." He pressed his lips to her forehead and caressed her with a gentle kiss. He inhaled the fresh scent of her hair, and let his lips dance across her skin as he continued. "Don't go, Bones." He swallowed hard when he felt her stature tense slightly in his arms, but he held her firmer, not wanting to hurt her, but not wanting her to pull away either. "Stay with me, Bones. I don't want you to leave."

She tilted her head up to look at him and saw he had tears in his eyes. "Booth…? Stay?"

"Yeah, Bones. I don't want us to spend our nights apart. We've spent enough time away from each other; running from each other; dancing around each other. I…" he bit back his emotions then took another deep breath, "Bones, I don't want to wake up without you by my side; I don't want you waking up without me at your side. I know this is a lot, and I don't want you to answer right now. I don't want to push you, rush you. But, please, Bone please just promise me that you'll think about it. We'll talk about it again, but just, I just want you to know that you don't have to be by yourself. I want to be there for you, _with you_, every day and every night. You don't have to be worried about that while you're healing."

She caught her breath and lowered her face to his shoulder once more, still fighting against deceitful tears that wouldn't quit. _He wants me to move in? He wants to wake up by my side… How do I feel about that? I've never lived with a man. I've never had to depend on a man for anything. But, then again, the feelings I have for Booth are unlike anything else I have ever experienced. Could I be with him like that? I guess I've depended on him for a long time, though. I always know I can depend on him to help me understand the things I don't. I know I can depend on him to give me honest answers. I depended on him to save me – more than once – and he always did. He's been here for me for years, now. I do miss him when I don't see him for a couple of days. And I love him._ She raised her head to talk, but was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door.

They both looked up to see Parker standing in the open doorway, worry filling his eyes. "Are you OK, Bones? I didn't mean to upset you. I told dad you wanted to be left alone, but he didn't listen to me." His soft brown eyes were wide with trepidation.

"Of course not, Parker, I'm not upset with you. Come here." She extended her arm and smiled through her own tears. Booth's chest tightened as he watched the woman he loved, who was in so much emotional pain and turmoil, about to reassure and soothe his son, who, while having absolutely no biological connection to Bones what-so-ever was very much like her in so many ways.

Parker walked forward slowly, never taking his eyes off her clear blues. As he got within touching distance, she grabbed him and pulled him up onto the bed with them and to her chest, she had more strength than she thought she had. "I'm sorry you're upset, Bones," he spoke against her. "I'm sorry you had a bad dream." He looked up at her, then at his Dad before settling his gaze once more on hers. "But if you're going to have a nightmare, my Dad _is_ the best one to make the bad feelings go away." He smiled as Booth rolled his eyes at his son's compliment. Parker flashed them both a miniature version of the classic Booth charm smile, immediately feeling better knowing that he was not the cause of any of Bones' upset feelings. "Anyway," he started to pull back, "Angela is at the door. She knocked and called in, but I told her she had to wait until I came to get Dad."

"Good job, buddy. Since we know it's Angela, go ahead and let her in. Tell her we'll be out in a few minutes, alright?"

"Yup!" Parker grinned and sprang into action, scrambling off the bed, he raced out the door and down the hallway, using his sock-covered feet to skid to a stop in front of the door. "Dad said I can let you in now, Angela!"

He could hear a soft chuckle from the other side of the door, "Alright baby-Booth, thanks!" she called in to him.

After he unlocked the dead bolt and removed the chain, for which he had to stand on his tippy-toes, he swung the door open with a flourish and grinned, "Good evening, '_madam_'," he bowed at the waist and held his arm out, indicating for her to enter. She walked past him with a chuckle and bent over, kissing the soft curls of the top of his head before ruffling them in jest, "Hello Parker."

He looked up from his lowered position and smiled as he then saw Cam walking in, pushing a closed-up wheel chair in front of her. "And a fine evening to you, too, Dr. Cam, welcome!" he maintained his playful submissive stature. She, too, greeted him with a kiss to his blond wavy curls as she laughed.

Parker then stood up and smiled at Agent Duke, who was watching the whole scene from his post, seated in the hallway opposite the apartment door, a smirk dancing on his face. "Nice, kid, that's one way to get the ladies to drop kisses all over ya."

Parker stood straight and proud, flashing him a wide, cheesy grin and wiggled his eyebrows, the way he'd seen his dad do whenever he was feeling ornery. "My dad always says that we Booth-boys have irresistible charm."

Duke laughed out loud, a proper belly laugh at the boy's humorous facial expressions. "Go ahead back in and lock the door, kiddo. I'll be out here if you guys need anything." He shook his head at the little-Booth antics, and thought to himself that Booth was going to have his hands full when that boy started dating girls – there'll be girls calling him all hours of the night – he was a little charmer, alright!

When Parker entered the living room, where Ange and Cam had made themselves at home, he smiled, looking at the wheel chair. "That's cool….Can I sit in it?" he asked, and without really waiting for an answer, he moved to open the chair from its closed position.

"Carefully, Parks. Where's your Dad and Bren?" Angela replied, smiling, recognizing his boyish obsession with all things that have wheels and can go vroom-vroom.

"They're in the bedroom. They'll be out soon. Been in there a while, now. When I went in there, Bones was laying between Dad's legs." Parker spoke nonchalantly, not realizing just how that statement sounded to the two ladies, who looked at each other with shocked expressions. Angela leaned towards Cam and whispered, "I wouldn't have thought Booth would do _that_ during the day, not with Parker out here on his own…!"

"I know!" Cam was shocked as well and they both turned their eyes towards the hallway, wondering how long they'd been at it.

In the background, they could vaguely hear Parker making car sounds as he wheeled the chair back and forth in the entryway, the only area in the apartment that could comfortably afford the chair room to maneuver. Distractedly, Cam called out to him without really looking out at him, "Be careful Parker, that's not a toy…"

B/B/B/B

"You wanna go out and see Ange? Or do you want her to come in here?" He continued cuddling her to his chest, allowing her emotions to calm, as he spoke into her hair.

She nodded tightly. "Yeah, Booth, I will come out with you." She raised her eyes and silently thanked him not only for holding her, soothing her, but also for the offer he made to her. She knew what her answer would be, but she just needed time to compose her reply before giving it. With the offer now out there in the open she suddenly felt a sense of calm and belonging wash over her. She didn't fully understand these new feelings, but had confidence in Booth that he would help her work through the unfamiliar territory. She kissed his chin and squeezed her arms around his waist a little more firmly. He chuckled and although she didn't voice her feelings, he smiled, looking down at her big eyes. "You're welcome, Bones. Take your time." He kissed her forehead once more before moving to join their friend in the living room.

B/B/B/B

As they made their way down the hallway, they heard Parker's squeals and wondered what Angela was doing to the boy. They were met by two pairs of curious, yet smiling, eyes watching them emerge from the short hallway.

"Well, hey there, ladies. I didn't know you were here, too, Cam. Great to see you two." Booth greeted them as Brennan smiled warmly at her friends.

Angela's toothy smile spread across her face, "Hey Studly, hey Bren. I guess you're feeling better, huh?"

"My recovery is slow, but it's only been a few days, Ange, so it's hard to label it as 'better' just yet. But I can tell that my injuries are beginning to heal, because my stitches are itching incessantly and they have finally stopped breaking open and bleeding." Brennan answered what she thought was the actual question. "But I hate that I still can't get around on my own."

Cam lowered her face, hiding her giggles, then schooled her features and looked back up as Booth moved across the living room, taking his partner to her claimed spot on the lounge chair, where she could lie on her side, facing her friends. "Um, Dr. Brennan, I am glad to hear that you're starting to experience the classic symptoms of healing. That is good news. I brought over the water-proof bandages for you, so you can enjoy a warm bath."

"Thanks Cam," it was Booth who answered appreciatively, remembering that he didn't have the chance to pick them up with everything that had happened that day. His attention was drawn towards a flash of movement passing the archway between the living room and entryway, accompanied by Parker's laughter.

Angela laughed at Booth's expression and Cam spoke up again to explain, "I thought that you may want to have a chair on hand for Dr. Brennan. I'm sure it's not easy for either of you, given Dr. Brennan's temporary limited mobility." Cam moved her eyes to look at Brennan, "We all know Seeley has a bad back, and he probably would carry you everywhere if you asked, but this might afford you a little more freedom once you can sit upright comfortably. It's the museum's, so you keep it as long as you need it."

Brennan thanked Cam for her thoughtfulness, but Booth huffed. "I can handle carrying Bones around; I'm not that weak, you know! My last mandatory physical showed me in the upper percentile for a man my age, for your information!" He rolled his eyes as all three women just smiled patronizingly and nodded in agreement with his claim. "And don't call me Seeley, _Camille_!"

Booth put his hands on his narrow hips and moved out to the foyer. "Parks?"

The squealing sound effects resembling a car breaking made their way to Booth's ears and the man smiled at his son, understanding the irresistibility of a wheel chair to an eleven-year-old. "Dad! Isn't this awesome? Dr. Cam brought a wheelchair for Bones. I told her that you wouldn't want to use it because then you'd have to actually put Bones down and I said that I think you like to hold her, but then she said that it will come in handy when your back finally gives out. She said your back isn't as young as you think it is. How young do you think your back is, dad?" Parker's innocent and run-on recount of the discussions he had while waiting for his Dad and Bones to come out from the bedroom charmed the ladies, but brought a blush to Booth's cheeks.

"I know exactly how old my back is, Buddy," he replied to his son, but threw his voice over his shoulder, ensuring that his little audience heard him. "And I know when my back's had enough; besides, Bones isn't that heavy." He ruffled his son's hair. "But come back in here, stop playing, it's not a toy."

"Aww… man!" Parker pouted a bit as he wheeled himself back in and stopped besides Bones, but smiled immediately when she reached out to touch the soft skin of his cheek. "Hi Bones. Are you feeling better? Did Dad make your nightmare memories go away?"

A mumbled comment could be heard coming from Angela, directed at Cam. "I'll bet he made her nightmares go away!" Ange and Cam shared a conspiratorial giggle but stopped when they saw the confused expression on Brennan's face, not understanding what her friends were saying, and the hard stare from Booth, who understood perfectly what they were referring to.

Turning back to Parker, "I'm fine now, Parker." She smiled at the warm brown eyes that reminded her so much of her Partner's. "Can you go get everyone some iced tea, please?" He nodded enthusiastically and started to turn the wheelchair in the direction of the kitchen before Booth lunged forward and grabbed the handles of the chair, stilling it.

"_Walk_, Parker. The kitchen is too small for this." Booth corrected his son's behavior and winked at Bones as Parker slunk out to the kitchen, his lower lip jutting forward in another pout. He turned to Cam and Angela, "You two spoil him, letting him ride around like a speed-demon…" but Booth's grin spread and his eyes lit up as he lowered himself into the chair, "vroom vroom… Of course, I can see how it would be fun…" All three women laughed at him and rolled their eyes. He stood up and joined his son in the kitchen, pulling out the tray to carry the glasses into the living room.

B/B/B/B

Angela looked at Brennan, "Bren! I can't believe you two were in there doing _that_ while Parker was out here playing his video game! What happened to Booth's prudish sense of privacy?" She smiled, leaning forward, as she waited for Brennan's answer.

"Huh? Ange what are you talking about?" Brennan looked at her colleagues in confusion as they both waited on the edge of their seats for scoop.

"You knoooow…. Getting busy with the big guy in the middle of the day, while his kid just hangs out here? That's pretty bold. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think it's freakin' _hot as hell_ and if I were you I'd be doing it as often as possible! But we were just, shocked, I guess is the best way to describe it." She looked to Cam for confirmation on their joint feelings, and then looked back to Brennan. "You know, we will need details… very fine details…"

Brennan looked back and forth between her friends, looking at them like they just each grew an extra head on their shoulders. "Angela, I don't know what you're talking about. Parker wanted to play a game while Booth and I talked, and Booth told him that he could."

"Oh, and you were just _talking_, huh, Dr. Brennan?" Cam winked at her. "I must say, though, you have done wonders for Booth; back when I _knew_ him, he wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything when Parker was even _in the house_, let alone when he wasn't asleep!" Cam knew that she was OK to discuss her past experience with Booth; they were all well aware that it happened and they were all aware that it was WAY over.

They both sat up straighter as the topic of their discussion reentered the room, carrying a tray of filled glasses and a bowl of popcorn. "OK, OK ladies, whatever you're gossiping about, stop it now, the Booth-boys are back in town." Booth smiled, wondering if he really wanted to know what they were discussing. He determined almost immediately, once he saw the guilty looks on their guests' faces that he definitely did _not_ want to know what they were talking about.

"Booth, that makes no sense. Of course you're in town, but you haven't been out of town for a while now, so why are you saying you're 'back'?" She shook her head, wondering if her medication had some terrible side effects, everyone seemed to be speaking in nonsense sentences.

Angela smiled, "Oh, we were just gossiping about you, Agent Studly. We're very proud of your progress over the years." She boldly stated, hoping to get a rise out of the hunky man standing in front of her, offering iced tea.

"Huh?" he cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was talking about.

"Ah, nothing, Booth. Never mind," Cam chimed in, not wanting to start an embarrassing conversation with _little ears_ in the room. "You wanna tell us what you found out after Wendell came back to the lab carrying various samples from your place? Any why is there an Agent standing outside your apartment door?"

Sending Parker to his bedroom to read, Booth then shared the information concerning the bugs, and explaining about the three Agents watching over them. They were all silent, lost in their own thoughts. Bones was the first to break the stillness that had settled over the room.

"There were 17 listening devices in here? Everywhere in here?" Her large eyes were filled with fear and embarrassment. "In the bedroom, too?"

He nodded sadly at her, and reached for her hand. "I'm sorry, Bones. I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"I know you didn't know, Booth. I know." Her words were whispered and her eyes cast downward. "What's ours is ours, right? Only, now it's not…" She was saddened and angered by the fact that their first experience together was made public to whoever was on the other side of the transmitter.

Angela and Cam sat quietly, also saddened by their colleague's realization. Booth leaned forward from his seat beside the lounge chair, and cupped her face between his large palms. He pressed his forehead to hers, speaking in a breathless whisper. "It's still ours, Baby. It will _always_ be ours. I love you, Bones, and I am so sorry that this happened."

She saw he had tears behind his eyes, and she mirrored his position by cupping his cheeks too. "I love you, too, Booth. It's not your place to apologize for it. It's whoever did this to me… to us… that is to blame. We'll find her." She tilted her face and held his lips with hers, a tender caress that conveyed her faith in her Partner.

Angela and Cam sat quietly and smiled at the scene unfolding before them. The once-detached scientist who had always denounced love, had, very obviously overcome her fear of falling for another human being. And despite the situation that had the _'just-partners'_ consoling each other, they were warmed to know that what they had witnessed blossoming in the bedroom-turned-hospital-room, just a few short nights ago, was now in full bloom.

Their moment was interrupted by the shrill ring of Booth's cell phone. He dug into his pocket to fish it out and answered quickly, "Booth."

"Hey G-man," it was Hodgins, calling from the lab. After exchanging brief niceties, and discussing how Bones' was feeling, Hodgins got to the real purpose of the call. "We just got some results in, and while they're not definitive on anything exact yet, I wanted to share something with you." Booth could hear the computer beeping in the background and papers shuffling as, Booth imagined, Hodgins moved around his work table in the Ookey Room. "We got results back from some various strands of hair, man. Wendell and I expected to get results of, you know, all of us, but we also got a result that doesn't match anyone that's on our immediate internal system, so we're running additional tests. So far, we found yours, Dr. B's, Cam's, Ange's, mine, Wendell's, Sweets and Daisy's. And Hannah's, Rebecca's and Parker's. But, there was someone else, too. A dyed-blond, long hair, results show it's a woman, but so far we've got no hits. There were several strands of hers recovered, man, so we'll have plenty of evidence of her being there, once we find out who she is." Hodgins cleared his throat, "umm… Booth?"

"Yeah? Spit it out, Jack."

"Have you, um, had any other visitors that we should be aware of? Anyone else that we should eliminate? I mean, I don't think that would be the case, but I just want to make sure that we're not missing someone, you know?" Hodgins paused and waited. When he didn't have an immediate response, he continued, "Please don't shoot me, man, I'm just asking. Just trying to help."

"No, I know Hodgins. You're doing what you're supposed to do. But the answer is no. I haven't had anyone else over, I'm not exactly the host-type, you know."

"OK, well, we're going to continue running tests through the night and letting the system run comparisons, can you tell Angie that I am heading home and will see her there? I know it's early, but I'm pretty beat, I think the lack of sleep from the past few days has caught up with me."

"Yeah, thanks Hodgins. And hey – tell Wendell good job today, I understand he really stood his ground amongst the FBI forensics team. Let him know, well, that I appreciate his tenacity."

"You bet, man. Talk to you tomorrow. Say 'night to Dr. B." Hodgins disconnected the call and Booth turned to Bones then to Cam and Ange, relaying what was found so far.

"OK, well, kids, I'm gonna hit the road." Angela rose to leave. "Gonna go get me some lovin' from my genius husband." She winked at Brennan and bent over to give her a kiss on the cheek before kissing Booth on his cheek too. "GOODNIGHT PARKER!" she called down the hallway, and was quickly greeted by a bouncing eleven-year-old, bounding towards her.

"You're leaving already? Aren't you gunna stay for dinner? We haven't eaten yet!"

"No sweetie. I have to go, but thank you." She hugged him and kissed his forehead and was quietly joined by Cam, who also decided to leave, so the little family could eat in peace.

Parker moved to hug her as well, "Night Dr. Cam. Thanks for bringing Bones a chair so dad doesn't get crippled. It's awesome."

Booth laughed, "I am not going to become crippled! Jeez!"

He escorted the ladies to the door and Agent Duke radioed down to his counterparts observing from outside and confirmed that one of them would meet Cam and Angela at the elevator door to escort them to their cars.

When Booth returned to the living room, he saw that Bones was lost in thought. "It's OK, Bones. Like you said, we'll find her, and we'll get her." He ran his fingers through her hair gently, causing her eyes to close. He bent over and kissed her cheek, I'm gunna order delivery, Babe, be right back."

As he made his way to the kitchen to get the take out-menu, Bones once again because lost in thought, wondering about the long-haired-blond woman who had threatened her family… _her family_. Someone angry with Booth? Angry with her? Who was this woman? _I can't wait to meet her…_

**So, there it is, the end of Chapter 37 – my chapter from hell. LOL **

**PLEASE don't read and run! Please review and give some inspiration to My Muse so she can get back on her game for Chapter 38! PLEASE? (This is me begging…. Please don't make me beg too much….) **

**Seriously, though, I appreciate all the feedback I've received and a special shout out to ****penandra****. You know why! Thanks for the input! **


	38. Chapter 38

**Hello and welcome back! Sorry for the delay in posting, the week at work was horrendous! **

**So, first things first… **_**A WARNING**_** for this chapter. Chapter 38 took a different direction than I originally planned, and so, I am sending out this warning to anyone who may be offended or upset by the idea of fantasy-fulfilling dominant sex and/or harsh graphic language. If you don't like the idea of these things, please skip this chapter and come back when Chapter 39 is posted. I'm not really sure where this came from, but as it rolled out, I just let it go…. So, there's your warning. **

**Disclaimer – I still don't own anything other than this plot line! **

With dinner complete and the credits rolling, indicating the end of their movie, Booth woke Parker from where he fell asleep on the couch, sending him to bed. Parker stood up and swayed sleepily, but still managed to stagger over to Bones to give her a hug and kiss goodnight, then hugged his Dad as he continued on his way to the bedroom.

Booth and Bones laughed at his son. "I swear I think he misses the endings of more movies than he manages to stay awake for. I always tell him to choose shorter movies in the evenings, but he never does." Booth just shook his head in humor, watching as his son ambled from the bedroom to the bathroom and back to the bedroom, looking very much like a zombie. He eyed him thoughtfully while speaking to Bones, "I think that the stress of the past few days has caught up with him. Poor kid's beat…"

Brennan nodded and reached for Booth's hand, as he stood beside the chair. When he felt her soft touch, he lowered his eyes to meet hers, and found a gentle smile gracing her soft lips. Her eyes locked onto his, and he could tell she was absently lost in thought; obviously pondering something she found to be peaceful or pleasant. He maintained the union of their intertwined fingers and squatted down beside the chair, using the fingers of his other hand to trace her jawline and ghost-touch her lips. They wordlessly got lost in each other's gazes for a few moments, maybe longer; neither really knew how long they remained engrossed and absorbed, chocolate browns and cerulean blues.

Drawing a slow, deep breath, Booth quietly broke the silence. "What are you thinking about Bones? What's going through your beautiful genius mind?"

A flash passed behind her eyes and something shifted. He could tell she wasn't ready to admit to him whatever was rolling around in her brain, so he would give her the time she needed. She smiled at him, though, a warm and beautiful smile, the smile she only ever shared with him. "Did Cam say she brought the water-proof bandages?" She shifted the subject from what she was truly pondering.

Booth's grin grew wide and he brought her finger to his lips, dropping light kisses on each knuckle. "Yup. You wanna take a bath, Baby?"

She nodded. "Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, Bones. Why would I mind?" Booth smiled at her with crooked eyebrows dancing across his forehead.

"I don't know, Booth. I just…" she huffed in frustration, not knowing how to express herself and irritating herself about it. "I still feel like I'm a bother to you." She immediately saw his defenses go up as he prepared to rebut her statement. Raising her forefinger, she continued before he could interrupt, "Now, before you go telling me that I'm wrong, because I can see that's where you're going, just let me finish." She waited for him to nod in agreement, and she took a deep breath and brought her free hand to his face, where she laid it softly against his cheek.

"Booth, I – I don't know what I would do without you. I truly don't. Not just now, with this entire situation that we're facing, but _all_ of the time. I find that I hate being apart from you; I hate the days when we don't see each other because there's no case; I hate that on some weekends we've gone without even talking on the phone, let alone seeing each other. I sometimes feel…disjointed, I guess is the right word; but I never understood why." She took another cleansing breath, mentally willing him to remain quiet while she gathered the rest of her thoughts; he picked up on her desire and kept his mouth shut, patiently waiting. "I have never been a dependent woman, Booth. You know that. I haven't been dependent on anyone, _much less a man_, for years. But, with you…with you I feel different. I don't know how to handle that. I don't know how to be in a proper relationship, Booth. And, well, I feel conflicted – both excited and scared at the same time. I have always read that men don't like needy women; and right now, I am a needy woman, and I don't want to mess this up." She looked at him with a depth of vulnerability that he hadn't seen before. "Please tell me if I start to mess up, Booth. I don't want to do that. If something happens now…something that drives a metaphorical wedge between us… I think I would rebuild those walls you're always talking about, and I don't think I would ever let anyone in, ever again."

"Bones, Baby, you're not going to do anything to drive a wedge between us. When I look at you, when I help you, I don't think of you, or see you, as 'a needy woman'; I see my partner, my best friend, my lover. I see the woman in whom I have complete trust and faith; the woman with whom I want to spend the rest of my life; the woman who has saved me time and again; the woman for whose life I would trade my own, if it ever came down to the wire. If I needed your help, Bones, I know, without a doubt, that I could depend on you…you should expect nothing less from me. I want you to stop worrying so much; you're causing yourself undue stress. I _want_ to have you here with me. I _want_ to help take care of you. Just because you need some assistance right now, doesn't mean that you are not the same strong, independent, willful, _and sometimes infuriating_ woman that you have always been. You are still all of those things, and more, Bones. So much more." He gave her his charm smile; not the cheesy one that everyone sees when he's feeling playful, but the _only-for-Bones-charm-smile_, as he has mentally dubbed it; the one that he flashes only to her, when he wants her to believe in him, trust in him, have faith in him. _It always works_, he thinks smugly, as he sees her worry melt away.

He softened his eyes and spoke softly, as he raised her fingers to his lips once more. "You're everything to me, Bones. I don't say that lightly, I hope you know that. Your well-being, your health, your _life_, Bones; everything about you drives me to be the man I am. You drive me to be a better human being and when I'm with you, I am the closest I've even been to feeling complete. You make me forget some of the horrors I've seen; some of the horrors I've _done_." He took a ragged breath, his emotion starting to get the better of him. He sees that she, too, is feeling similar – her eyes are glistening with unspoken and heartwarming affection. "So, Bones, I want you to_ finally_ stop thinking that you're a burden or an inconvenience or anything else that your crazy, genius brain conjures up. I love you, and you will never, _ever_, be those things. Do you understand?"

Bones immediately let go of Booth's hand and reached up, cupping his face and pulled him closer. She captured his lips with her own as she launched herself up as best as she could, from her lying position. Hungrily, she dominated the kiss, and he submitted to her need for control. Her fingers curled into the short hair at the back of his head as she held him firmly in place, and shivers riddled her body as the electricity of his touch intermingled with his unique taste, coursed through her veins. She drew back for a breath, but only just far enough to gasp. Her lips still lingered against his as he nipped and tugged at her. Between his light nibbles on her swollen lips, her sucking of his strong ones, and their mingling breaths, she spoke quickly, softly, passionately, "I love you, Booth. I love you. Please don't doubt me, please believe me, Booth. I love you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for not giving up."

He could feel the wetness of her tears transferring from her cheeks onto his own, and he knew that she heard his message, loud and clear. _Finally_, he thought. _Finally she understands. Finally she believes me and trusts in what __we__ can be. She gets it. I love this woman and she loves me. And together, we are perfect. _

He reached up and held her face tenderly within his large hands, kissing her tears away, rubbing noses, resting his forehead against hers. As they came down from their emotional highs, they pressed their cheeks against one another's, whispering into each other's ears, consoling and promising each other. Once they'd calmed, she pulled back and looked deep into his eyes, seeing so much love that it took her breath away. He smiled at her expression, and let his gaze dance across her features, taking her in, visually drinking her striking beauty. His words came out whispered, "Bones, I'd never give up on you. I love you too much…I've loved you for too long." He kissed her flushed cheek then encircled her shoulders within his strong arms, holding her as close as possible, given their current position, with her still in the chair and him kneeling beside and leaning over the over-stuffed arm. "C'mon, Bones, let's get you ready for your bath; it's getting late, Baby."

She nodded against his shoulder, "OK, Booth. Thank you." Her words were soft; reassured and relieved, as she snuggled against the crook of his neck, breathing in his masculine scent. His scent was one that she had come to love over the years; the same scent that, when dealing with stressful days and cases, had physically relaxed her body just by invading her senses. She had missed his scent terribly when they stopped spending time together, but she knew that they'd never have to face that kind of separation again. She'd never have to be far from his scent, ever again, and suddenly she was calm and at peace as she relished the feeling of his arms holding her. "I'll need your help with my bandages, Booth. But you knew that already, didn't you…"

"I did. But I'm glad you asked, Bones. And I am glad to help, Baby."

"Booth…. you can stop calling me 'a baby' anytime you want, you know. I am a grown woman, in case you hadn't noticed…" She smirked at him, knowing deep down, that she was going to have to get used to this new moniker, but not willing to let him get away with it without at least a little bit of push. Secretly, she didn't mind that he called her pet names. He was the only one to ever give her a name other than her own, besides her parents. Well, the kids at school called her names, but she didn't like those names; they were names of hatred and cruelty. Booth's names for her were always full of respect and adoration; she realized that fact, even though the first time he called her 'Bones' she fought it. She thought that he was teasing her, being mean, but she soon learned that wasn't the case. She found that he gave her a specialized nickname when he rarely gave anyone nicknames like that. Granted, he issued generic ones like the 'squints' and 'squinterns,' and from time to time, he called Hodgins 'Bug-man', but no one else earned one like 'Bones'; no one else qualified for a permanent name that overrode their real one. And in that reality, she eventually found a sense of calm, and a feeling of belonging. Belonging to a 'club'; belonging with peers; belonging with Booth. She belonged with _and to_ Booth, whether she wanted to admit it before, or not. She allowed herself to 'belong' by accepting his pet name for her – it just took her years of partnering with him to figure it out and recognize what they'd become.

"Aww, Bones… You don't mean that. You know you love it when I call you 'Baby,' admit it…." He grinned and egged her on, "Don'tcha, _Baby_?"

She grinned at his cock-sure glare, "No, Booth. I _won't _admit it."

His smile grew. _She won't __admit__ it; she didn't actually say she didn't like it. Just that she wouldn't admit it. She __likes__ that I give her pet names…_ He kissed her forehead and stood from his kneeling position. "You wanna ride your new wheels into the bedroom, Bones? Take 'em for a spin?"

She wrinkled her forehead and scrunched up her nose. "If you want me to, I will, Booth." Her voice was dejected, but accepting of his suggestion. "I don't want you to hurt your back any more than you probably already have."

He smiled at her little pout, "Bones, my back is fine. I'll take you in there, if you want. I don't mind, actually. As a matter of fact, I kinda like it….." He bent over and scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.

She rewarded him with a satisfied smile. "I know that Cam meant well, and I _will_ use it, I promise. But, tonight, I just want to be close to you…I feel good in your arms, Booth. I like how you make me feel." She felt feminine, protected, loved. She felt like, to him, she was the most precious thing in the world when he held her. Mentally, she berated herself for risking his already damaged vertebrae for her own comfort; but when he was so accommodating to her desires, she found herself to be very weak, unable to deny that selfish self-indulgence. "I'll start using the chair tomorrow, Booth. I promise." She kissed his temple then moved her mouth to his earlobe, tugging it between her lips playfully.

"Booones…." He groaned in mock-disapproval. "Behave yourself…we have work to do before play time," he laughed as he jostled her in his arms.

He carried her to the bedroom and set her gently on the bed before he went back out to the living room to lock up, after bidding goodnight to their guardian in the hallway. Turning off the lights, he checked on Parker once more, then moved to their room and closed the door behind him. He found her to be laying, face down in bed, already having removed her shirt, so he could get to her back. He first worked to bandage her ankle and feet, and then moved up to her back. "Bones, your injuries are looking _remarkably_ well. Cam did an excellent job, you know." He spoke in wonderment, amazed that she was healing so quickly. He applied the necessary antibacterial cream after cleaning them with a wash cloth, then covered them with the water proof protection.

"Well, Cam is an excellent doctor; I had no doubt about her skills, Booth. I am glad, though, that you can see the improvement. I have to depend on your observations, so it's important that you can tell me what you see." She was grateful that Cam's abilities had served her well, and that Booth's attention to her application of antibiotic creams and vitamins had been constant, allowing for a rapid recovery.

"OK, you're now water-proof, Bones. I'll go start your bath. Be right back, Babe." He bent and gave her a peck on the lips as he moved from the bedroom to the bathroom. She heard him start the water and the light scent of vanilla reached her nose when he opened the door to re-enter the bedroom. He paused when he saw that she had already maneuvered herself out of her pants, and wore only one of his over-sized T-shirts. Raising an eyebrow, he grinned, "where'd you get that shirt, Bones?"

"In there," she gestured to his bedside dresser. "I – well, I just wanted something comfortable for when I get out of my bath. Do you mind?" She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, knowing that he wouldn't balk at her claim of his clothing.

"Of course not, Bones. What's mine is yours…help yourself." He playfully waggled his eyebrows as he stepped closed and bent over, placing his fists on the mattress, resting on either side of her hips and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. "I hope you help yourself to _anything_ you want; _anytime_ you want it."

"Booth," she smiled shyly, playfully chastising him, "and _you_ tell _me_ to behave…"

Chuckling, he lifted her from where she sat, and carried her to the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding her on his lap, and began to help her remove the t-shirt that she had commandeered from his drawer. Their eyes locked in seriousness as he slowly pulled the shirt over her head, allowing her hair to fall freely over her naked shoulders. Dropping the shirt, unceremoniously onto the floor at his feet, his breath hitched at the look of utter trust that flashed behind her eyes. The past few days had seen several changes between the two partners; they'd been sleeping in each other's arms, they'd confessed their feelings and made promises of faithfulness, they'd shared the intimacy of true lovers as they explored one another's body, they'd become closer than they ever were before. But they still left each other speechless when their eyes locked, when a 'moment' passed between them.

Over the years, they had experienced several 'moments', but they both refused to act on those opportunities. They'd missed their chance so often that they had each come to expect they would never truly be anything more than partners. He was convinced that she would never allow herself the emotion to experience what they could be together; she was convinced that it was nothing more than a temporary chemical reaction to pheromones.

Bones reached her hands up and cupped his face softly, then swept her fingers back through his hair and settled them at the nape of his neck. He kept his right hand at her hip, holding her steady on his lap as she sat sideways across this thighs, and brought his left hand up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, skipping his fingertips across her cheekbone as he moved.

Without a spoken word between them, they closed the distance, equally, as they leaned in. Softly, lovingly, their lips met, and neither was vying for dominance. Gently, as if they'd been doing this for years, they moved together, each tilting to the right to allow for the angle that their mouths would join fully. Their tongues glanced off one another's in a new, yet familiar dance as they tasted each other. The steam from the water below rose up around them, adding to their own heat…adding to the slow seduction that was playing out within those tiled walls.

Brennan tugged at the short hairs just above his neck, causing shivers to run down his spine. Booth traced her ear with his thumb, while his strong fingers tangled in her errant auburn locks, causing her to moan into his mouth. He smiled into their kiss, knowing that he'd caused her to break their silence when she moaned in acceptance of his ministrations.

He slid his lips from hers, and traced her cheekbone, dropping kisses and nips along the way. When he reached her left temple, he felt her shudder under his touch, and he brought his left hand to the right side of her neck, stroking her silky skin as he moved. He breathed in her scent, and exhaled softly into her ear, "You're so beautiful, Bones. So gorgeous." He tugged her lobe between his lips and suckled it, causing yet another groan to escape from her throat. "I promise to love you, Bones. I'll never leave you; I'll never let you go." He moved down her long, slender neck, placing open mouthed kisses along the way. She let her head fall back, exposing the entire length of her neck to him; silently inviting him to do as he pleased. "I've never seen beauty like yours, Bones. There's nothing else in the world that compares to you. God broke the mold when you were born." He nuzzled at the base of her hairline and sucked on her neck, gently, not intending to mark her, just enjoying the fact that he could do what he had so often fantasized about.

"Booth…" she breathed his name. "Oh, Booth…" It was all she could manage. She couldn't put together a coherent thought, not even if her life depended on it. She didn't rebut his statement about God; she didn't correct him about comparing her to the countless beauty he'd yet to see in the world; she didn't take his comment about never letting her go, literally. She just permitted herself _feel_. She let him touch her and kiss her and hold her. She allowed her body to react to his proximity; she lowered her guard like she'd never done before. No other man had ever caused her to let go of herself – not the way Booth did.

As she felt his kisses and caresses, she focused on her bodily reactions. She could feel the flush in her cheeks; she could hear her own blood pulsing through her ears; she felt her breathing become shallow; she felt a well of unshed tears, happy tears, building up behind her eyes. Physically, she felt her skin prickle anyplace he traced his fingers; she felt fire wherever he kissed her; she felt a pool of warmth gather at her core; she felt her hardened nipples pressed against his t-shirt covered chest. She let her fingers trace the muscles in his neck and shoulders – his perfect acromia. He was perfectly proportioned, muscular without it being too much. Confident in his movements and gentle with his touch. But she knew – _she knew_ – just how powerful and strong his movements could be when he focused. She felt the fingers of his right hand tighten on her hip as he flexed against her skin, holding her near. She concentrated on the fingers of his left hand as they danced across her neck, cheek, shoulder, arm… His fingertips left, in their wake, a blaze of heat – fire – wherever they touched her skin.

A waft of vanilla invaded Booth's senses, reminding him of why they were in the bathroom, perched on the edge of the tub. _Vanilla…steam…Bones wanted a bath. Bones wants the heat of the bath water to wash away her tension, her pain. I have to give that to her, she doesn't ask for much, but she asked me for this. I've gotta give this to her._ He talked to himself as he brought his mouth back up from her neck and met her lips once more, with a soft and emotional kiss. He opened his eyes to find hers still closed in pleasure; her barely-open lips were graced with a small smile, her cheeks a beautiful rose color.

"C'mon, Bones, before the water gets too cold, let me get you in here, huh?" He tugged at her chin with his thumb until she opened her eyes and he was met with a darker hue of blue than normal.

She smiled and nodded, lazily. "Mm-hmm…" was all she could manage and it caused him to chuckle.

His normally very loquacious and chatty Bones was a mumbling pile of goo… And he loved that about her. He loved that _he_ could do _that to her_. He felt justified that, after years of his own sexual frustration when it came to his partner, that he was finally able to make her speechless, to bring her mind to a puddle of incoherent thoughts. So many times that he lost count, he would wake up with visions of her flooding his thoughts and a painful erection reminding him of whatever dream he was having. He would reach down and rub himself, imagining that it was her fingers wrapped around his stiff cock, rather than his own. He would bring himself to the brink and not until her name fell from his lips would he release his own tension into his own palm. On the occasions that he was with other women, few though they were, it was her face that he saw in his mind's eye, looking back at him; it was her voice calling his name; it was _her _name tumbling from his chest – much to the disgust of the present company. The worst was Hannah; she was a strong independent woman, similar to Bones but a poor excuse for a second-best when he couldn't have the woman he really wanted. But so many times he would orgasm with her, but call out to Bones. So many nights he ended up on the couch because she kicked him out of his own bed, but sadly, he didn't care. His fantasies had been revolving about his Partner for nearly 8 years, and that kind of habit was impossible to break.

'The heart wants what the heart wants', Pops once told him, 'and when that happens, there's no use in denying it.' His heart had wanted Temperance Brennan for years, and finally, he had her. He would no longer have to masturbate to his imagined visions of what she looked like under her lab coat; under those sexy straight lined skirts. He would no longer have to wonder what it felt like to rub his fingers through her hair, to nuzzle his nose to her neck, to pull her naked body flush against his. He would no longer have to settle for second best. They were finally together, truly together, and he would do anything in his power to not screw that up. Whatever she asked for, he was intent on giving to her. Whatever she needed, he was determined to provide. This woman, this fantasy-come-true, who was looking at him with lust-filled eyes, was the one person around whom his entire world would revolve. And he intended to show her, day after day, what a dedicated man he was, and how much she truly meant to him.

He reached over to the spigot and turned on the hot water, to refresh the tub a bit. "I don't want you catching cold, but I think it's hot enough, what do you think?" He spoke softly, as if trying to preserve the intimacy of the moment.

She dipped her fingers to the water line and nodded, "it feels perfect, Booth. Absolutely perfect. Thank you." The smile she flashed at him was worth millions, in his mind. No other reward could compare to that smile when he received it.

He stood, holding her close and turned towards the tub. Bending over, he gently placed her into the water, careful to not let her feet go too quickly; he wanted to place them in softly, so they wouldn't bump against the hard porcelain. He leaned her back against the bath pillow he'd placed in there for her comfort. "That OK?"

She sighed, a beautiful sound of content. "Oh, Booth, I never thought a bath would feel so good. You don't realize how much you miss something, until you can't have it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he smiled, thinking wistfully about when he was missing her and couldn't have her… "I know exactly what you mean."

She met his gaze and immediately knew they were not talking about the same thing, but she had a pretty good idea to what he was referring. Before she could say anything, he took a deep breath and smiled. "I'll be right back, relax, Baby." He turned and walked from the bathroom, with a little bounce to his step and she wondered why he'd turned away so suddenly. She knew, though, that she wouldn't know until he was ready to tell her, so she simply sat back against the pillow and felt the water lap against her skin.

It was only a matter of moments, and he was back by her side, kneeling beside the tub, holding out a mug of steaming tea for her. "Aww, Booth, thank you." She smiled at accepted his offer gratefully. "How do you always know just what I need?" She eyed him carefully and saw love overflowing as he smiled, knowing that he'd done something she appreciated.

"I guess I've been around you long enough, Bones, to know that you like a hot cup of herbal tea when you take a bath. After all, we've been on enough under cover jobs that I know a lot about your evening routines. I am very observant, you know. I am a Special Agent, and I didn't get that title by accident." He touched her forehead, sweeping back a stray auburn lock that found itself plastered to her porcelain skin.

"Come in here with me, Booth," she said quietly, willing him to comply. "Please?"

"You don't want some peace and quiet? I thought that's why women liked baths, so they can enjoy some alone-time."

"I've had enough alone-time, Booth. I want us-time, now. Unless…you don't want to, that is." She suddenly was awash with the fear that he didn't want to spend time with her in this manner. It was obvious that he wanted to spend time with her, but she knew, anthropologically speaking, that sometimes people were strange about their bathing habits. Throughout history, there were examples of how some people preferred to do their bathing alone, while others preferred a communal setting, and she feared that maybe she overstepped her bounds; she was not as good at reading the living as she was at studying the dead, and perhaps Booth wouldn't want to sit in a bath tub with her.

He immediately put those fears to rest, though, when he smiled and replied, "Sure I want to. I just didn't want to invade _your _time, if you needed it." He stood and peeled off his form-fitted t-shirt, revealing his smooth, olive skin-toned torso. She held her breath as her eyes traveled from his handsomely chiseled face to his perfect shoulders, down across his well-defined pecs, to his metaphorical six-pack and settled on the waist line of his low-slung jeans, where they rested just below his belly button. When she noticed that he was not making a move to take off his pants, she looked back up to his face, where she was met by a quizzical smirk. "Like what you see so far, Dr. Brennan?"

She smiled bashfully, after being caught, but then met his smile with one of her own. "Well, you appear a bit soft, but maybe with enough work, we can firm you up a bit, _Agent Booth_." Her playfulness made him laugh out loud as he popped the button open on his jeans.

"Soft, huh? I'll show you soft, Bones. You're gunna regret ever calling me soft, there, sweetheart." He laughed at her raised eyebrow when she realized two things; first he was not wearing underwear beneath his jeans and second, he was anything but soft when he finally lowered his pants. Her eyes widened as he stood before her in all his naked glory, proudly standing at attention.

She couldn't stop herself; she reached out to wrap her fingers around his stiff member, but he backed away, just out of reach. "Uh-uh… No Bones. Not yet, baby; not if you expect me to take a bath with you. Now, scoot forward, I'll tuck in behind you." He grinned at her pout, but didn't let her get the best of him. She pulled herself forward, away from the pillow, and made room for him to sit behind her. As he climbed in, the water level rose dangerously close to overflowing, but stopped just shy of the edge. He sat with his back to the pillow, a leg on either side of his lover, as he pulled her gently back, to lean against him. Her skin was soft and warm against his and he let his arms wrap around her waist, so his hands settled on her stomach. She moaned in appreciation of his closeness and touch and she let her head fall back against his shoulder as he dropped kisses on her neck.

They enjoyed their shared silence; the lack of speaking was neither uncomfortable nor unwelcome. Often times they would sit together and just be with one another, not needing to fill the air with empty talk, and they both respected each other because of that ability. Many couples they knew needed to have sound, constantly, but not them. They were more than happy to just enjoy being together. Slowly, methodically, he started to move his hands, tracing his fingers along her curves, exploring her body in this manner, for the first time. She reached out and placed her tea on the shelf near their heads, having emptied its contents. She settled further against his chest, relishing in the sensations his hands were causing to her body. She could feel her skin come to life beneath his caresses as he started to smooth her bath gel over her torso. He strategically avoided her most sensitive parts, rubbing suds across her upper chest and shoulders before moving to extend her arms, lathering her up as he worked down to her fingers. Reapplying more gel to his palms, he continued massaging the skin on her torso, starting just beneath her breasts and ending just above her pelvic line, then sweeping around to her sides, running his hands from her hips to her armpits and back down to her waist, causing her to shiver with excited anticipation.

She reached her arms up and behind, so she had her hands wrapped around his neck and she turned her head to meet his lips with her own. Their gentle kiss deepened, each pouring their metaphoric hearts and souls out to each other. He continued rubbing her, moving his attention from her waist to her hips and finally her upper, outer thighs, as far as he could reach in his current position. He caressed her silky skin as he dragged his fingertips back up to rest on her stomach, where he kneaded gently, enjoying the feeling of her tight muscles beneath his touch.

She moaned and arched her back, pressing her backside further against his obvious erection, which, in turned, caused him to moan into her mouth in response. She interlaced her fingers together at the nape of his neck as she maintained her hold against him. He moved his hands and retraced their original path, wiping the shower gel from her skin, as best he could while they remained in a lip-lock that would make a prostitute blush.

Finally he brought his hands up to her head, pushing back the unruly curls that had sprung to life with the humidity in the room. He broke their kiss and pressed his lips to her ears, as he listened to her try to regain a normal breathing pace. "Let me wash your hair, Bones. I've always wanted to do that. I've fantasized about lathering up your hair Bones…It's been a focus of many sleepless nights for me…" His words were breathy and his voice harsh, thick with desire. "Can I do that for you?"

"Mmm…" she nodded in agreement as she closed her eyes, memorizing the feeling of his hard body pressed against her softer one.

"Thank you," he kissed her, just below her earlobe, knowing that was a zone that drove her crazy. When he suckled there just a moment longer, his knowledge was confirmed as she, once again, arched and moaned, pressing her hips and ass further back against him, and pushing her perky breasts further above the water line. "Okay, okay… I get it…" he smiled against her temple and reached for her shampoo bottle.

She scooted a little, letting her hair fall into the water, before sitting back up, so he could fulfill one of his long-time fantasies. He lathered the fragrant shampoo into her long waves and massaged her scalp softly, eliciting groans of approval from deep within her chest. As he continued his manipulation of her cranial sensory receptors, she let her hands drift, rubbing his legs up and down, committing to memory every curve, skin imperfection, scar, muscle reaction – everything that she could 'see' with her fingers, she was determined to memorize.

"A fantasy of yours, huh, Booth?" she asked absently.

"Oh, definitely, Bones… One of many, baby…one of many"

He held her head in his hands, rubbing and stroking her hair, feeling the perfect shape of her skull, inhaling that very-Bonesy fragrance that he'd come to know over the years, indulging his senses with the eroticism of her silky strands pulling through his fingers. He felt the weight of her head against his palms, as she gave up her need to hold her head erect. She gave him complete control to manipulate her head however he saw fit.

"Scoot down, Bones, rinse your hair, baby." He spoke quietly, not wanting to break the spell that had been cast upon them. She did as he commanded and when she lowered herself backwards, he supported her weight with one arm and used his other hand to gently tug at her cinnamon hair as it flowed around her like a halo. He looked down at her face; her eyes were closed and her forehead free of any concentration frowns or wrinkles. She looked completely calm, relaxed. She looked ravishing. Satisfied that he'd gotten as much shampoo out of her hair as he could, he gently pulled her back up, so she was, once again, leaning back against him, her back flush against his chest.

She spoke in whispered tones, "good to know I wasn't the only one fantasizing, Booth. You've been a major factor in my thoughts for years, Booth…"

"Mmm…." He growled softly as he dropped more kisses on her shoulder and neck, as she settled back with her head on his shoulder. This time, as he let his hands roam across her body, he let them go where they wanted; he refused to mentally stop himself from touching her in any particular place. His palms were flat against her stomach when he started to move them, upwards, and he took a breast in each hand, mentally measuring their weight as he lifted them from below. He smiled as she sighed in appreciation of his actions. He softly squeezed each perfect globe and brought his thumbs and forefingers together simultaneously on each nipple, tugging and tweaking them into hard little nubs, evidence that he had that same effect on her that she had on him.

She rolled her head, so her forehead was against his jawline, and she pressed her tits further into his grasp. "Yesss, Booth…ahhh…That feels good." She hooked her fingers around his thighs and pulled them tighter around her hips. "Squeeze them… yesss…."

And so he did… repeatedly. He squeezed and released, squeezed and released. Each time he increased the pressure against her nipples, she moaned in gratitude and pulled his thighs tight. He laid his lips against her ear, "Bones, your body feels so perfect in my hands, against my skin. You're so perfect." He once again tugged her lobe into his warm mouth, rubbing his tongue along the edge.

He lowered his right hand from her breast and caught her small disappointed whimper, but smiled when he recognized that she realized why he moved his hand. He skimmed his fingertips down her belly and barely touched the thin landing-strip of curls that shielded her sex. She inhaled sharply and bucked her hips, trying to make contact with his strong fingers. "Easy, baby, don't hurt yourself by moving too quickly. We have time…Just relax." His words reached her ears in hushed tones but she was growing impatient at his teasing.

"Touch me, Booth. Please, _touch me_." She begged through ragged breaths.

"I am touching you, sweetheart. And I'm not gonna stop." He smiled against her cheek and placed his palm against her flat stomach again, trying to stop her from jerking her body too sharply, but he never removed his other hand from the nipple that he continued to torture.

Once she had regained some semblance of control, he removed his right hand from her stomach and lowered it once again, this time, more determined, because he, too, was starting to get overworked. He cupped his hand around her core, applying pressure to her entire sex, which caused her to moan out load. He, too, groaned when he felt how hot she was and how wet for him she had become. Not bath-water-hot-and-wet…No, she was Horny-for- Sex-hot-and-wet. Her heat radiated and his fingers practically slid themselves in through her delicate folds.

"Booth…. yes, please… Please…" she pleaded with him as she tried to open her legs as much as the bathtub would allow.

"Please what, Bones? Tell me"

"Touch me, Booth."

"Bones, tell me… Tell me _specifically_ what you want. I want to know how to make you feel good."

She was breathless, "Booth, everything you do makes me feel good."

He smiled against her neck, "that's cheating, Bones. I want _you _to tell me, _exactly_, what you want me to do. I want you to tell me what you've fantasized about, how I can make some of those fantasies come true." He nipped at her neck before soothing his bite with a tender kiss. "Tell me, Bones."

"When – when you squeeze my tit…pinch it hard and… push your fingers inside me. Two of them – your ring finger and your middle finger, Booth. Deep and hard. That's one of the things I fantasize about." She held her breath, she had never before been ordered by a man to vocalize one of her fantasies. No other man even asked her about her fantasies, they all assumed she was too logical to entertain the idea of sexual fantasies. But she had plenty of them… Plenty of fantasies that starred Seeley Booth, and if Seeley Booth wanted to hear about them, dammit, she was going to tell him. "Then… then, I want you to pump your long… strong… calloused fingers in and out of my pussy – withdraw them completely before plunging back in."

While she spoke, he let his fingers dance among her folds, stopping to pinch her bundle of nerves from time to time, but never spending much time there. Swiping across her opening, but never entering, just teasing. "Mmm-hmmm… What else, Bones? What else do you want?" He encouraged her, seeing that she was getting hotter just thinking about her imaginary encounters. "Tell me, Bones," he demanded, soft, but controlling.

"Bite my neck. Not hard, just lightly. Like a nibble – scraping your teeth along my skin. And…I want you to mark me again. While you're pulling at my tit, pumping my pussy, and sucking my neck, I want you to leave no mistake that I'm yours finally. I want anyone who looks at me to know that _I am yours_, Booth." She opened her eyes at her own revelation, shocked at herself. "That is wrong on so many levels, Booth…I am no one's property, but I want to be yours…Does that make any sense?" She questioned her own fantasy, dissecting it while looking for logic, which made Booth chuckle.

"It makes perfect sense, Bones," he replied quietly and quickly, as he increased the pressure on her left nipple and he brought the requested fingers to her opening and plunged them deep, while moving to suck at the hollow of her neck, intent on making all of her fantasies come true. "You _are_ mine, Bones. And no man will _ever_ doubt that again." He spoke between sucking and nibbling. "And no woman will _ever_ wonder if I'm yours. Because there will be no room for question that you own me, Bones. And I _want_ you to own me."

She lulled her head back and lost herself in the feeling of one of her longest-running fantasies coming true. He did just as she described – pulled and tugged, almost painfully, on her nipple. A pleasurable pain, as he squeezed and kneaded, tweaked and claimed what was his. He pumped his fingers just as she asked him to, pulling out and pushing in with such force that her tits rippled from the repercussions. And his mouth... his mouth worked her neck like she never imagined.

Everything was perfect, and she felt herself building towards climax as her breaths became more ragged.

"You like this, Bones? Huh? Is this what you like?" He spoke into her ear, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear her say it.

"Yes, Booth. Yes… Hard… harder. Yes…"

"Keep telling me, Bones. Talk me through it, baby. I wanna hear your sexy voice." His own voice was harsh, thick with unspent desire; thick with lust.

"Booth. Pinch, hard…. Yessss….. pump it… yes… fuck me, Booth… Finger- fuck me harder! Faster!"

Booth about lost his own load just listening to her words. When she spoke dirty like that, it was almost his undoing, but he maintained enough control to keep focused on his task of bringing her to the brink of paradise. His partner, his lover, who had a couple of PhD's and a butt load of other shit-college qualifications, which he couldn't even begin to think of at that moment, had been reduced to begging him to fuck her… _That's fucking hot… Beg me, Bones… yeah, that's it…Beg me to make you cum… You know that I get off on hearing you talk like that…_

"I want you to cum for me, Bones. Cum all over my fingers. Imagine it's my dick fucking you hard… pounding in and out of you and I want to feel your walls milk me dry…. That's right… that's my cock inside you and I want to feel you lose control, baby. .Me."

His demands were echoing in her mind as she was climbing higher and higher towards her apex. "Yes, Booth… make me cum… fuck me, make me feel you. Make me yours, Booth… yes… yes… don't stop… pleeease don't stop… yeah, hard like that…"

He pushed further and harder up into her heat, relishing in the feeling of her inner walls starting to contract, but she still hadn't lost complete control, like he wanted her to. He pinched her tit harder, snapping her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, causing another moan to escape from her lips. "YES Booth! Hard!" She continued to thrash her hips, meeting his thrusts…

"You like it rough, huh, baby? You like me to take control of you, huh? You wanna submit to me, Bones? Tell me. Talk to me, you got quiet, there, Bones…"

"Yes, Booth. You – I want you to control this. Dominate me, Booth…" She was gasping for breath and he could tell by both her breathing and by the feeling inside that she was moments away from shattering.

His left hand released her tit and reached down between them. He unintentionally brushed against himself, causing his dick to get even harder, if that was even possible. But that wasn't his aim. He was about to do something he'd never done with another woman. As he continued to suck on her neck and plunge his right-hand fingers in and out of her heat, he slid his left hand along the crack of her ass, and paused with a fingertip at her anus, waiting to gain permission. He'd always wondered about anal play, but never really messed with it, because he was never _really_ turned on by it. But with Bones, everything about her turned him on. _Everything_.

She nodded against the side of his face, "yes, Booth, yes…" That was all the permission he needed, and he tucked the first, short digit of his middle finger into her opening, wiggling it, simultaneously rubbing her clit with the thumb of his other hand while continuing to pump in and out. The combination was overwhelming and it caused her to instantaneously splinter in his arms. She dug her fingernails into his thighs and threw her head back hard against his shoulder as she cried out his name. "Booth! OhMyGodYesBooth… Yes…. Don't stop…. Don't. Stop. Don't."

He let her ride out her orgasm, slowly and gently moving his fingers in and out of her core, having already removed his left hand from its new territory, he brought it back up to her torso, rubbing her taut stomach tenderly as he nuzzled into her neck.

"Ahh... Booth… Oh, my…" She muttered against his hair where she'd turned her head.

"I take you, you liked that?" he smiled against her skin then raised his head so he could look down at her flushed face. She looked completely and utterly spent, and self-consciously, he was a little disappointed, figuring that she wouldn't be up for another go-around for a while. Then he saw it, the glint in her eye as she raised an eyebrow and peeked at him, smiling.

"I _more_ than liked it, Booth. Oh my God…I've never…ever… been like that. That was a first for me, you know…"

"A first in which aspect, Bones?" he whispered against her cooling skin.

"Well, a lot of firsts, actually… This is the first time I've shared a bath with anyone. Therefore, it was also the first time I've had a man bring me to orgasm in a bathtub. It was the first time I've ever…_submitted_… to a man the way I just submitted to you. The first time I've ever invited a man to mark me _purposely_. And the first time a man did _that_ with his other finger." She gave him a wide, smug smile as she tried to roll over, so she was chest to chest with him. "And now, I think we have some unfinished business to attend to," she grinned as she ran her hands up his thighs, aiming for his still-raging-hard-on.

Booth growled a deep, primal grunt and grabbed her hands. With his toes, he pulled the plug in the drain, allowing the water to drain. "The water's getting cold, Bones. Time to move this party to the bed, Baby." He bent his head and captured her lips with his in a searing kiss, then pulled back slightly. "C'mon, Bones. Let's get you up." He helped her roll over again, and he stood first, grabbing a towel to wrap around his narrow hips. Then he grabbed an oversized, super-soft towel for her, and bent over to scoop her into his arms. "Is your back alright, Bones?" His concern was evident in his eyes as he saw her squint a little when she moved.

"Yeah, Booth, my back is fine. My ankle hurts a little, but that happened when I rolled over to face you. It'll be fine, I just forgot about it momentarily." She smiled up at him and kissed his neck as he cradled her in the warm towel. He moved them over to the shower and flipped on the warm water so they could rinse their bodies of the bath suds from the tub, and he dropped her towel along with his as he stepped into the streaming waterfall. He took only a few moments cleansing their bodies, as he was still in a hurry to get back out to the bed and finish what they started. He became impossibly hard when she continued to suck on his neck and pull at his ear while he tried to rinse clean. He grumbled in playful frustration as he stepped from the tiled stall and reclaimed their towels, walking out into the bedroom.

"Agent Booth, you appear to have a bit of built up sexual tension, if I'm not mistaken." Brennan eyed him coyly when he gently laid her onto the bed. She reached up and pulled the knot at his waist, where his towel hung low, barely covering his evident desire as he stood at the side of the bed. "Perhaps we can find a remedy for your _problem,_ sir…" she smiled innocently, but didn't miss the proof of the effects she had on her partner. His breath hitched and his cock became even firmer, pushing out from his body even further.

Before he knew what hit him, she sat herself up in the bed, eye level with his crotch, and threw his towel to the floor. She grabbed his throbbing member in her nimble fingers and squeezed. She hummed in approval when she saw a spot of pre-cum seep out in response to her touch, and she smoothed his fluid over the satin-skinned head.

He looked down at his beautiful partner as she sat staring wide-eyed at his aching cock, licking her lips in anticipation. He reached for her cheeks and turned her face up to look at him. "Bones, you don't have to do that, if you don't want to. I know many women don't like to do that. I don't want you to do anything that you'd rather not." He was truly concerned, because he didn't know how she felt about giving oral sex. He knew she liked receiving it – _God, he knew she loved that_… But he didn't want anything to risk making her upset, or uncomfortable.

She didn't respond, instead she just smiled and blinked seductively as she moved her mouth to envelop the tip of his pulsating sex, all the while, never lowering her eyes from his. She saw the relief in his eyes when she didn't turn away, and she knew she'd made the right decision.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, not able to continue watching her; otherwise he knew he wouldn't last long. He tangled his fingers into her damp hair, but remained careful to not push himself into her mouth; he didn't want to force anything.

She hummed while holding him all the way in her mouth, and the vibration caused by her throat almost brought him to the end, but she seemed to sense it, and she backed off. She held his hips with her palms and controlled his movements as she bobbed up and down on his hardened member. She opened her throat, so she could take in his full length and nuzzled her nose against the stiff curls that met her when he was fully submerged. She brought one of her hands around and coddled his balls, drawing from him a deep, throaty groan of appreciation.

"Oh God, Bones. Oh my God, that feels amazing. Oh, Bones…Yes, Bones…" Booth found himself chanting her name, like a mantra, while he tried to control the building tension tugging at the base of his spine. He didn't want it to end so soon, but he was losing his grip; he was about to explode inside his partner's mouth and imagining that in his mind's eye, brought him even closer.

She pulled back from her new favorite activity and let him slip from her mouth with a loud pop. She looked up at Booth's eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "Yummy," she softly said before re-establishing her connection, like a fetus feeding off an umbilical cord, she sucked hard and alternated between licking his length, from the base to the tip then back down before taking him in again. Sensing he was close to releasing, she firmly wrapped her fingers around his base, and pulled back, causing him to groan in frustration.

His eyes burned as they stared down at her, his head was spinning from the lack of blood flowing to his brain. She grabbed his hips and swung him around, so he fell to the bed, landing hard right next to her. His knees were bent so his feet remained flat on the floor, which, she knew, would provide him the leverage he was going to need. She put her mouth to his ear and spoke in breathy tones. "Someday, Booth, I am going to suck your dick until you explode in my mouth, and I will let your cum flow down my throat, coating it in a smooth, silky veneer. I will drink you completely dry, Booth, and you will lose your mind, I promise you that. You will watch me from above, while I suck you to orgasm and it will drive you wild."

He groaned in anticipation and rolled his head to stare at her. "Bones…"

"But tonight, Booth, I am not going to do that. Tonight, I am going to fuck you, and I am going to fuck you hard, Seeley Booth. You've shown me what it is to make love; to break the laws of physics. And that is amazing…But now? _Now_ we are going to fuck. I want you inside me, Booth. I want to feel you cum deep inside my body." She looked at him knowingly, "would you like that, Booth?"

He growled in a primal response as he reached for her waist, to pull her over him. She swung her leg over his hip and felt his hard-on pressed against her stomach.

"But first, _Agent Booth_, turn-about is fair play. I want to know about _your_ fantasies. I already know about your shampoo fantasy, but I'd be willing to bet that was the most mild fantasy you've had about us together, wasn't it?"

He was stunned into silence, but nodded in response.

"Good man," she replied, "now… tell me, Booth. Tell me what you imagined when you thought about us together." Her tone was demanding, just as his was when he controlled the situation in the tub. To punctuate her point, she thrust her hips against him, pressing his cock harder into her abdomen. "_Tell_ me, Booth."

"I – I used to imagine you, just like this, sitting on top, straddling me while I thrust my dick up into you, over and over. I would reach up and grab your fantastic tits, Bones, and you would let your head fall back, exposing that milky white neck to me. I would grab your hips and hold you steady while I pounded into you, and I would draw my name from your lips repeatedly. You would beg me for more, beg me not to stop. Often times I would imagine reaching my hands around to your ass, palming you; your ass fits perfectly into my hands, Bones."

"Hmmm… Nice, Booth…yesss…keep going." She ground her hips harder, rotating them against his. His words, and the way he spoke them, were making her hotter and she felt yet another pool of moisture gathering in the very spot where she so desperately wanted him to be. She was watching him as he spoke, captivated by his features as he reimagined some of his most common fantasies.

"Other times, I would take you from behind, Bones. You would be bent over the desk in your office, studying some files, and I would come up behind you and tug your skirt up to your waist and take you right there. _You always let me_ and you were _always_ ready for me. You would arch your back so your ass curved upward, and I'd tear your panties right off your body. I would dip my fingers into your hot pussy to make sure you were ready, and dammit, you always were. _Always, Bones_. I would pump my fingers in and out while I reached around and tugged at your nipple, pulling your tit out from your bra so I could get to it. Then… Just before you were ready to explode, I would pull my fingers out and lick them dry, making sure you watched me. You always got hotter watching me taste you and drink your fluid. Then I would drop my pants and take you from behind. I would _pound_ into your cunt _over and over_ until you came all over my dick, screaming my name all the while. My hands reach up and hold onto your tits as they swayed free from your blouse, and even after you orgasm, we'd keep going, because I'd want you to cum again before I empty my load into your pussy. I'd bring my right hand around and find your clit and start to rub it, squeeze it, pull it. While I am fucking you, right over your desk, you'd come apart a second time at my fingers rubbing your clit. By that time, you're begging me to cum… you're begging me to fill you with my juice and I can't hold out, so I'd comply with your demands and fill you to the hilt. I'd go deep, letting my ball bounce off your outer lips as I pound into you, over and over, Bones. And I empty myself. I cum harder than ever before. You'd make me cum more violently than I ever thought possible."

She watched in pure fascination, as Booth's forehead became covered in a sheen of sweat, just from a recount of his fantasy. His jaw was clenched, giving his amazing face an even more-chiseled look than normal. His breathing was labored and his fingers clawed at the flesh at her hips and upper thighs.

"Booth… Holt shit, Booth… That's sexy, that's hot. I think I am going to enjoy acting out your fantasies. If the rest are that fantastic…wow… I want you to act on _all_ of them…" She grunted as she shifted her body and impaled herself on his alert dick, drawing a deep, primal moan from deep in his chest.

"Bones. ChristAlmightyBones… Yessss…" he gripped her thighs as she straddled him and he began thrusting up into her, hard and firm. "Fuck, woman, you're going to kill me…"

She met him, thrust for thrust as she swiveled her hips against him. She lowered herself so she was chest to chest and she could speak into his ear. "When my back is healed, Booth, I want you to do that… I want you to take me from behind while I am bent over my desk. I want to you watch as your dick disappears in and out of my pussy. I want you to claim me. I know you like being the alpha, and I will let you do that, but remember, sometimes I am going to take you…" She felt his sudden intake of breath. "Sometimes I am going to control this, you know. I am going to be in charge of the when and how; I will tell you yes or no… I will be the alpha, Booth, accept it. I will fuck you just as often as I let you fuck me…"

"Yes, Bones…. Yea…" Hell, she could order him to sign over all his assets to her, agree to let her drive everywhere for a year and get him to give up watching hockey, and at that moment, while he was buried deep within her soft walls, he would have agreed. "Anything you want, Bones. I will give you anything, everything. I want that, I want you to take control, Bones. You own me, I told you before, baby. I'm yours to do with as you please." He reached up and grabbed her tits as she sat back, angling her pelvis over his, bringing on a glorious sensation. "Just…Fuck, Bones! Fuuuck…I'm cumming, Baby…" He couldn't hold out any longer. He had wanted to bring her to climax once more, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching that climax, she was doing amazing things to his body, and he tumbled over the edge before he could stop.

Much to his delight, however, he felt her following him closely. His orgasm triggered her own as she felt his warmth spread through her abdomen. "Booooth…" she moaned his name as she rode out the waves that were washing over her body, rotating her hips gently, relishing the feeling of his softening penis still buried deep.

She collapsed against his chest as he kissed her temple, her cheek, her hair. He couldn't get enough of kissing her. She felt amazing laying on him, her legs still straddling his now-still hips. He gently caressed her skin, rubbing her thighs, hips, waist. "Bones… Bones…"

"Hmmm? You OK, Booth?"

"What the hell _was_ that? What in the hell just happened between us, Bones?"

"Was it not satisfying for you, Booth?" she looked disappointed, wondering if she'd taken their little fantasy game too far.

"Oh, hell no, it was _very_ satisfying. It was fucking unbelievable, Bones. JesusHChrist… I've never cum so hard in my life, Baby…" He looked down at her, mesmerized by her eyes. "It was amazing... You were amazing…" He reached up and stroked her cheek, pausing to admire her healthy glow. "You're beautiful, Bones. You're beautiful and I love you. Not just for the sex, but you need to know, .You. I don't ever want you to forget that; through all the fantasies and all the dominance play, I love you and I would never expect anything from you that you didn't like. I want you to remember that, Bones." He kissed her tenderly, and was touched to hear her hum of enjoyment as their lips met.

"Don't worry, Booth. If I didn't want you to do something, I'd kick your ass. But there's not much that you could do that I wouldn't want. I trust you completely, Booth, and I know you would never do anything to hurt me." She touched his stubbly chin with her fingertip, "I love you too, you know. I do." She took a breath and started to speak, "I – um…" but she stopped herself.

"What Bones? What is it?"

"Well, I was just going to say… _yes_. I was going to say, that if you still meant what you asked earlier, then yes, I would like to be with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I think I would like cohabitating with you, Booth… That is, if you were serious, and if the offer still stands." She, once again, felt that familiar uncertainty creep up on her.

He immediately put her at ease, by swooping down and claiming her mouth as his. He demanded entrance, and she granted it, tangling her tongue with his. Their kiss was deep, emotion-filled and intimate. He pulled back slowly, tugging her lower lip between his as he did so. "Bones, I wouldn't have offered if I planned on retracting that offer. Of course I still want you with me. I want us to be together always, and we'll work out the details, Baby, but for tonight, I just want to hold you."

She hummed her agreement and snuggled her head onto his shoulder.

"Hold on, hold on, Bones…. We can't fall asleep like this, Baby. I gotta lay back on the bed, not half on and half off like I am…" he laughed at her frown _and yet another pout_ as she disagreed with the idea of having to dislodge herself from his hips. "C'mon lazy-bones… scoot." He lifted her hips, and supported her weight with ease as he shimmied his way up the sheets, bringing her with him. Once he found an acceptable position, he let her nuzzle back against him and he wrapped his strong arm around her, holding her securely at his side.

He kissed the top of her head, inhaling her fresh scent. "Thank you, Bones."

She looked at him in question.

"Thank you for saying yes… you've made me the happiest man in the world. The woman I love loves me back and we're gunna live together." He sighed a satisfied hum and pressed his nose to her hair and he felt her sinking into him. "I love you, Bones."

"Good night, Booth. I love you, too."

And, even if just for that night, they were able to forget about the agent posted outside his doorway; the two agents staked out in front of his building; the computers at the lab running tests on the particulates found within his sanctuary, and they simply loved each other, more intimately than ever before.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, did you like the fantasy-driven sex? Did you hate it? Like I said in my intro A/N, it wasn't my original intent for this chapter, but it just turned out that way. **

**Please click the link below, the one that says 'review', and leave me a message with your thoughts! Please don't read and run! It's really important and helpful for FF writers to get feedback! It not only gives us insight to a readers' point of view, but it fuels our inner-Muses and inspires us to continue writing! Please take a few minutes and leave a comment! THANK YOU! **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N Welcome back! Wow! I think this is a record for posting 2 chapters so close together! Well, in all fairness, I had most of this one written when my Muse decided to take that trip in the gutter for chapter 38, so it was just a matter of editing a bit, proofing a bit and getting it downloaded! I hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer – nope, nothing has changed. HH still owns Bones, not me. Although I heard that he likes my story line… NOT! LOLOLOL A girl can dream, can't she? **

They awoke with a start as Booth's phone rang loud, and they both groaned in disagreement to being disturbed. Booth fumbled, reaching for his phone from the nightstand, but did not release his grasp on the very warm and cuddly Bones in his arms. Eyeing his alarm clock and he groaned at the hour – 5:50 am. Booth answered the call with an angry greeting, "Booth!"

"Agent Booth! We need you to come down to the Hoover today, what time can you be here?" It was Hacker, his annoying voice immediately made Booth's hackles raise.

"Why? What do you need?" Booth was in no mood to report to work today, he had his son with him, still, and he didn't want to drag Bones out again; not after the fiasco at the office the day before. Cullen had already told him that they would not be expecting him to report for normal working hours until Bones was back to work; he was to be on call and available for the current case, in which they were currently directly involved.

"Agent Booth, you are to report for a meeting at Director Cullen's office at 7:00am. Agent James Trumball has brought forth some concerns that need to be addressed. Actually, I would suggest you bring along your _Partner_ for this meeting, as the results of this discussion will have a straight impact on your professional involvement with her." Hacker paused, knowing that he had Booth's attention at the vague threat to their partnership. "One hour, Booth. Don't be late." With that, Hacker ended the call, leaving a slightly stunned Booth holding his phone in silence.

Brennan blinked up at her best friend, "what is it, Booth? Did they find something at the lab?"

"No, Bones. Not yet. We have a meeting to get to, at Cullen's office. But first, I need to call Caroline. We're going to need her help. _Urgently_." He started dialing the prosecutor's number, and prepared himself for the reprimand he would surely suffer, for calling her so early… He was not disappointed.

"This had better be good, Cher. I haven't had my coffee yet, and I am in no mood for chit-chat. So, either someone's dead, dying, arrested or otherwise incapacitated… or you're calling me with a wedding invitation to your long-overdue wedding to your lady-parter, Cher… and I might interject here, that it's about damn time you sent blondie packing and got your head outta your ass. Now, which is it?"

Booth chuckled lightly, "Good morning to you, too, Caroline. I am fine, thank you for asking."

"I didn't ask Cher, because right now, I don't care. Unless, of course, you're in trouble. You in trouble?"

"No, not yet, Caroline." Booth took a deep breath and pulled Brennan closer to him. "Listen. We need your help."

"We who? 'We' you and your other FBI agents or 'we' you and your squints or 'we' you and your lady-partner?"

"_We_, me and Bones." He waited while he heard her grumble lightly.

"This best be good, Cherie, if it's not, I will never trust you again, Agent Booth…"

"Caroline, please. We really _do_ need your help. Me and Bones, well, we, uh, moved to the next level, Caroline."

Once again, he was forced to wait while she spoke, but this time, it was happy grumbles. "Well, Seeley Booth, like I said, it's about time you pulled your head outta your ass. You two've been dancing this asinine waltz for too many years. Now, you tell me what you need, Cher. For you two, I am ready and willing."

"Thanks, Caroline. Listen, Cullen knows, Sweets knows and the squints know. But no one else can know until we find a loophole in the policy that will allow us to be together, and still remain partners. Neither one of us will work with anyone else. But, people are going to have it out for us, because the policy currently states that partners can't be involved in intrapersonal relationships. Specifically, Assistant Director Hacker already has a target painted on my back. Cullen told me to keep this on the down-low until we got your help."

"Cher – couldn't this wait til later today? Why're you calling me at the ass-crack of dawn for this? Not that I don't want to help you two love-birds be together, but it's not even 6:00 yet!"

"Because, Caroline. We've been ordered to a meeting at Cullen's office at 7:00 this morning. I just got the call from Hacker, and the purpose for the meeting is, I am sure, to address the suspicion that Bones and I are now involved. Another agent went to Hacker and filed a complaint."

"Now, why would another agent complain about you two, Agent Booth?"

"Well, I, uh, might have threatened him for some comments he made, and for paying a bit too much attention to Bones, and I might have threatened that if he didn't leave my place that an accident might happen to him…"

"Oh, Cher… You didn't…." Caroline's tone was that of a mother reprimanding a naughty child. "_Tell_ me that you didn't."

"Uhh… I'd be lying if I told you I didn't, Caroline." He glanced down at Bones as she looked up at him in disbelief. He hadn't told her about his interaction with Jim and he knew she'd be pissed at his alpha-display, but he didn't really care, and he didn't regret his moves. "I, uh, might have also thrown him off the case because I out-rank him…" He cringed at the uproar screaming at him over the phone line.

"What is _**wrong**_ with you, boy? Didn't your mama teach you nothin'? Did you have to pull rank on this guy too? After all that, did you_ have_ to pull rank, Cher?"

"Can you help us Caroline? Can you help us find a loophole? Please?" A worry line creased his forehead, but he chuckled as Bones stretched her neck and called into the phone. "Please help us, Ms. Julian! I will reprimand Booth on his behavior, as this is the first I've heard about his little tantrum, but we need your help so we can stay together. You don't want to lose your best producing team, do you?"

Booth raised his eyebrow at his suddenly feisty partner and chuckled when he heard Caroline's reaction, "Well, well, well… I see you've taught your partner how to leverage her indispensability, Seeley." She huffed and was quiet for a few moments. "OK, listen to me. Of course I will help you two, and believe me, you will owe me for this. _Really_ owe me, big boy… But in the meantime, you need to go to that meeting and you need to be Partners. Best Friends. Very close co-workers. Anything but what you really are… you hear me, Cher?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Good. Now go to your meeting. Profess your celibacy from each other; you're nothin' but partners who watch out for each other, you hear? Overly-protective-partners, Cher. I'll do some homework and be in touch. But don't screw up this meeting. You might have Cullen on your side, but having Hacker and another Agent in on that meeting, the details will be recorded, and observations will become relevant if it goes any further than Cullen's office. You two keep your paws to yourselves and your longing looks of lust to the privacy of your home. You got that?"

"Yes, Caroline. Thank you. We'll wait to hear from you." Booth ended the call and sheepishly looked down at the angry eyes that were staring back at him. He tried to flash her a smile, which she instantly put an end to by pointing her finger in his face.

"You…You went all Neanderthal on another Agent? On that Agent that you introduced me to? The same one to whom you pointed out 'our bedroom'? What exactly did you do, Booth? Tell me now, or so help me, by the power of your fictional God, you will be sorry, Booth."

"Bones, God is not fictional." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't change the subject." She was curt and frowned at him.

"Bones. He insulted you. _Really _insulted you. Threatened to make a move on you, threatened our partnership, taunted me with rumors he'd heard and, I repeat, _insulted you_. I couldn't just stand there and let him do that. I couldn't let him say what he was saying and _not_ defend you. I did what any good _boyfriend _would do. I did what any good _partner _would do... I did what _**I **_needed to do. And I'm not going to apologize for it, Bones."

"Booth, I don't need protecting from insults. I don't need protecting from rumors. I am not a damsel in distress that wants to be rescued by the knight in white fortification."

"Armor, Bones. Knight in white armor."

She smacked his chest then pinched his bicep. "_Don't_ correct me when I'm yelling at you, Booth! The point I was trying to make, before you so rudely interrupted me, is that you don't have the _right_ to make threats on _my_ behalf. I can defend _myself_, Booth! If I wanted to get someone thrown off a case, I can do that on my own. A couple of phone calls and _I_ can do anything _you_ can do. You know that, don't you? I have just as much power in this partnership as you do. I am _not_ the weaker partner!" She was emphasizing her point by pushing her bony pointer finger into the center of his chest, repeatedly. She was angry at him and she wanted him to know it.

"Bones, I never said you were the weaker partner." He grabbed her hand, and tucked her pointy little finger into his palm. He held her hand to his chest, tightly. "I would never think that. _Never_. And I _know_ how much you can do – _you_ can probably do more than I can. Hell, your security clearance is higher and _you_ actually _are_ indispensable, where _I,_ on the other hand, am highly _dispensable_. I can be so easily replaced that it makes my head hurt, Bones. But you? You're the best at what you do; the FBI would do anything to keep you happy, as long as it didn't blatantly break the already existing by- laws and policies. But when someone insults you, when someone says things like _he_ said, I can't help it, Bones. I get so _pissed_ because people like him don't know you. People like Jim don't have a right to pass judgment. I did what I did because I felt the need to not just defend you, as my partner, my love, but to defend your _reputation_ against being tarnished by the other people that were around to hear what he was saying. It's like a gossip-factory over there at the bureau, it only takes a little spark and it'll become a full-blaze forest fire of rumors, Bones. And I wasn't going to have that. Not for you and not for me, dammit."

Brennan wrinkled her forehead, "Booth, you are not easily replaced." Suddenly, her voice was soft and her eyes concerned as she rolled herself almost completely onto his chest, so she could look at him closer. "You shouldn't see yourself as easily dispensable. It's not true, Booth. It would be impossible to replace you; you're highly trained, extremely successful, dedicated to your work and country, and _very_ smart. You read the general public better than anyone I know, which has led to your many achievements. You have the highest close rate of any other agent with the FBI, Booth, do you _really _think that you would be so easily replaced?" Her inquiry and concern were genuine.

"Yes, Bones. I would be. _We _have the highest close rate. _**We**_ do. I would not have that success if it wasn't for you. _You_ are the reason I am successful. You and your team of squints. If the FBI wanted to, they could _easily _assign another agent to liaise with the Jeffersonian, and the close rate would likely be just as high; because of how smart _you and your team are_. _I_ am highly replaceable, Bones. But you are not. You're the smart one, you're the one who provides the answers, Bones. And if the FBI does replace me… if they do pull me as your partner…I don't want the new agent, whoever it turns out to be, coming into the partnership having heard lies about you. I don't want other agents to think the lies are true. If people think poorly about me, I don't really care, as far as rumors go. But, for you, I want better. I don't want people to talk about you, Bones, I want them to respect you. You _deserve_ the upmost respect for the job you do. You're too important to me. So whether you like it or not, I did what I did because I love you. And I will not stop, so you're gunna have to get used to it. I will not stand by quietly while assholes like Trumball spew lies."

She was slightly stunned at his confession. She was shocked at the way his cocky bravado melted away when he discussed his success. He was showing her a vulnerable side that she'd never seen before, and it scared her a little bit. _He thinks that __I__ am the reason for his success? He thinks he's not smart. No, that's not right… Don't just think about it, TELL HIM!_ "Booth…I am not the reason that you're as successful as you are. _Together_ we are a team. And the team? Is _**our**_ team, not _my_ team. The lab…it's been _our _team of squints for years now. _We_ are the team that closes the most cases. We do it _together_ – there is nothing one-sided about it, Booth. You don't give yourself enough credit; you are _so smart_, Booth, you just choose to use your intelligence in a different method than the rest of us." She withdrew her hand from his, and smiled sadly as he flinched at her movement. "Booth," she slowly and gently brought her palm to his stubbly cheek. "I won't work with any other agent. If they pull you as my partner, then they will lose the cooperation of the Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal lab."

"Bones, technically, that's not your call. It's Cam's. It's the board's. But your sentiment is sweet; thank you." He smiled at her suddenly calmed attitude, and seeing she was so much calmer, he brought his fingertips up to her hair, stroking it softly.

"Well, I have a very powerful influence on their decision, Booth. And… If my _persuasions _are not effective, then I would simply quit, and they would not have me. If _they_ want the best, and as you pointed out, _I am the best_, then they need to provide _me_ with the best. I will not work with inferior Agents. I will only work with the best. You, Special Agent Seeley J. Booth, are the best. Therefore, I expect to continue working with you." She smiled smugly, proud of her deduction and stance on the matter. Then she softened her eyes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Booth. I never looked at the situation in the way that you described. I'm sorry that my personality is one that causes so many rumors. I must be an embarrassment to you, and for that, I am also sorry." Her cheeks blushed and she lowered her face to his chest.

"Bones, you're _not _an embarrassment. I am proud that you stand true and faithful to your beliefs. I am proud to call you my partner. I am proud to call you my best friend. And when we can do so in public, I will proudly call you my girlfriend…Or whatever title you like. But I will make no bones about letting people know that we're in love and that they better watch what they say."

"_Make no bones_, Booth? I don't know that that means…"

He chuckled at her trademark phrase. "It means… It means that I will make it _apparent_ to people that we're in love. I can't wait to be able to go public with our relationship, Bones." He bent his head and pecked her lips lightly. "I love you, Bones. I'm sorry I made you mad, it wasn't my intent."

"It's OK, Booth. Now I understand why you did what you did." She nuzzled into the hollow of his neck and enjoyed his scent. It was his very Boothy smell, intermingled with the evident scent of the love they shared the previous night. "MMmmm… You smell good, Booth."

He chuckled; the vibration reverberated through his chest and into hers, much to her enjoyment. He kissed her temple and spoke, "Bones, we need to get up. We need to get to the Hoover by 7:00. We need to face Hacker and his little stooge, Trumball."

She nodded and grunted. "OK. Then what are we going to do?"

He shrugged a bit. "I don't know, Baby. What do you want to do?"

"Well, maybe we could stop by Julien's and I can get my hair cut? Then, maybe we can go to the lab and see how the rest of the tests are going…Hopefully they will have some results by then…" Her question was expectant. She wanted to get some resolution on this case. She wanted to find out who orchestrated her kidnapping and torture. She wanted to find out who invaded her privacy with Booth. She wanted to know who threatened her family.

"Aww, Bones. Less than a week away from the lab and you miss it already, don't you? No, you just want to get rid of me, is that it? You're sick of me already and you want to go back to work…" he teased her, good naturedly.

"No, that's not it, Booth. I just want to know who did this to us." She defended her request vehemently.

"I know, Baby. I know. I'm just teasing you." He smiled and threw the covers off them.

"Oh," she smiled. "Well then, yes, I am sick and exhausted of you… Now, let's go defend our partnership, figure out how we can be together both professionally and personally, and then find a criminal, shall we?"

"Yes, we shall, Bones. That we shall. Oh, and it's 'sick and tired,' not 'sick and exhausted,' Babe." Once more he laughed gently at his partner, as she tried to learn common slang phrases. He'd never get tired of helping her learn, and he'd never get tired of hearing her mess them up. He found it to be adorable, but he'd never tell her such.

B/B/B/B

It wasn't easy getting Parker up so early, but they managed to get him moving and down to the SUV, where he promptly fell back to sleep, grumbling that he shouldn't have to get up so early when he didn't have to go to school. Then he mumbled something about cruel and unusual punishment, causing Booth to laugh out loud at his overly dramatic son.

The ride to the Hoover was basically non-eventful. A small traffic tie-up delayed them about 10 minutes, but other than that, it was smooth sailing.

Booth pushed Bones in her wheelchair, through the lobby and past the security guards, with Parker in tow. They took the elevators up to Cullen's floor and escorted Parker into the conference room where he'd spent a large portion of his time the previous day. They watched as he flopped down on the couch, face first, and Booth placed his back pack on the floor beside him. "Parks, don't leave this room, OK? We'll be in Mr. Cullen's office; you will be able to see us through the glass. If you need something, call out to Mrs. Wembley, OK?"

"Hmm-mm." Parker nodded against the cushion as his muffled response reached his Dad's ears.

"OK, be good. Your bag's down here."

"Thanks Dad. Thanks Bones." When speaking to Bones, Parker actually raised his head and smiled.

"Yeah, I see where I stand…" Booth teased. "I barely get an acknowledgement, and Bones here gets a full blown smile of appreciation, complete with twinkling eyes. Thanks a lot, kiddo." He ruffled Parker's hair as he retreated, pulling Bones' chair out with him.

"Love you, Dad!" Parker's voice carried through reception and Mrs. Wembley laughed.

"What's he making up for, Agent Booth? Boys don't just yell out to their dads in public like that…"

"Ohhh, he's trying to make up for being an eleven-year-old boy who has a thing for blue eyes."

Booth laughed as Bones rolled said baby-blues. "Booth. He doesn't have a thing for blue eyes… It's just a novelty that we're spending so much time together… It's new to him."

"Nope, he's got a thing, I'm tellin' ya. He's just like his old man." Booth winked before approaching Cullen's door and knocking lightly. "Ready for this_, Partner_?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, Agent Booth. Let's do this and get it done." She looked nervous as they entered the office. She hated being pushed in the wheelchair, but they had decided it was definitely the better way to go, if they're trying to maintain the image that they share strictly a platonic Partnership. She took a deep breath and sat up as straight as her back allowed, holding her head high, ready for the impending confrontation.

"Enter!" Cullen's voice was gruff and irritated, causing Booth to groan internally as he pushed their way through the door.

Rising from his chair, Cullen came around the desk and greeted Brennan, "Temperance, how are you feeling?" He was more at ease once he realized it was the pair, versus Hacker.

"Good morning, Sam. I am doing remarkably well, all things considered. I still have discomfort in my feet and ankle, but my back is doing better. Booth said my wounds look really good," she smiled at the Deputy Director as he listened carefully.

Booth watched her as she spoke and interjected, "but we'll just leave that last part _out_ of the conversation, Bones. No one needs to know that I'm the one looking over your back, huh?"

"Oh, right," she mentally chastised herself for slipping into the now-comfortable relationship role.

Cullen turned to Booth, "Good morning, Booth." He extended his hand to his favorite Agent. "Looks like you're doing a fine job at helping your partner, here, get better. I'm glad to see it." He smiled, knowingly, but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, he turned and walked back around to the back of his desk and sat. "So, why are you two here? What's the purpose of this meeting? I thought I told you to stay home until there was a break."

Booth and Brennan looked at each other, then back to Cullen. It was Booth that spoke. "You don't know, sir? We didn't call this meeting; I received a call from Hacker this morning at 5:50 ordering us to be here for this meeting. We thought you called it."

"No, I received a call, as well, from Hacker, stating that there was something important that needed to be addressed and that you two would be here at 7:00."

Booth nodded slowly, mentally calculating how much he should tell Cullen, coming to the decision that he should tell all, to cover their asses. "Well, I have an idea, sir, but don't know for sure."

Cullen looked at him expectantly, waiting for the explanation.

Booth took a deep breath, locked eyes with Brennan, who silently agreed with him that Cullen should know the whole story. He turned to his boss and began, "well, Sir, I had a little run in yesterday, with one of our own Agents. The head of Forensics, Agent James Trumball." Before Booth could continue, Cullen interrupted with a groan of frustration.

"Christ, not Trumball… He's such a pain in my ass. Booth, why'd you have to go get into something with him? Tell me what happened."

Booth told Cullen about the confrontation; the insults (about which he was vague, he hadn't yet told Bones exactly what was said); the slight roughing up; the fact that he'd pulled Trumball off the case by pulling his rank. Cullen listened carefully and glanced at his watch, noting that Hacker and Trumball were 10 minutes late already.

He looked up to Booth, then to Dr. Brennan, and back to Booth. "Alright, you two. When they finally get here, let them do the talking, whatever case they want to bring up, whatever accusations, I need you both to remain calm. I need you both to claim nothing more than partnership. You got that?"

"Yes sir, that's what Caroline advised us as well. She's working on finding that loophole that you and I discussed yesterday."

"Good. If anyone will find it, it will be her. Now, listen here – I" his sentence was cut off by a loud knock at the door. He put on a stern face and yelled, "Get in here!"

Hacker pulled open the door and entered, with Agent James Trumball following closely. "Good morning, sir." He turned his eyes to the two people already seated opposite his boss. "Booth," he nodded in acknowledgement. "Temperance. How are you feeling? Oh my God, you're in a wheelchair! See? If you'd gone to the hospital when I suggested, when we had the ambulance right there for you, you might not be in this predicament, Tempe!" Hacker started to rush to her side until he saw the disdainful stare he was receiving from her. "Tempe? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Don't call me Tempe or Temperance. You can address me as Dr. Brennan, Assistant Director Hacker. Address me as you would any other contracted employee. And my care has been better by _not_ taking your ambulance, Assistant Director. My team of experts has done a superb job at helping my healing process." She turned to face Cullen once more, her face stoic and unrevealing of the real tension she was experiencing.

"Temperance, please don't be like - " Hacker made a move to go closer to the woman in the wheelchair when Cullen interrupted loudly and abruptly.

"You're late. I am a busy man, Hacker, and you just wasted my time, not to mention Dr. Brennan's and Agent Booth's time as well. Now, what's the meaning of this meeting? I just learned that it was not Agent Booth who called this meeting, as you led me to believe this morning on your _very early_ phone call to my _home_…"

Hacker was clearly uncomfortable and began to speak, but was cut off again by his boss.

"And you'd better have a damn good reason_, __**damn**__ good reason_, for this meeting. I gave specific instructions that Booth was to remain home, helping his partner recuperate until there was a break in the case. If, by insisting that they come in for some mundane reason, you've caused an upset to her healing process, I will _not_ be a happy man. I need my best team back on top of their game as soon as possible, Hacker. So make this good and make it quick!"

Cullen's rampage was just what Hacker was afraid of. He hated when the Deputy Director was in a foul mood, it was hard to compromise with him at those times. "Sir, I assure you, this meeting is necessary." He nodded, glanced at Trumball, then moved his glare to Booth before looking back at Cullen. "Sir, Agent Booth here, made a threat to one of our own Agents – Agent James Trumball, from the Forensics Department; Booth overstepped his boundaries by dismissing Agent Trumball from working the case at hand; he manhandled Agent Trumball in a threatening manner; and it has come to my attention that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan are, _in fact_, involved in a personal relationship with each other, although they know it is in violation of FBI policies. I might also add that Booth was insubordinate to me while in Maryland, directly disobeying an order I gave. I don't believe you gave me the attention I deserve when filing his grievance before, so I wish to make it official." Hacker nodded in self-satisfaction at getting all of that out, without stuttering with nerves.

Cullen turned to Booth and questioned him, "Agent Booth, is any of this true?" Cullen met Booth's stare knowingly.

"Most of it is, sir, yes. All except for the part about Bones and me being in a relationship with each other. The rest, though, all _completely_ true, sir." Booth was open and honest about the other occurrences, and skirted around the relationship issue. "I did, in fact disregard the Assistant Director's orders when I was in Maryland to find Bones. I had found her and I knew we were running out of time. Hacker directed me to stand down until his team could arrive. By that time, it would have been too late, my partner could have been killed, and I wasn't willing to let that happen, sir. I explained this all to you before, Sir, and nothing has changed. As for the other allegations," Booth turned a hard stare at the men sitting to his left, "I would like to give me side of the story, sir, but would like to hear the official accusations _first_."

Cullen turned to Trumball, "Talk, Agent."

"Well, sir, as you are likely aware, our forensics team was ordered to go to Agent Booth's home and sweep it for bug, taps, any devices that could be used against him."

Cullen cut him off gruffly, "Of course I'm aware, Trumball. _I'm_ the one who ordered you to go there!"

"Uh, yes sir. Yes. Well, I was just wanting to make sure you recalled this situation, so I could explain the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

"No need to remind me, Trumball, I am not senile. It was only yesterday. Now, I am a very busy man, and I want this meeting over quickly, so I suggest you cut with the shit and get down to the issue."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Well, uh, Agent Booth came home while my team was still working and he came in, I might add, carrying his partner in a very, intimate, manner, sir. Not the way a 'partner' would carry the other. More like the way a man would carry his _lover_. He was angry that we were still there, and wanted us to hurry up, because Dr. Brennan was apparently tired and wanted to rest. Apparently is it exhausting work being carried around all day long…" Trumball glared over at Booth, certain that he had the upper hand in this conversation. He missed the death-stare he was receiving from Brennan. "Booth and I, we go back to our days at the Academy, and we were catching up, after he took Dr. Brennan into what he dubbed as 'their room', so she could rest. So we were joking around, you know, guy stuff, and then he went all crazy on me and shoved me against the wall, threatening me and shit, that if we didn't find something that he was going to take control of the case. He is a control freak, sir, he always has been, probably always will be." He met Cullen's eyes and a shiver ran down his back, it didn't look like Cullen was buying his story. He had to do better. "Anyway, sir. When I told him that he should be a little more accepting of his brothers-in-arms, who were working to find the guilty party, rather than being so devoted to a contracted 'partner', he went ape-shit, threw me against the wall, I have witnesses, sir, then threatened that if I didn't leave his apartment that I could have an 'accident.' He threatened a fellow agent, sir! Then he decided that he was going to be all mr-big-shot and pull me from the case completely, just because he outranks me. He insulted my team, saying they are not as good as the Jeffersonian scientists." He smiled smugly at Booth, _I got you now, you sonofabitch_, he thought to himself_. Assault a fellow Agent, will you?_ Then he turned back to Cullen, with an afterthought, "Oh, and his kid, that little snot, when Agent Booth was putting Dr. Brennan to 'bed', his kid was indicating that they were a couple. He told me that he'd been around 'Bones', as he called her, since he was a little kid, and that he and his Dad don't like it when men stare at her. I'm telling you, sir, it was creepy. I think his son needs therapy or something." Booth glared at Trumball and if looks could kill, as they say, the man to his immediate right would be stone cold dead.

Cullen turned to Booth and Brennan. "Is this how it played out, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan?"

Booth turned his hateful stare from Trumball, to Hacker then to Cullen, which is when he resumed his serious face. "Sir, a very small portion of that is true, very small portion." He looked sideways at Trumball. "First of all, yes, I was carrying Bones, as you saw yesterday. We did not have a wheelchair at that time, and besides, she would not have been able to sit upright in one anyway. As it is, she is in a great deal of discomfort sitting up now. She needs to be lying down on her side, to alleviate the pressure on her back, sir. But, I digress…I did in fact come home with my partner and my son, to find the FBI forensics team still working. I did, in fact, attend the Academy with Trumball. But there was no guy-stuff or catching-up happening at my apartment," he turned his blackened eyes towards James. "Was there, Jim?" Trumball remained silent, waiting for Booth to continue.

"I did take Dr. Brennan to my room so she could lay down. She was exhausted, and it had _nothing_ to do with being carried around all day… It had to do with the fact that she was just recently kidnapped and tortured and has yet to be able to get through a night without her subconscious remembering those events, causing her to wake up, almost hourly, dealing with the after effects of torture, reliving every minute over and over again. I have firsthand experience at dealing with those types of traumatic nightmares, and I can tell you, that even being Army trained to deal with torture, it is hell. I can only imagine how difficult it is for a civilian who's never been through the training. So, I did, _in fact_, take her to _my_ room to lie down. My son joined her, I told him to watch TV quietly, while I dealt with the fiasco going on in my living room. Agent Trumball decided to start insulting my partner, recounting rumors that he'd heard around the water-cooler, about both myself and Dr. Brennan. At first I didn't say anything, I bit my tongue, but at one particular phrase, he had pushed me far enough, and yes, I slammed him against the wall and told him that if he ever made a move for my partner, if he ever spread rumors about my partner that he would regret it. I told him to get out of my house and that I was pulling him from the case. I _have_ the authority to do so. When he was hesitant to leave, I told him that if he didn't leave, there could be an accident. I never indicated what kind of accident, but my full intentions were to throw him down the two flights of stairs leading to my floor. And I wouldn't have regretted on moment of it." Booth was completely indifferent in his expression, concise and thorough in his explanations. "And I, _too,_ have witnesses to recount how it all went down, sir." He added this last sentence as an afterthought, realizing how many of Trumball's own men congratulated Booth on putting Jim in his place.

Cullen looked down at his folded hands, where they rested on his desk. He was about to speak when a quiet voice broke the silence that hung over the office. "What were the rumors?"

All eyes turned to Dr. Brennan. She looked from Booth to Trumball and back to Booth. "Booth, what were the rumors?" Her voice was tiny, hurt.

"Bones…" he spoke equally as quiet, wanting so much to reach out to her, but not daring, because he knew the electricity they shared. He hoped his eyes would convey his love, instead. "Bones, what the rumors were is not important. What's important is that they not be blown out of proportion."

"What the rumors were, Booth, is important to me. I want to know what people are saying about me. I have the right to know, Booth. I have the right…" Her voice, her tone, was breaking his heart. This was what he was afraid of. He didn't want to make her deal with this right now and he hated Hacker and Trumball for making her go through this.

"Bones, please…"

"Agent Trumball, what were the rumors you heard about me?" Her voice was growing stronger, and her look defiant when she didn't get the answers she wanted from her partner.

"Umm, well, Dr. B, I don't know if-"

"It's Dr. Brennan to you, not Dr. B. You have hardly earned the right to call me by anything other than my professional name." She interrupted with a no-nonsense tone.

"Temperance, please," Hacker tried to interject.

"Assistant Director, if you call me Temperance once more, I will file an official grievance against you. I have asked you repeatedly not to call me by my first name, but you seem to think that it's OK to continue doing so. You have no right in this conversation, as you were not present at the time that the said rumors were exchanged between Agent Trumball and my partner. So, your input is irrelevant, therefore, ass out, Hacker."

Booth leaned over, "Butt-out, not ass-out, Bones."

"Oh, thank you, Booth." she lowered her head towards him, then looked back to Hacker, "Butt out." She then settled her gaze back on Trumball. "What were the rumors, Agent? What were the rumors that were so terrible that my partner felt the need to defend me? I would imagine they are pretty bad, because he tolerates a lot before losing his temper. And if he was prepared to throw you down two flights of stairs, believe me, I know that's serious."

Trumball shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Looking from Booth to Brennan to Cullen and back to Brennan. "Um, Dr. Brennan. You don't really want to know. It was just guy-talk. You know, when guys sit around shooting the shit, they say things that are not always true, and sometimes, it can get out of hand. That's all. I have been made perfectly aware, that the rumors are not true. Agent Booth assured me that they were not true." Trumball nervously, twitched his knee up and down at the confrontation that he didn't expect. He still wasn't completely sure the rumors were false, but he really hated the idea of speaking them aloud to the subject around which they revolved.

"Booth?" She looked at his expecting an answer, and he knew that she would not let it go until she got one.

He turned to Trumball, "Well, _you_ wanted this meeting, what did you expect? Tell the woman what you heard about her…" He hated that Bones was going to hear it, because he knew that she would take the words hard. But he did enjoy watching this agent that he couldn't stand, sitting there sweating about it.

Trumball stalled and Cullen started to feel bad for the guy. He turned to Brennan, "Dr. Brennan, is it absolutely necessary for the rumors to be repeated? We can deal with the situation without dealing with the specific, hurtful words." He hoped to calm the woman who was clearly starting to get upset.

She ignored Cullen and kept her stare at Trumball. "Agent Trumball, you turkey-shit, tell me what you heard. Or don't you have the aluminum ones to repeat the very lies you would spread, when speaking to the woman they're about?"

Once again, Booth leaned over, "Bones, it's chicken-shit and brass ones, not turkey-shit and aluminum ones." And once again, she looked at him in appreciation, "Oh, right, thanks," she whispered in return.

"OK, so Agent Trumball, I've just been corrected, you are in fact a _chicken_-shit and do not have the _brass_ ones to tell me the truth." She sat, staring at him with an unwavering stare, waiting. Cullen rubbed his hand down his face and ordered Trumball to talk; he wanted this meeting over.

"Umm… Well, I heard that you were not a good partner, that you were not a caring person. And Booth, here, got all pissed off about it."

Booth snorted, but kept is eyes lowered. Bones looked at Trumball, "You are lying Agent. Booth would not get that violently upset at such a mild rumor. There's more, now tell me, damn you, or I swear, when I get out of this chair, I will find you and I will break every bone in your body."

Booth leaned over towards his nemesis. "She'll do it, man, don't tempt her. She knows bones and she knows how to break them, dude."

Trumball stared at Booth, "you bastard. You're enjoying this…"

Booth stared hard and clenched his teeth as he leaned close to Trumball, speaking quietly and dangerously, "No, asshole. I'm not. I'm _not _enjoying that fact that you're going to tell my partner about the shit that you've heard, because that is going to hurt her. It's going to hit her right here," he banged on his own chest, "and then she's going to believe that's what people really think about her. I'll be the one, you asshole, trying to talk her back down from the ledge, not you. So, no, I am not enjoying this, you sick _fuck_, but I'm telling you right now, you better answer her questions, because if you don't she will carry through on her promise."

Jim looked at Brennan once more. "OK, this is what I heard, this is not what I said to anyone. Well, I didn't say it to anyone except to Booth, and that was only because I was telling him what I heard."

"Oh yeah?" she looked at him coldly. "You said it to Booth, in front of how many of your guys, who will go back and say it to how many of their guys? Isn't that how rumors work? Isn't it? Now what the hell did you say? I have a right to know what people are saying about me!" Her voice was rising and she felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. She noticed Hacker start to rise, looking like he was going to approach her. "Hacker, if you make one move towards me, I will break your arm." She turned back to Trumball once she saw Hacker resettle into his seat. She could feel Booth's worried eyes on her, but she couldn't look at him. She knew that if she looked at him, she would crumble, and give in to him, agreeing to not listen to what Trumball had to say. But at this point, she needed to know. She needed to know why her best friend could have potentially gotten himself fired over her. "dammit, tell me!"

"OK! OK! I heard that you are a cold-hearted ice-bitch who's great in the sack - '_A fantastic fuck'. _Happy now?"

She sat staring, bewildered. She didn't expect _that._ She expected the cold part, but not the fuck-part. She was used to being called Cold. _That,_ she could handle. But this...? There was only one place that kind of comment would come from. Sully. He used to tease her about how people thought she was cold and distant, but that he knew the _real Temperance Brennan_; the hot one; the one who couldn't get enough sex when they were together.

She heard her blood flooding her ears and felt the tears falling before she realized she was crying. Booth was kneeling by her side, holding her hand, asking her to look at him. She could feel him tugging her tightly gripped fingers, but she couldn't move. She couldn't will her eyes to meet his. _What must he think of me? He must think terribly of me. Oh God, Booth isn't going to want to be with me anymore. Not after this… He must hate me. I truly am damaged goods. He won't want to stay with me now, it'll hurt his reputation to be with someone like me. I am going to be his downfall, and I love him too much for that to happen. We can't be together…I just learned to openly love and now I am going to lose that…I am going to lose him… _She couldn't stop the flow of tears from escaping from beneath her eyelids. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop them.

Suddenly, not knowing how it happened, she was sitting sideways across his lap as he cradled her against his chest. He was talking, but she couldn't hear him…couldn't understand him. All she could hear were the sobs coming from her chest and the pounding flows in her eardrums. But his arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight and rocking her. And suddenly, they were the only people left in the office. It was just the two of them, the sounds of crying mixed with the soft words of a man trying to console a woman. _He's just trying to make me feel better… he's going to eventually leave me…I'm going to lose him…and I can't blame him! He's a celebrated Agent, he can't be mixed up with me! He will leave me like everyone else leaves me…_ Bones couldn't stop the fear. She started babbling, incoherently even to herself.

She felt his palm against her face, trying to direct her eyes to meet his. But she didn't want to face him. She was so ashamed. She was so stupid all those years ago, to get mixed up with Sully. He used her, claimed to love her, asked her to leave with him and apparently spread rumors about her when she wouldn't go with him. _There's no one else who would be able to talk about how I act in bed… Unless… Unless Booth? Would Booth say those things? What? No, of course not… would he? He said he loves me…Would he be playing with me? Out to hurt me for some unknown reason? What? Wait a minute, of course not. Booth wouldn't do that. I know Booth. Booth does love me. He wants to be with me always. He told me so, just last night! He wouldn't spread lies…Not my Booth._

"Booooth…." She sobbed deeply, finally turning her head to the crook of his neck. "Booooooth…."

"Shh… Bones. They're not true. They're rumors, vicious lies told and retold by jealous people, Baby... Lies. That's not who you are, sweetheart, you can't listen to them, Bones." He rocked her in his seat and stroked one hand gently up and down her back and the other one, he gently weaved through her hair. "Shh… Shh… It's OK, Bones. They're not true, baby. You and I know the truth. The people who truly count in this world - they know the truth. And you're not that person they're talking about. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, baby. You have a big heart, a brilliant mind, a giving soul, baby. You're not that person, Bones."

He continued to console her through her tears, holding her firm against, him, not caring who was watching. He knew that Cullen had ushered Hacker and Trumball out of the office as soon as Bones started crying, but he didn't know if they were watching or listening from behind where they sat. He didn't give a rat's ass. "I love you, Bones. You know I love you. I love you so much, Baby. Don't listen to them. They're hurtful, hateful people. That's all they are, Baby. That's it."

Finally, she spoke again, sobbing less, but still going. "Booth, I'm so sorry. I'm going to hurt your reputation. I can't be with you! You can't be with me, it'll ruin you! Booth… I love you too much to let you mess up your career for me…for us. I'll – I'll go home today. I'll get Ange to come pick me up and take me home. I can't let you hurt yourself anymore, Booth. I can't…"

"Bones, that's nonsense. You're not going anywhere today except home with me. You belong with me, you know that as well as I do. You're not ruining my career. Remember, we're the best team, right? You just lectured me about that earlier, Baby. You and me, there is no other team like us, Bones. You're not going home. Angela is not coming to take you home…We're going to get through this, and I will throw Trumball down a couple flights of stairs, Baby." He was kissing her hair, kissing her temple, kissing her cheek… Anywhere he could reach. He needed her to believe that they would be OK. He was going to kick Trumball's ass for saying it so harshly. He could have softened it a bit, not used the language. The bastard. He'll get his…

He cupped her face in his hands and he kissed her tear-stained cheeks, whispering his love for her between each kiss. When her tears subsided a bit, he pulled back and looked deep into her crystal blue/green eyes. They were greener today than normal, he noticed. Her emotions just wracked her frail body, and eyes were proof that she was deeply affected.

"Bones, listen to me." He waited until she was actually looking _into_ his eyes, not just _at_ his eyes. "Bones, baby, no one is going to separate us. Piss poor rumors are not going to be the end of us, we're stronger than that. We've survived much worse, we can get through this. I know those words hurt you, they hurt me too, and that's why I went nuts. But we are _not_ going to let those words come between us, do you understand me?"

"But, Booth…You're a popular Agent. You could lose your ranking if you associate with me." The tears started again.

Booth's heart broke, once again, at his partner's vulnerability. She compartmentalized so well, that people that didn't know her thought she was, indeed, cold-hearted. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. She was so warm, so loving, so giving, so sweet and so dedicated to finding the truth and justice. He wanted to pummel the person who started those rumors, and he had a pretty good idea of who it was. _That bastard is lucky he's no longer around. MotherFucker… I'd beat his face to a pulp if he was_…He cradled Bones' face again, gently. "Bones. You make me the Agent that I am. I am nothing but proud to associate with you. I am _honored_ to associate with you. Anyone who thinks any less of us, due to our affiliations, they can kiss our asses, Bones. They don't know us. They certainly don't know you, Baby. I promise you. When I told you that I'd always love you, I meant that. I will always be _madly_ in love with you. I will always stand by your side and defend you. I will _never_, ever leave you. _Never, Bones_. I give you my word, and I don't break my word; _you know that_. I've never lied to you before, I certainly am not going to start today."

She met his gaze with watery eyes, but the look he was giving her was nothing but genuine. He meant what he was telling her, she could see it in his deep, soulful eyes. He really believed in them, together. _And if he believes in us, then I should, too. If Booth believes that we can get through this, why should I doubt him? He's never let me down before. I __do__ believe him. I do believe __in__ him. I do believe in __us__. I love him and he loves me. And he defended me when he heard the nasty lies. And he asked me to stay with him, forever, even after he knew about the rumors. He believes in me_…

She crashed her lips to his in a desperate need for confirmation. His response didn't let her down. He immediately opened his lips to her, nipping and tugging at her bottom lip until she granted full access. Their tongues danced across each other, sliding and dueling, professing their love within the tangle of the kiss. He held her cheeks in his large hands and she intertwined her slim fingers into his short brown, spikey hair. They pulled back only when the need to breathe overrode the need to deepen their union. They stared at one another, gasping for breath.

"I – I love you, Booth. I do. I never meant for those lies to spread, I never meant to give anyone fuel to start rumors."

"Shh… I know you didn't, Bones. I know. I love you, too. I love you, I love us. We're going to be alright, I promise." He leaned and gave her a tender kiss on her cheek before pulling back to look at her.

It was then, that she noticed that Cullen and the others had completely left the room. At first she thought it might have been her imagination, that she focused so much on Booth that she just blocked out the others. But, indeed, they'd left. She was grateful; she hated crying in front of people.

Her eyes skipped across to the glass walls separating the office from the conference room. Parker sat at the table, staring in, wearing a worried expression at seeing his Dad holding Bones. He could see she was crying, and he knew his dad was going to make her better, but it upset him, once again, to know she was so upset. He realized that something horrible had happened to Bones, emotionally, and he felt bad for her. He knew how she felt about crying and stuff, and he knew that, before she'd been kidnapped, she never would have let so many people see her cry. But, he had faith in his Dad to make Bones feel better. He said a short prayer, asking God to help his Dad, and even though Bones didn't believe, he asked God to watch over her.

"Booth," she spoke quietly, drawing his attention towards the windows.

Booth sighed, knowing he would have another emotional break-down to deal with if Parker didn't find out that they were OK. He smiled at his son and nodded his head silently. He gave the thumbs-up sign, to indicate that they were OK, and he saw that his boy understood. Relief flooded his eyes, and he saw Parker turn his attention back to the book that he'd been reading when he saw Mr. Cullen order the other 2 men out of the office. _Dad will make her better_.

B/B/B/B

"What the hell is the matter with you, Trumball? Haven't you ever heard of softening the blow? Jesus Christ!" Cullen was red faced and angry beyond seeing-stars when he ordered the men out to the reception area, shutting his office door behind them, to give Booth a little bit of privacy to calm his partner. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

Trumball rebutted, "Booth told me to tell her. Dr. Brennan told me to tell her. What the hell was I supposed to do, boss? Huh? When I tried to soften it, she knew I was lying."

"You weren't trying to soften it, you moron! That time you _were_ lying! You didn't have to say you heard she was a 'fantastic fuck'! God almighty, what's the matter with you!" Cullen paced his waiting area and noticed that Mrs. Wembley went to close the conference room door. _Ah, Christ, Parker's in there_, he remembered. _Shit shit shit… This day just keeps getting better and better_. Turning to Hacker and Trumball, he stared hard. "I want both of you out of here. This meeting is done. Trumball, you are still _**off** _the case, if I find out you're interfering in any way, you'll be suspended, without pay. I am not passing your 'grievance claim' any higher on the food chain – it stops with me, you got it?"

Trumball nodded stiffly. He knew he messed up. He told too many lies to try to cover the previous ones. It was time for him to go, so he turned and quickly left the tension-filled reception area.

Cullen turned to Hacker with fire in his eyes. "You…You I expected better from. I can't believe you would stoop so low as to try to get those two separated like that. I told you before, leave them alone. They are the number one team we have, Hacker. NUMBER ONE. Do you understand what that means? THEY are the reason you get a raise every year. THEY are the reason this district is rated the highest in the country. THEY are the reason that this office trains so many new recruits. Don't you get it, Hacker? When you've got employees like that, you leave them the fuck alone, as long as they're doing their jobs. And the last time I looked, your review was pretty fucking good, thanks to THEM. So if you want to continue earning the money that you earn, and maintaining the prestige that you have, you will back the hell off. Got it?" He was spitting, he was so angry, and Hacker was shocked at the emotion his boss was exhibiting. However, Cullen was making his point crystal clear and Hacker backed away from his infuriated boss, turning towards the elevators to make a swift exit.

Cullen turned to Mrs. Wembley and sighed in frustration. "Is Booth's son alright?"

"Yes, I believe he is. He said he can tell, from a silent sign his father sent him, that they were going to be just fine. He's reading his book and working on his homework again, sir."

"Very good. Thank you, Mrs. Wembley." Cullen turned back towards the closed door leading to his office and knocked gently.

"Yes? It's OK, sir." Booth's reply was clear.

Cullen opened the door to find Booth bent over, getting Dr. Brennan situated in her wheelchair. The mens' eyes met silently and Booth waited for further instruction.

"Booth, Temperance, this meeting is over. You are both clear to continue working together and ordered to stay home until there is a break in the case. Unless you hear from me _directly_, there will be no further meetings." His eyes softened as he looked at the woman sitting in the wheelchair, obviously embarrassed from what occurred. "Temperance, are you alright?"

She didn't raise her eyes to meet his, but she nodded. "I will be, sir. Thank you."

"Well, you keep letting this guy take good care of you, alright? He's doing a fine job of it; listen to him, dear. Trust in him, he loves you, and he won't steer you wrong." Cullen's voice was soft and caring, like a father consoling a daughter, although Cullen was not nearly old enough to be her father, she felt the goodwill he was extending towards her.

She raised her eyes. "Yes, sir. I will. I love him too, you know." She smiled as she said the words aloud.

"I know you do, Dr. Brennan. I know you do." He patted Booth on the shoulder, as he moved around his desk and Booth moved to push the wheelchair out of the office.

Booth smiled and nodded to his boss. "I'm going to go collect my son and get the hell out of here, sir. All due respect, I've had enough of being in your office over the past few days."

Cullen laughed as they started towards the door. "Oh, before you go, you should check your mail in your office. There's an important invitation waiting for you both there." He grinned at the questioning stares he was receiving from them both. Unable to hold out, he smiled widely. "You are both invited to, and expected to be at, an awards gala next month. It's in, let's see… 3 weeks. So, plenty of time to recover a bit more, work on finding a loop hole and appear as a couple, don't you think?" He nodded at them both, silently dismissing them from his office, without waiting for a reply.

Booth took the hint and turned towards the door once more. Bending over, he whispered into her ear, "If we're expected to be at an awards gala, do you think that means we're getting an award, Bones? I love prizes," he laughed and kissed the top of her head as she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Booth. Let's get Parker and leave. I've also had enough of this place for a while."

**Postscript A/N**

**Thank you for staying with me through 39 chapters! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have over 400 reviews by the time this chapter is done being read and reviewed, so PLEASE take a moment and let me know your thoughts! You've stuck with me so far, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know! I know there are some lurkers out there, who like to read and not review, so I am here, down on one knee, asking you to share your thoughts! Hopeful Grin with Raised eyebrows**

**Thank you to those of you who continually give me support. Without it, I don't think my story would have taken flight, so I owe you my gratitude for allowing me to continue telling you my tale. **

**Be well, my friends. Peace and love. ~Jazzyproz**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N Hello! Sorry it took me longer than originally planned to get this chapter up. It was a rough week and I just couldn't dedicate the time to sit and write like I wanted to. But I hope you enjoy it! **

**This chapter is very much a progress-chapter, allowing us to continue on with the story. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones or the recurring characters. I do, on occasion, have a dream that I am a writer for the show, however…. Dream on, jazzyproz, dream on….**

Once Booth and Bones collected Parker and his gear, they went to his office to check his incoming mail.

Charlie was surprised to see the family here so early, especially since they were just there the day before. "Mornin' Booth, Dr. Brennan, Parker. Long time no see, huh?"

Brennan looked at Charlie with sudden concern in her eyes, "Charlie, we just saw you yesterday. Are you having difficulties with your short term memory? If you are, that can be a sign a very of serious problem; you should really speak to your doctor about. If you don't have a good doctor, I can recommend - "

Smiling and winking to Charlie, Booth softly interrupted her diagnosis, "Bones, it's a figure of speech, most commonly used when people are greeting one another after having actually _seen_ each other recently. Sort of like sarcasm, but not the nasty sort." Booth whispered into her ear from his stance behind the wheelchair.

She looked a bit flushed, "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize it was not meant to be a serious comment, Charlie. Forgive me." She lowered her eyes as a frown appeared on her lips.

"Aww, no forgiveness needed, Dr. B! It's a common mistake with that phrase. It's really pretty a stupid thing to say, when you think about it." Charlie tried to put her at ease and smiled at the woman as she looked relieved at his dismissal. He'd always liked Dr. Brennan, since the first time that they met. Not only was she a beautiful woman, but she was as honest as the day was long. She was a perfect counterpart for his superior and people, quite frankly, always knew where they stood with her – whether you wanted to hear the truth or not, if you asked Temperance Brennan, you were going to get it. He respected her and admired her. _Now, when I reach rank of Special Agent, am I going to get a partner like her? Maybe if I stick by Booth long enough, he'll start to integrate me into his little band of Squints and I can meet my own scientist_… Charlie allowed himself that moment to day dream, but was brought back into reality almost instantaneously when he realized the good doctor was replying to his rhetorical statement.

"_Yes_, indeed it is. I don't understand why people don't just say what they mean. It's very confusing, how is anyone supposed to know what other people are saying if the phrases are counterproductive to their actual meanings?" She grumbled as she wrinkled her forehead and folded her hands in her lap.

Booth stood up straight behind her holding back his own laughter while he looked at Parker, silently warning him to cease the giggles that were about to erupt from his throat. He moved his eyes to Charlie, and spoke, "Hey, Cullen said there was an important envelope down here for me. You got something here?"

"Yup. We _all _got these envelopes delivered in our mail boxes today. There's a big to-do coming up… Guess we're _encouraged_ to be there… and we all know what that means. Be there of be on the '_s-list_' for the rest of the year." He smiled, proud of himself for remembering not to swear in front of Booth's kid, lest Booth kick his ass. He handed over Booth's envelope. While he waited for Booth to open the envelope, he asked, keeping his voice quiet, "Hey, Booth? Is it true that you _growled_ at Hacker? And again at Trumball while you were, uh, kicking his ass? Like an actual '_grrrrr_'-growl?" He was amused, but noticed that Booth wasn't even paying attention. He would definitely have to revisit this topic and see how much of the water-cooler-gossip was true…

Booth looked down at the envelope and chuckled when he saw that it was hand-addressed to 'Partners, Special Agent Seeley J. Booth & Dr. Temperance Brennan.' He handed the envelope to Bones, "Here ya go, Bones. I'll let you have the honors, looks like we're both _encouraged_ to be there."

Brennan rolled her eyes and slid open the envelope, pulling out a very high-end-expensive card stock invitation. "This is why our government has no money, Booth. They spend it all on frivolous invitations like these." She read over the invite and silently handed it up to Booth, turning her head to meet his eyes. "It's not a very normal invitation, Booth…I've never received one that felt more like an order than a request."

He took it and read it to himself, then re-read it. It was more of a letter format than an invitation and it intrigued him, to say the least. It was handwritten in calligraphy, and was personalized to the partners.

**_Dear Agent Booth & Dr. Brennan:_**

**_Your presence is requested, as Partners, at the 5__th__ Annual FBI Fund Raising Gala to be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC on Saturday, October 14. The evening events will commence at 7:00pm._**

**_This year, in addition to the Fund Raising event, which is sure to be a crowd pleaser, we are also conducting a very special Awards Ceremony, for which the press will be admitted entrance. For this reason, you are both encouraged to consider including the members of the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Laboratory Team when responding with your RSVP. Regardless of how many of your teammates are able to attend, please note that the two of you will be expected to appear at and remain present throughout the evening. _**

**_Please note that dress code for the evening is formal and table seating will be assigned, according to the number of attendees in your party. _**

**_I am personally looking forward to making both of your acquaintances that evening. I have heard so much about you both. _**

**_Sincerely, _**

**_Shawn H. Williams_**

**_Director, Federal Bureau of Investigations_**

**_United States of America_**

Booth looked down to Brennan, "Does this mean we're receiving an award, Bones? I mean, why else would they specifically request that we both be present, and invite the Squints?" He looked back to the letter, "And Jesus, this is from Shawn H. Williams! Do you realize who he is? He's Cullen's boss! The head-honcho of the FBI! He's the guy appointed to the position by the _President of the United States, _Bones_._" Booth looked back to Charlie with a raised eyebrow, when he heard the younger Agent's gasp as the mention of Williams. "What did your invitation say?"

Charlie handed his over to Booth. "Much more concise, man, and sure as hell not signed by Williams." He cringed slightly, glancing to Parker, "Sorry Booth, sure as _heck_ not signed by Williams."

Booth looked at Charlie's, much smaller, half-size piece of card stock. It was not personally addressed, it was not handwritten in fancy calligraphy, and sure enough, it was not signed by Shawn Williams. He handed the more generic invitation down to Bones to review, "Wow… Bones… I think we might be in for something special." He looked back to Charlie. "Have you heard something? What aren't you telling me?"

Charlie grinned. "I've been sworn to secrecy, Booth, but yeah, you two should definitely be there. And you will need to look nice, Booth… Monkey suit and all, man. Not just your expensive-ass grey 3-piece suit."

"What? I always look nice at events, Charlie!" Booth eyed his pseudo-assistant incredulously. "I always wear my tux to events that indicate 'formal.' But hey – if I get an invite that doesn't specify dress code, then it's their problem when I show up in my grey suit."

Brennan handed Charlie's invitation back to the young man, who was grinning from ear to ear.

She was never one to get excited about being the center of attention at galas, but this time, she felt a flutter in her abdomen at the idea of attending with Booth. Sure, they had attended dozens of events together in the past, but there was something about receiving a personalized joint invitation, hand-written by the highest official in the Bureau, and being encouraged to invite their team. Something special indeed…

"Booth?" Brennan looked up at him with big eyes, "I need to get better, Booth! I need to be able to walk. I will _not_ go to an event of this caliber in a wheelchair!" A small panic had set in as she looked down at herself. "Look, you know I hate events like this. You know how I feel about having to snob hob with donors. But if I am going to be there, I need to be out of this chair. I need people to know that I am still perfectly capable of performing my duties as your partner. I can't have people talking about us, Booth. People will think that I can't do my job. And hell, at the moment, I can't. I couldn't cover you if we were out in the field, and someone was chasing us. I'd be a hindrance, and you know it. I need to be able to walk into that Ballroom on my own two feet, Booth. There will be reporters – photographers – photos will be published, stories will be written and I need to be able to walk, Booth…" She paused for a breath, and he could tell she was going to launch into another dissertation about her condition. He had never known her to be a vain woman, but she was definitely exhibiting signs of being a normal woman, concerned with her appearance. He knew she would have nothing to worry about, regardless of her physical condition, so he cut her off.

"Bones, you'll be fine. Look at how much better your back is already, and it's not even been quite a week. _This thing_, this event, is still a little over 3 weeks away." He knelt down at the side of her chair, taking her hand in his. Charlie, sensing that this may be one of those moments they needed alone, asked Parker to follow him over to his desk so he could 'show' him something else on his new phone. Silently, Booth thanked Charlie as he watched his son walk away with his younger counterpart. He looked deep into her eyes, seeing clear concern and apprehension shining through. "Baby, even if you're not up to walking at that point, you can still attend in a chair. This is _nothing_ to be ashamed of. This situation, in which we find ourselves…This was brought on because you were _taken_ and _beaten_ and _tortured_, Bones. No one – _no one_ – would think poorly of you if you were there and not yet able to walk. No one would question your ability to be my partner. And if they did, well, then I'd be forced to kick someone's ass. There will be no questions raised by anyone, Bones, whether you walk in there or if I wheel you in there. And whatever is happening that night – whatever this big to-do turns out to be? Well, we will go in there with our heads held high, we will _**hob-nob**_, Bones, _not snob-hob_," he grinned at her when she realized what she had said, "and you will be the most beautiful woman there; the most successful woman there; and the only woman with whom I'd want to spend the evening. Of _that_, I have no doubts, Bones."

"Booth, I didn't mean to sound so…selfish, vain. Really. I just – I just have always been able to come and go as I please and now, in this," she motioned to the wheelchair in frustration, "I don't have any freedom. I can't even stand on my own and I am just…pissed…I'm just angry, Booth." She ground her teeth together, "And knowing that we have a dinner to attend, well, I just want to be able to move freely and I know I won't be able to."

He smiled at her, softly, and stroked her cheek. "Bones, you worry too much. Just take it a day at a time and we'll deal with issue as they arise." He was happy to see her acquiesce to his suggestion as she nodded, albeit reluctantly. "So, you wanna go find this stylist guy of yours and get a haircut or what?"

B/B/B/B

Bones felt 100% better once Julien had layered her locks in order to blend in the hack-job that was done by her attackers. He listened in horror as she recounted pieces of her ordeal. She didn't reveal every detail, but enough to explain her current inability to walk and the bruising that was finally beginning to fade on her cheeks. She described how Booth had rescued her and had been taking care of her since. As Julien stood behind Brennan, locking eyes with her in the mirror before them, he saw, for the first time ever, an emotion of which he didn't believe his long-time client had ever truly experienced. It was written all over her face, it was behind her normally-veiled blue eyes, it was in her voice whenever his name fell from her lips. From time to time, when Julien would drop his eyes back down to her auburn tresses, he would peripherally catch a glimpse of Tempe's eyes as they travelled to the man sitting in the waiting area, chattering away to his son. Her cheeks flushed when she recounted how her partner had stood up for her time and time again, in the face of others mocking her or lecturing her on the errors of her ways. She blissfully opened up, in a way that she had never done, about how much a part of her life Special Agent Seeley Booth had become over their years working together.

In the 45 minutes that Julien spent repairing what her abductors had done to her beautiful locks, he had learned more about her than he had in the 12 years she had been coming to him. Of course, he knew she was a famous New York Times best-selling author and the worlds most accomplished forensic anthropologist, she was never shy about these details. He knew she worked with the FBI to solve cases that were otherwise unsolvable or destined to become cold-cases. He knew her Partner's name was Booth and that he had a son. He knew that she didn't believe in love, marriage or God. But that day, in less than an hour, he saw a brand new Temperance Brennan come out of her shell, and this woman was one of the most beautiful people he had ever encountered. If Julien had been a typical man in _every_ sense of the word, he would have been head-over-heels gaga over this client; but his tastes tended to swing the other direction. But, he could completely understand why the ruggedly handsome, very-well-built Agent sitting in his waiting room was so very protective of her, and he could _definitely_ see why she would find him so appealing.

Once her hair was blown dry and styled, Julien, still standing behind her and meeting her eyes in the mirror, bent over to speak softly. "Tempe, I can't tell you have very happy I am for you, dear. You are positively glowing; you are radiant. I am so glad that you finally found love." He smiled warmly, and was met with a contented, blatantly-happy grin in return.

"Thank you, Julien. For listening and for fixing my hair." She turned slightly, to look directly at him, and spoke plainly, back to her squint-mode, as Booth would say, "Now I understand why Angela always loves coming to the salon, it's very cathartic. I apologize if I rambled, it's very out of character for me, but I find that my character has been somewhat _altered_ recently. I hope I didn't bore you." She blushed a beautiful pale scarlet, but her eyes still shone with love for the man who'd been the topic of discussion during their time together.

"Not at all, Temperance. I quite enjoyed our discussion. I am terribly sorry that you had to go through such a terrible ordeal; but I am so very _very_ happy that you and your Partner over there have finally moved past being 'just partners.' It sounds like you are good together, and I wish you all the luck in the world. Now, if I may be so bold to say…he is one _sexy _hunk of a man, Tempe; don't let that one go. Otherwise, I just might have to try to convert him over to the dark side with me, honey…" His eyes twinkled when he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, drawing a round of deep laughter from her chest.

"Oh, Good luck with that one, Jule! I am not letting him slip through my phalanges!"

He stood tall and laughed along with her, "I think it's 'slip through my _fingers_,' Dr. Brennan, not phalanges. It rolls off the tongue easier…" He removed the robe covering her in protection against errant flying hairs, and spun her chair back around so she could face her FBI-man. "OK, big-man, your lovely lady awaits her carriage," the young, flamboyant stylist motioned in an overly dramatic fashion.

Both Booth boys turned to look at Bones and Parker immediately jumped up and ran to her side, "Wow, Bones, you look really pretty. Doesn't she look pretty, Dad? Mr. Julien, you are a good hair cutter, you know that?" The younger version of the strong Agent was animated and obviously approved of the new, layered style now framing her delicate features.

Booth, in stark opposition to his son's outward excitement, rose from his chair silently, his jaw gaping at the view before him. _She looks wonderful. Oh my God, she always looks beautiful, but she looks so… young, with her hair cut like that. I don't deserve a woman this gorgeous. But .God for bringing us together_… He pushed her wheelchair over to her, so they could get her out of the salon chair.

"Daaaad? Doesn't Bones look pretty?" Parker's insistent question brought him out of his revelry.

Booth's smile spread slowly as he moved closer. "Yeah, Bub… Bones looks pretty…" He replied to Parker, but never took his eyes off the love of his life. "Bones… You look more than pretty… I mean, you always look…but with your hair like… with your bangs and… the … long waves… Wow…" He stuttered, unable to complete a coherent sentence.

Julien stood proudly by his client, "Well, we aim to please, there, Agent Hunka-Hunka-Burnin'-Love…" Then he bent down to whisper to Brennan, "I think he approves, Tempe. We rendered him utterly speechless. I'll see you next time, honey." He giggled and backed away. "You take care of her, Agent Booth. She's one of my best clients. And when you're ready for your next haircut, I hope you come see me…I do men's hair as well." He smiled impishly and turned to walk into the back room of his salon.

"Wait! Julien!" Brennan turned her head towards him, "you forgot," she was handing him her credit card, so he could charge the bill.

"Nu-uh, Honey. Not this time. This one's on the house. Flip the sign to 'Closed' when you leave, will ya? I'm starving!" He blew kisses at her and stepped out of sight, giving the little group time to leave, and giving him the chance to grab a quick bite to eat before taking his next scheduled appointment.

B/B/B/B

As they drove towards the Jeffersonian, Booth stole peeks at his partner peripherally. She smiled, because she knew he was looking, and it pleased her to know that he liked the new style. It was completely different to anything she had before, the bangs were wispy, and Julien had cut the length of her layers inward, so they would frame her face. He thinned out the thickness, allowing for more bounce and it gave her an overall appearance much more youthful than her previous styles. Booth always thought that Bones looked younger than her actual age, but he was astonished at how much of a change a simple cut could make.

Finally, she smiled at him, and broke the silence. "Booth? You indicated, back at Julien's like you liked it, but I feel like you're sizing me down, now. Have you changed your mind? You've been very quiet."

"Sizing you _up_, Baby. I was sizing you up. And yeah, heck yeah, I like it. It looks good. I just, well, I am just surprised that someone can make such a difference with just a few swipes of the shears. I think you look amazing. He did a great job at hiding what happened, you know?" Booth smiled at her as he pulled to a stop in his parking space. "Are you happy with it, Bones? That's all that really matters; it doesn't matter what I think, just what you think."

"Yes, I like it. Julien has always done a nice job with my hair. When he saw what happened, he asked if it was alright for him to take off more than he normally would, and I told him that I thought it was the best possible solution, in order to blend it. I basically gave him creative license and I am quite satisfied with the results." She met his warm eyes and her stomach fluttered. _I must try to get a handle on these uneasy feelings in my abdomen! Every time he smiles at me, I get them. I have to talk to Angela about controlling these emotions. But the way he's looking at me…wow… I really like it when he looks at me like that... _She mentally shook her head, frustrated with herself for getting lost in such romantic revelry. _I'm not a teenager… I am a grown woman…A woman who has had multiple relationships, although none quite like this…BUT, I should not get dizzy and giddy at just a glance… HOW does he do this to me!_ "But, Booth? It does matter what you think… It matters to me. And I'm glad you like it." She smiled sweetly at him, pleasantly pleased that his smile widened when she assured him of the importance of his opinion.

"Excuse me! Are you guys gunna sit there all day making googley eyes at each other, or are we gunna go into the lab so I can look at Dr. Jack's bugs?" The irritated voice from the back seat spoke up, with impatient eleven-year-old-frustration seeping into his words.

The adults laughed as their trance was broken. Smiling, Booth called over his shoulder, "What are you talking about, Parks? We're having a very important conversation here, not making 'googely eyes', as you so gently put it!"

"Yeah, right. You guys stopped talking, like, _**hours**_ ago, and have just been sitting there staring at each other… C'moooonn… Can't we go into the lab yet?" Parker's melodramatic actions once again brought a round of laughter from the occupants in the front seat.

"Yeah, yeah… We're going, kiddo. Impatient much, Parks?" Booth joked as he opened his door, and then turned to Bones, "be right back, I'll get your chair, Babe."

B/B/B/B

As the three entered the lab, Parker immediately took off, jogging over to Hodgins' office. "Hey Dr. Jack! Got any new bugs that I can check out?" Excitement entered his voice when he spotted a new snake terrarium. "Awww… DUDE! You got a new python!"

Booth grumbled as he pushed Bones towards the creepy office stock full of critters and crawly-things that he wished his son didn't like so much. "Oh great, Bones. Just what I need… My kid's gonna turn into a bug-man. It wasn't enough to just turn him into a squint, was it? Now you people have to make him a squint who gets into bugs and shit… literally!"

She giggled from her seated position as he edged them into Hodgins' office, listening as the conversation continued between her colleague and her Partner's son.

"Yeah, little-man. She's an albino Burmese python. I called her Marigold. Whatcha think – wanna hold her?" He turned to see Booth shaking his head emphatically 'NO' as he and Brennan entered the room. "Hey Booth. Hey Dr. B, howya feeling? You look great!" He smiled, happy to see two of his favorite people, finally back in the lab. Granted it had only been a few days without Dr. Brennan in the lab, but, since she had always been a permanent fixture there, it was quite disturbing when she was _not_ there.

"I'm doing well, thank you Hodgins," Brennan replied at the same time that Booth spoke; he however, skipped the niceties. "Hodgins. No… Parker does _not _want to hold the snake. No need for that kind of foolishness. Snakes aren't pets… snakes shouldn't be played with." He shook his head slowly, as he caught his son's stature shift, preparing to balk at his Dad's reluctance to let him handle the pale yellow snake. "I said no, Parks. No discussion." Parker nodded in acceptance. He didn't like it, but he accepted his Dad's final say; he wouldn't argue with him about it. Parker Booth learned long ago that his Dad was a fair man, whose actions and directives were never without purpose, so somewhere, deep inside, he knew that his Dad denied him this request because his Dad truly cared about his well-being.

"SWEETIE!" Angela's squeal echoed through the cavernous walls of the lab. "Sweetie! You're here! I missed you!" She scooped down and hugged her best friend where she sat.

Laughing, Brennan hugged her back, "Angela, we just saw each other last night! Remember? You were at Booth's with Cam? You brought me the chair!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Sweetie. It's the point that you're here. It's just not the same when you're not here. I have missed you!" Angela's toothy smile turned up to Booth and her voice dropped seductively. "Hello Agent Studly. Nice, as always, to see you, too." She smiled and raised her eyebrows playfully.

"Hello Ange." Booth shook his head in defeat. "You know, I really wish you wouldn't call me that when my kid's in the room…"

As if on cue, Parker's head peeked around from behind his Dad's large frame. "Hi Angela! I LOVE Dr. Jack's new snake! Don't you?" His boyish excitement was shining bright as he turned his gaze back towards the new resident's home.

"Ugh – No, I do _not_, Parker. I hate it. That's why it is _here_, and not at home, where Little Jack, here, thought he would be housing it…" She rolled her eyes at her husband, who looked mockingly hurt at her slight insult.

"Aw, Babe, Marigold is a 'her' not an 'it', and you'd grow to love her, I know it! See how pretty she is? Look at those eyes…"

"Forget it, Jack… It's never going to happen."

Booth stooped down to Bones, "It seems this is not a new discussion…Something tells me it's been going on for a while, huh?"

Bones said nothing in reply, but laughed at the scene playing out in front of her.

After a few moments more of friendly interactions, Bones turned up to Booth with questioning eyes. She wanted to know if they had found anything out about the tests, but she was suddenly reluctant to interrupt the joviality of Jack educating Parker on the various species and varieties of insects he kept in his private lab. Recognizing the look in her eyes, he nodded and moved towards the two 'boys'. He stood behind Parker and grasped his shoulders, "Hey Parks. Why don't you head over to Bones' office and work on some of your homework. Your teachers emailed to my home email address. So log on, see what you have to do, and try to get a head start, ok? We have to talk to the squints for a bit, then we'll be over." He ruffled Parker's hair as the boy turned to go.

Parker stalled for just another moment, "Dr. Jack? Can I help you feed Marigold today?"

"Well, Parker, she's already eaten, but the next time you're coming over, I'll try to see about letting you give me a hand, OK?" Hodgins smiled as Parker agreed to the terms.

Booth's son turned to leave the office and stooped to give Bones a kiss on the cheek. She regarded him with questioning eyes. "What was that for, Parker? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Bones. I just – well, Dad tells you that he loves you, like _all_ the time, but I can't remember if I ever actually said it. I can't recall if I told you that, I love you, too. And I'm glad we're a family again. I missed you." He smiled and continued walking towards her office, not even noticing the astonished faces on the adults he left in his wake.

Angela's quite squeal was muffled behind her hand. "Oh, Bren, that was so sweet. That little boy, oh my God, that was just… Wow… He _is_ a mini-Booth, isn't he?"

Bones locked eyes with Booth, wondering where Parker had gotten the urge to say that, but she was very happy about it. And to her, it looked like Booth was happy also. Booth had always dreaded the idea of finding a life-partner to whom Parker would not relate. He worried that whoever he settled down with would not accept his son as a permanent fixture in their lives. However, when he took that extra step with Temperance Brennan, all those worries melted away, and he knew that the two most important people in his life would be just fine. He knew that if, God forbid, anything ever happened to him or to Rebecca, Parker would still have another parental figure, even if Bones never married him. Rebecca was a great Mom, and she'd done a wonderful job raising Parker. Booth liked to think that he, too, was a great parent who influenced the balanced boy that just walked out of the room. But with Bones in the picture, permanently in the picture, he knew that if there was anything that he could believe in, he could believe that Parker would be well cared for if he and Rebecca were torn from his life. Selfishly, Booth thanked God that he and Bones were finally on this path, because he knew that the rest of his family would be safe, no matter what.

He smiled at her reassuringly, "That was all him, Bones. I didn't prompt it, I didn't suggest it… That was all his doing, baby." He crossed the distance between them and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as he glanced out to see his son now sitting comfortably at his partner's desk, waiting for the email to come to life. He turned back to Hodgins and Angela, and he knew instantly, from the looks on their respective faces, that they had discovered to whom the mystery hair follicles belonged.

"Alright, guys, whatcha got for us?" He remained at Bones' side and was surprised that she reached out grasp his hand. It's not that he minded the contact, but he was not expecting her to initiate the contact when in the workplace. It was not a bad-surprised, but instead a very happy, content-surprise that he experienced.

"Well, G-Man, you have some work ahead of you. Don't know how this happened, don't know how she escaped, don't know how she gained access to your place…that's gonna be your job to figure out, man…" Hodgins stalled momentarily, looking to his wife for moral support. "We got a hit on the other hair samples we found. They belong to one Julie Coyle."

Instantly, Bones' grip on her partner's hand tightened and she visibly flinched at the name. "Julie Coyle… As in Julie Coyle from _Burtonsville_? The same Julie Coyle that was my former classmate? The one we locked up a few years back for killing another classmate of ours?"

Angela squatted down in front of her friend. "Yes, Sweetie. I'm sorry." She reached for Brennan's other hand and held it gently.

Booth looked from his distraught girlfriend to Hodgins. "Are you certain? I mean, absolutely sure? She – She should still be locked up. She was convicted of murder, she should be behind bars. What the hell…" His train of thought was interrupted when his cell phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he glanced at the caller ID, clenched his jaw tight and chose 'Ignore', replacing it into his suit jacket. He looked back down to Bones, and mindlessly rubbed little circles across the back of her hand as he held it gently. "We'll figure it out, Bones. We'll figure it out."

She looked up to him and the tears in her eyes pulled on his heartstrings. "Booth – she was a classmate. She knew me growing up. Yes, she called me terrible names, but I never – I never would have thought she could do those things to me." Suddenly, her baby blues became ice-cold and hard. "We have work to do, Booth. She threatened not only me, but you as well. And Parker. How does she even know about Parker? She referenced Parker in her letter. How does she know, Booth!" She was clearly distraught and Booth could see he was going to have his hands full that night, trying to get her to remain calm and let him focus on the investigation portion of the case that now involved Bones at a much deeper level.

Booth looked to Hodgins, "Hey, man, get as much information over to Charlie as you can. Anything you found regarding the hair, any other bits that you managed to pull out of your magic machine over there. Anything about the bugs. Get it all over to Charlie, asap." Hodgins nodded in agreement and turned to his computer.

Booth picked up his phone. "Charlie, listen. Dr. Hodgins is forwarding you everything he has processed so far from my place. The details of his finding are conclusive. I need you to coordinate with Shaw and gather as much information on Julie Coyle. You can go back into my past case files and you'll find information about her; she and Bones were former high school classmates." He listened for a moment. "Yeah, that's the same chick that we locked up. Find out as much as you can and have it on my desk in the morning. I won't be back to the office today, but I'll be in tomorrow." After a few more moments of listening, "Yeah, that's it. Thanks, Charlie."

He turned to Bones and squatted down, gently touching her shoulder to bring her attention to him. "Bones? Baby, we're going home. Charlie's going to do all the preliminary gathering for us and get with Shaw. We'll start working on it in the morning. It's been a stressful day already, and it's time we go home." He didn't allow room for her to argue, he didn't even allow time for her to think about what he was saying. He nodded to Angela to back away from where she knelt as he pulled the wheelchair out from Hodgins' office. "PARKER!" His bellow carried across the lab with authority. "Come on, it's time to go. Now."

Parker closed the laptop immediately, and shouldered his backpack as he rushed out to meet his Dad and Bones. "Something wrong? Am I in trouble?" He worried when he saw how pale Bones was, and the stress lines on his dad's forehead, which he hadn't seen for a few days, had all reappeared.

"No, Parks. You're not in trouble, but we have to go now. Let's move." He turned abruptly and walked towards the elevators to take them down to the parking garage, pushing Bones in front of him and being trailed by his son.

The ride home was quiet.

Parker didn't talk because he felt the uncomfortable tension between his Dad and Bones.

Booth was silent, mentally working through scenarios of how Julie could have caused so much mayhem. Somehow the woman had managed to gain access to his apartment and invade his family's privacy. Julie had been involved with Bones' kidnapping and subsequent beatings, and he intended to exact his revenge on this woman.

Bones didn't speak because she was lost in thought about the fact that a former classmate, someone with whom she had actually spent time studying, even if it was all for the benefit of Julie alone; someone who'd been so cruel to her in high school, instigating their other classmates to call Brennan names like Morticia, Creepy Tempe, Wednesday and other monikers that brought nothing but grief to Brennan's daily life. But this… This crime of which Brennan was now the victim – it was caused by that same woman. Of course Julie _was _a cruel person; after all she murdered another classmate, Evelyn, just because Evelyn married the man Julie thought she deserved. _But, why? What did I do to deserve the treatment they subjected me to? I kept to myself in school. I never bothered anyone. I was a good student. Hell, I didn't even think of her once we graduated, not until the reunion. And she really only interacted at the reunion, complete with an undercover story, because they were investigating a murder. Julie was a criminal. Julie committed a heinous crime and in the end, she deserved her conviction. She got what she deserved. _Suddenly, Bones blurted out, interrupting the silence in the SUV as Booth pulled into his parking space. "Booth, she got what _she_ deserved. What did _I_ do to deserve this?" The confusion, fear, vulnerability, anger and horror played across her face, behind her eyes and echoed in her voice. "Why, Booth? Why did she do this to me? _Why?_"

Booth put the truck in park and turned to look at his best friend. His partner. His girlfriend. He reached to stroke her cheek, and softly replied to her questions. "Baby, I don't know. I'm sorry, but we'll figure it out. We _will_ figure this out, _together_, Bones. I promise." He could read her starting to mentally pull away. He knew what she was thinking. He knew she was blaming herself for pulling him and Parker into the situation; it was written all over her pale features. He had to reassure her that she couldn't blame herself like that, but he wanted to get them all up into the apartment. "C'mon, Bones. Let's talk upstairs, Baby. Not here." His eyes implored her to understand. He didn't want this conversation playing out in the SUV, in front of his kid, under the watchful eyes of the two FBI agents currently staking out his street, and possibly in front of the spying view of Julie Coyle. "Let's go in, and we'll talk, Babe."

He turned to exit the driver's seat when his phone rang. Pulling it out from his pocket, he once again frowned at the caller ID and ignored the call, replacing it back into his pocket. He looked to Bones and asked her to sit tight while he brought around her chair. But she noticed the strain in his eyes. It's the same strain he got when he ignored a call in Hodgins' office.

"Booth?" she reached out to touch his arm, hoping he'd tell her who kept calling.

"Not now, Bones. I want to go upstairs." He pulled his arm away and spoke through clenched teeth; his words were short and low, verbally warning her against pushing the topic, even though he didn't say the words specifically. She simply nodded and busied herself with gathering her bag from her feet and instructing Parker to make sure he had everything he needed to bring upstairs.

When Booth made his appearance at her side, she kept her eyes lowered, hesitant to upset the man who'd been so wonderful to her…the man who made her fall in love with him and now the same man she feared losing by pushing something too far. She bit her tongue and stifled the tears that threatened to spill from behind her eyes. _Dammit_, she thought to herself. _I need to talk to Sweets… No, better yet, I need to talk to Gordon Gordon…these emotions are not normal!_ She continued mentally admonishing herself as Booth silently scooped her from the passenger seat and lowered her into her wheelchair.

The elevator ride up was almost as silent as the ride home was. As the bell announced their arrival to his floor, Parker stepped aside for his Dad to poke his head out, scoping out the hallway, just to be sure. Booth was relieved to see Duke sitting where he expected him to be. Booth didn't want to interrupt Duke's phone conversation, so simply nodded at him as they made their way into their home.

Booth turned to Parker and asked him to go continue to work on his homework, but to let him review it before emailing it back to his teachers for grading. He then focused all his attention on the love of his life. He scooped her out of the chair and held her close as he moved to sit on the couch. She was still silent and refusing to meet his eyes with her own, so he knew she was upset at his reaction to her attempts to communicate, combined with the stress of finding out about her assailant.

"Bones…Look at me." He willed her to look up, but she did not. She sat sideways, allowing him to hold her close, but her chin remained resting on her chest. He leaned forward and placed his lips against her ear, "Please Bones. Please let me see your eyes, Baby. I need to look into your eyes."

At his softened words and indirect plead, she slowly raised her blues to meet his darkened intense eyes.

He met her gaze with warmth and love. He sat there for several minutes, just looking, getting lost, in the depths that made up Temperance Brennan. "Thank you," he whispered as he leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips against hers for just a moment, then rested their foreheads together. "Thank you, Bones." When he took a deep breath, his senses were assaulted with her smell. _God, I'll never get enough of that smell_… "Bones. You didn't do anything wrong, I'm sorry I snapped." He pulled back so he could once again look at her. "But, listen to me, I can tell what's running around in that genius mind of yours. But, none of this was your fault, Bones. None of it. Julie, for whatever twisted purpose, did this, and none of it was your doing."

"Booth, she was _my_ classmate. She was after _me!_ We crossed that line, Booth…that line was in place for a reason, and now we've crossed it…If I didn't go to school with her, then she wouldn't know you and-"

He cut her off, recognizing the near hysteria and metaphorical walls starting to go back up. "Bullshit, Bones. None of this has to do with school. This has to do with the fact that we caught her ass and locked her up after she went psycho on your other classmate – Evelyn, right? Yeah, well, listen to me. We would have gotten that case, even if it wasn't your class reunion. You realize that, right? That case would have fallen to us no matter what, because it's what we do. None of this is your fault, Bones, so don't try to lock me out. Don't pull back now. Together we will get to the bottom of whatever is going on, and we will catch her again. We're the best at what we do, and we're going to do that."

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Why did you get mad at me?"

He was confused, not following her train of thought. "What? I'm not mad at you, Bones. Why would you think that?"

"First at Hodgins' office, you got a call and ignored it, but I saw you glance at me out the side of your eyes. Then in the car, you got another call that you ignored, and again you just looked at me, but refused to talk. You pulled your arm out from under my touch. You clenched your jaw, Booth. You do that when you're upset and mad. So I just want to know what I did to make you mad."

His heart opened to her. "Oh, Baby. I'm not mad at you. You haven't done anything, Bones. It's not you that made me upset, Babe." He pulled her close to his chest, holding her hips tight with his left arm and allowing his right hand to caress up and down her thighs, as she sat across his lap. "Bones, the calls-"

As if on cue, his cell phone rang again, cutting him off mid-sentence. He pulled it out and glared at the caller ID, preparing to ignore it again. However, Bones had other ideas; she grabbed the phone from his grasp and looked at it herself. Hannah Burley's name and face stared back at her as it flashed across the phone's screen.

Her eyes bored into his. "What does she want, Booth? Why does she keep calling you? Well, I am guessing it was her calling you earlier and you just didn't want to answer with me in the room, is that it? Do you want her back, Booth? Now that you know that I am a constant danger to you and Parker, you want to go back to her?"

"NO! No, Bones. Now, stop it. I don't know what she wants. Yes, it was her calling earlier too, but I didn't answer it because I didn't want to talk to her. I wasn't trying to keep anything from you, Bones. I just – I just didn't want to talk to her." He shook his head in frustration. "What the hell, Bones? You think that I don't want to be with you? Where the hell did that come from? Jesus H Christ, Bones. _I love you._ Dammit, .You. I don't want to be with her. I want to be with you _and only you_." Finally the ringing ceased and Brennan dropped the phone into his lap.

"I would like to have my chair, please Booth." She sat ram-rod straight, no longer leaning against him for support, no longer allowing herself to feel the warmth of his body against hers. "I want my chair, please Booth!" Her second demand was more insistent and he shifted to rise with her in his arms.

"Bones, c'mon. You don't need the chair here. Where do you want to go, I'll take you. You wanna lay here, fine. You wanna lie in bed, fine. Just tell me what you want."

"I want the damn chair, Booth, so I can wheel myself around _this prison_, ok! I don't want to have to depend on you for everything, dammit!"

He didn't even try to hide the hurt he felt when she yelled. The stinging of her words was worse than any bullet wound he'd ever experienced. He stood silently and moved the short distance to the chair, placing her into it gently. He was baffled at this sudden shift in her mood, and he knew he had to give her space. In order to do that, though, he had to leave; and he hated to leave them alone here. But it was either that or run the risk of losing her completely as she shut herself off even more.

He spoke softly, letting his fingers barely touch the tips of her soft curls. "I never meant for you to feel like you were in prison, Bones. I only wanted you to feel at home. I wanted you to feel that my home is your home and anything in it is yours. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough for you." He didn't wait for a response; he just turned on his heel and stalked from the room, grabbing his jacket and car keys as he walked through the entryway.

As he stormed out the door, he didn't hear her cry. He didn't hear her call for him to come back. He didn't hear her apologize. He didn't hear her tell him she loved him. He didn't hear anything except for the anger rushing through his head in the form of flooded blood vessels filling his ears. He asked Duke to be sure no one, NO ONE, entered the apartment. Not even the friends he'd given clearance to previously. His long strides took him down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator.

As he approached his SUV, his phone started ringing again. With a growl of frustration, he grabbed it and confirmed what he suspected. "What the fuck to you want, Hannah? Why do you keep calling me? Leave me a goddamn message if you have something to say for fuck's sake!" he screamed into the mouthpiece as he sat himself in the driver's seat of the SUV.

"_Seeley, I have information that you probably need. I've been trying to get to you, but no one will let me see you. Can we meet? Alone?"_

"I'm on my way; make sure you have your speech ready, Hannah, because you have exactly 10 minutes of my time. No more." He ended the call and turned in the direction of her new-found apartment, prepping himself for a metaphorical battle.

**Post-script A/N**

**So…. There you have it. The conclusion of chapter 40! **

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	41. Chapter 41

**A/N Welcome back! You all amaze me and make me feel wonderful with your reviews and words of encouragement! Sorry this chapter took a while to post, I was fighting against work all week and it dampened my creative spells. But… Finally here it is… drum roll please…. Chapter 41! Lol**

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Bones… sad isn't it?**

Booth was about 2 minutes from Hannah's apartment, his hands gripping the steering wheel with such force that his knuckles had turned white, when his cell phone chirped, indicating an incoming text. He stopped at a red light and pulled his phone out to look at the message. He sighed in deep relief at what he read.

_**Bones:**__ I'm sorry Booth. Please come home. Please don't leave me. _

She didn't need to ask twice, he did an illegal U-turn in the middle of the street, flipped his siren on and sped towards home. He knew that for his Bones to send such a pleading text, for her to face her constant fear of appearing weak, that she truly needed him in that instant.

He dialed Hannah's number and she answered immediately.

"Our little meeting is gunna have to wait, Hannah. I have to be with Bones right now. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk; stop hounding me." He was curt and serious. He didn't want to discuss whatever she wanted to talk about; he had more important things to tend to – namely his relationship with his partner/best friend/girlfriend… whatever the hell she was…

"Seeley, it's really important."

"Yeah, so's this. I'll call you when it's convenient." He disconnected the call and pocketed his phone, setting his mind to the more important journey of discussions he was about to embark on. He knew he couldn't deny Bones anything. He knew she was frustrated with her limited mobility – hell he would be too, if he were in that situation. He knew that it wasn't right for him to walk out – leaving her to figure it all out on her own. But dammit, she made him so mad sometimes. And he knew it wasn't leaving her there to deal with Parker and his inevitable questions, either. His son was sure to have noticed the argument and the subsequent exit he'd made.

He was just plain wrong in leaving, and deep down, he knew it. But knowing that didn't make going back and apologizing any easier. But she'd broken down first. She texted him – she reached out first. There was a time when hell would have frozen over before Temperance Brennan admitted to being wrong, even when she clearly knew she was. But she had evolved. Bones had changed in so many ways… And he knew he was the reason for many of those changes_. _

Thoughts flooded his brain as he drove mindlessly_. Yes, the transformations in Bones were blatantly apparent. I just hope she doesn't hold it against me, when she finally realizes how much she's changed. I hope she doesn't wake up one day and look at me with regret behind those baby-blues, those soulfully beautiful blue eyes. I couldn't deal with losing her now…not after all this…not after having her and knowing what it's like to wake up with her in my arms. Now that I've kissed her, held her, made love to her…I'm in too deep to lose her now. So, dammit, I will do whatever it takes to make her realize that she will not feel remorse for everything that's happened between us. I will not give her a reason to doubt me, ever. I love that woman. I love Temperance Brennan more than I have ever loved anyone else in my life. I would kill for her; I would die for her; I will do everything in my power to ensure her safety and happiness. I will not let her push me away again and I refuse to let her rebuild those walls. It took me 8 Goddamn years to send those walls crumbling and like hell am I going to let that mason reconstruct them around her heart. There's no reason for her to be afraid of this journey we're on; and I intend to make sure she knows it. _

After parking his SUV, he glanced at the quickie-mart across the street and jogged over. He went to the freezer section and pulled out a pint of her favorite ice cream, paid the man at the register then ran back across to his building, indiscreetly nodding to the agents sitting guard down the block.

He nodded to Duke as he walked with a purpose towards his door.

"No one came, Booth. It's been quiet since you left." Duke looked at the stress in Booth's eyes, knowing something had occurred between the Partners, he hoped that the well-respected team would work it out.

"Thanks, Duke. Don't let anyone disturb us, please. We have some talking to do. If anyone comes, tell them that now's not a good time – whatever time they come – it will not be a good time."

"Sure thing, boss." Duke returned his attention back to the book in his lap, sensing that Booth was through talking.

Booth quietly opened the door to his apartment and laid his keys in the catch-all bowl on the hallway table. He moved into the kitchen first, to grab two spoons, and then moved to the living room where he found his Bones lying on the couch, clutching her phone in one hand and one of his t-shirts in the other. Her face was streaked with dried tears, causing his heart to clench in further guilt from his hasty exit. She met his gaze with uncertainty and spoke quietly.

"I'll call Angela to take me home in the morning. If you don't mind, I'll just stay on the couch tonight, Booth. I'll – I'll keep out of your way as much as possible." Her words were choked and his heart broke.

He closed the distance between them with 3 large strides. "Bones, baby," he squatted in front of her, placing the ice cream down on the coffee table, "you don't have to go home. I don't want you to go home." Then he remembered her feelings of his apartment. _She thinks she's in a prison_. "Umm, that is, unless you don't want to be here, Bones. But you should know that I really, _really_, want you to stay. I'm sorry I yelled and I am sorry I left. It was wrong of me, I should have stayed to talk it through, but I was just so emotional, and you were so mad…I was afraid of what I'd say if I stayed." He touched her cheek, wiping away the remnants of a fresh tear, "and I guess I was a little afraid of what I'd hear you saying, too." He lowered his eyes, in pain, in fear, in regret. "I love you, Bones. I love you with all my heart and I'd never want you to feel like you're tied down to this place. I just want you to feel safe, but not trapped. I want you to know that you're loved and welcome here. Nothing has changed since we discussed this very topic lying in bed, baby. I want you here." He met her eyes with tears of his own, "I promise not to walk out again. I won't leave you, Bones."

She reached up and gripped his fingers that rested on her cheek. "I don't want to go, Booth. But if you are having any second thoughts about us, about our arrangement, please, _please_, I need to know now. I can't stay here if there's a chance… if there's even a remote possibility that you're going to go back to her. I can't let you in anymore if – if – you still love _her_, Booth." Her tears flowed with renewed fervor, her anguish wretched his gut and he fell from his squat to his knees before her.

"Shh…Bones, no way, baby, no way - I _do not_ love her. Bones, don't cry, please don't cry. I love _you_ and only you. I don't know the details of why she's been calling me, but I just found out that she wants to meet and talk. She said she has something important that she wanted to discuss. I don't know what about, I don't know why she didn't leave messages. I just know that she asked to see me, and I _was_ going to see her to see what she wanted; I'm not going to lie and pretend I wasn't; but when I got your text, I immediately turned the truck right back around and came home. Because _you_ are my girl. _You_ are the one I love. _You_ are the one I want to be with; everyone else be damned. Bones, I want _you_, please believe me. Bones, I'm begging you, and I don't like to beg…"

His own emotion spoke to Brennan in a way she didn't recognize. New feelings stirred within her that she couldn't name, but nevertheless, she understood. She looked into his eyes and saw honesty, love and acceptance, simultaneously battling with hope and regret. She clutched his fingers tightly and let her tears roll, willing him to hold her, but not asking, afraid of appearing too weak. He heard her silent plea, though, loud and clear and he leaned in, wrapping his arms around her gently but protectively, and pulled her to his broad chest, giving her time to cry out her emotions and a warm body against which to lean.

He pressed his lips to her hair and spoke words only meant for lovers; words of endearment, words of devotion, words of promise. He felt her starting to relax, and pulled his head back to look down at her with a smile. "I bought you ice cream on my way up, Bones. 'Haagen Dazs' White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle… You wanna share with me?" His grin was contagious as she raised her eyes to his.

She nodded 'yes,' but, with a grin, said, "No. You get your own pint… that one's mine," and she reached for it, momentarily forgetting about her back, which she had hurt, slightly, moving herself onto the couch after he'd left. He didn't miss the wince when she moved and he looked down in worry.

"What's wrong, Bones? Did you pull yourself wrong?"

With a frustrated huff, she laid back down on her side with a pout. "I may have twisted a bit when I was moving about. But that's my own careless fault, Booth. I should have moved slower." She held her hand out towards the ice cream and gave him her best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

He gave her a sad smile and handed over the pint and a spoon. Grabbing his own spoon, he moved to slide onto the couch behind her head, so she could lie against his lap. "I'm sorry I left you by yourself, Bones. I won't do it again, baby." He brushed her bangs back from her forehead as she rested against his thigh. He watched her close her eyes at his touch and he sent up a prayer of strength and understanding.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a lazy smile. "Angela says ice cream fixes everything. Do you believe in that notion?"

His own smile widened. "I do if you do. I just wanted to bring something up for you, and I thought you would like that. I remember you telling Parker once, when we were at the park, that it was your favorite flavor."

"Booth that was a long time ago. That was well before I left for Maluku and you left for Afghanistan. But you remembered?"

"There are a lot of things about you, Bones that I will never forget. And whenever I learn something that I know I need to remember, like your favorite ice cream, your favorite movie, your favorite bench – I store those things away for future reference and I will whip them out as needed. Tonight was an ice cream night, so I couldn't resist buying your favorite." He reached over and scooped out some for himself, laughing as she tried to pull her pint out of his reach, but his arms were much longer than hers, so he succeeded in his endeavor. "AND, you are going to share with me, missy, otherwise I will not buy you any the next time you piss me off and I have to come back and apologize." His toothy smiled proved to her that he was not upset, and she stole his spoon from his grasp as she laughed out loud at his shocked look.

Turning slightly to look up at him, her laughter died down to a quiet chuckle then to a pleased sigh as she pushed her face into his solid abdomen, breathing him in slowly. "Thank you for coming home, Booth. It means a lot to me." She enjoyed the feeling of his right hand tangling in her hair as he ran his fingers through her silky strands, and his left hand settling low on her stomach once he reluctantly relinquished his spoon.

Booth allowed his eyes to skate over her face and neck, before settling on the oceans of blue staring up at him. "Thank you for asking me, Bones. I was afraid I'd lost you." He drew his left hand up from her tummy and danced his fingertips lightly over her cheek. "That was our first fight as a couple, Bones. Let's not have many of those, huh?"

He was happy to see she agreed and he lifted her head from his lap as he lowered his own to meet her. Gently, tentatively, their lips met while their eyes continued to gaze at one another. He pulled back, kissed her nose then her forehead before settling his own forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I really am. I shouldn't jump to conclusions; it's something that Angela is always lecturing me about. I never jump to assumptions in my work with the deceased, but I inevitably jump the rifle when it comes to those living around me. Forgive me?" Her eyes were hopeful and honest as they implored him.

"Gun, Bones. You jump the gun, baby, not the rifle." Booth could not stifle the laugh that erupted from deep within his chest. "But, of course I forgive you, Bones. I forgave you the minute I walked out that door. It was myself that I was mad at."

She just closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of laying against him for a few more moments. He interrupted her peace quietly, "Bones? Why do you have my t-shirt out here?"

She blushed furiously. "You're going to laugh at me. But I'll tell you." She raised her big blue eyes to his. "When I figured that I wouldn't be welcome back to your bed, I grabbed it so I could still smell you while I slept out here. I find that I sleep much better with you near and if I couldn't have you, then at least I would have your scent."

"Ah, Baby. You can always have me. And I'm much warmer than my t-shirt." He smiled and rimmed her ear with his fingertip as he played with her tendrils. "That's sweet, though, Bones. I would never laugh at you."

She rolled her head back to a comfortable position as she pulled her spoon through the layer of ice cream that was, by that point, starting to melt. Slipping the spoon between her lips, she closed her eyes and savored the flavor as it exploded in her mouth. "MMmmm… Yummm…" Her bright eyes opened to look at him once more and found that his own darkened eyes were locked on her lips. She darted the tip of her tongue out to gather the invisible flavor droplets that had settled at the corners of her mouth. "One of my favorite flavors in the whole world, Booth. Great choice." Her voice was soft and seductive.

He raised an eyebrow. "_One_ of your favorites? Bones, I thought that particular one _was_ your favorite?" He was obviously trying to go through his mental catalogue of flavors, and he was certain this was the flavor she mentioned that day in the park.

"Oh," she spoke matter-of-factly, "This _is_ my favorite flavor _ice cream_, yes. But I have a new favorite flavor, in the whole scheme of favorites." She smiled, waiting for him to catch on.

He eyed her suspiciously, "And what might that be, Bones?" He was almost afraid to go there…but he couldn't stop his mind from gutter-balling.

Slowly, teasingly, she licked her lips fully. "You, Booth. You're my new favorite; a flavor not likely to be beaten in my lifetime." She nuzzled her head a bit firmer into his lap, lulling it ever so slightly towards his crotch.

"Ahh…Christ, Bones…" he let his head fall onto the back of the couch as he groaned in realization as his brain caught up with his member, which, by its alertness, had already fully expected her confession. He tangled his fingers into her hair even firmer as he held her head against his growing erection. Just listening to those words fall from her lips was enough to get him aroused and the way she was cradling her head back and forth across his lap was about to drive him crazy.

"Oh, COOL! You guys got ice cream!" To the eleven-year-old who just walked into the room, it looked as if his Dad and Bones were simply closing their eyes, about to enter what his mom called a sugar coma, after indulging in too much ice cream. His Dad's head was lulled back onto the couch back cushion and Bones' head was trying to find a comfortable position on his Dad's lap. The boy's attention was drawn only to the partially eaten pint in Bones' loose grip.

Two pairs of eyes, one light blue, one dark brown, darted in his direction, shocked at the sudden interruption.

Parker grinned, "Can I have some?" He looked from his Dad to Bones and back again, waiting for an answer that was slow in arriving. "Or… is this one of those kinds of treats that's for grown-ups only? Sometimes Mom says I can't have some of her snacks because they're too expensive for a kid's palate." He frowned slightly; usually he didn't have to worry about his Dad telling him 'no' when there was food in his place, his Dad always seemed to be eager to share whatever he was eating. He was unused to being told no, but the shocked look in his Dad's dark eyes led him to believe he was about to experience that for one of the first times. Parker's shoulders slumped, "Never mind, I get it…" he started to skulk out towards the kitchen and his Dad spoke up,

"Sure you can have some, Parks. You just startled us, is all. Didn't hear you coming." Booth could pass off his blushing cheeks as surprise at his son's sudden appearance, as opposed to the blatant desire that his son had just interrupted. "Here ya go, Bub, you can use my spoon," Booth held it out to his boy.

"Sweet! Thanks! What kind is it?" He plopped down on the floor in front of the couch, using Booth's legs as a back rest and dug into the partially soft pint that had been gripped in Bones' hands. "oohhh… White chocolate raspberry truffle. Hey! Bones, isn't this your favorite? Remember that day in the park? That was a good day, that was back when…well, back when we all went to the park together more often." Parker's happy face suddenly turned very serious. "Are you guys breaking up?" He turned and looked up at his Dad with pleading eyes. "Because I really hope you're not."

"Parker? Why would you say that?" Any remnants of Booth's arousal were immediately forgotten.

"I heard you guys fight, then I heard you leave, Dad. And Bones, I heard you crying and then go into your room for a while, then come out here and lay down on the couch." He looked sadly at the blue eyes that were studying him intently.

"It was just a misunderstanding, Parker. Your father and I are fine. I wouldn't be resting against him if I was still mad, now, would I? We've come too far for too long to break up over on little argument, don't you think?" She warmed him, not only with her words, but also with her smile.

The boy at Booth's feet nodded, looked down at the ice cream, then back at Bones. "He bought you this, as a peace offering, didn't he?" He whispered loudly to her, but his words reached his Dad's ears without fail.

Booth reached over and ruffled his son's wild and unruly hair. Bones laughed and whispered back, "Yeah, maybe he did…Maybe he didn't….Pretty nice of him either way, though, wasn't it?" Parker nodded enthusiastically as he dug into the pint, settling back down and using his Dad's legs as a backrest.

The three of them settled into a comfortable silence as Booth grabbed the remote and channel surfed hoping to find something that everyone could enjoy. He was out-voted 2 to 1 when he attempted to skip over Discovery Channel, and he grumbled as he turned on the documentary for his resident 'geeks.' At his playfully snide comment, Brennan pinched his hard abs and Parker sent him a death glare from his seat on the floor. "Daaad! We're not 'geeks'! We just happen to like broadening our minds!" Parker rolled his eyes as he turned back to face the television.

"OH yeah, Parks? I'll remember that the next time you wanna sit and watch Scooby Doo or Sponge Bob…" Booth's challenge was met with another squinty glare from his boy, and he chuckled deeply.

"Well, just because I like Discovery doesn't mean I don't still like cartoons, you know…" Parker squared his jaw, reminding Bones so much of the man whose lap currently cradled her head.

"Naww… I think that Squint Training you've been attending is turning your brain all squinty and stuff…" Booth was getting a rise out of his boy, and it felt as though he was starting to push Bones' buttons too. He grinned triumphantly.

"It's called **Science Camp**!" was the unified reply he received from them both. Their feathers equally ruffled at his comments.

"Booth!" she whispered up at him, "leave him alone! Let him watch the show."

She was met with a wide grin, "He's fine, Bones. He knows I'm kiddin' with him. Right pal?"

Parker turned and looked at her in surprise. "Sure, Bones. Dad and me always joke like that. He lets me watch this channel a lot, though. Especially when you suggest a show for me to watch." He beamed happily, though, knowing that no matter what, she would be on his side in any future squabbles – play or otherwise. Bones was always watching out for him. "Besides, Bones, don't let him fool you. He likes this channel too. Especially _Dirty Jobs_ and _Deadliest Catch_."

She reached out and touched his young cheek. "Good to know. I'm glad, Parker. It's a good channel." She smiled, "and it's 'dad and _I_', Parker, not 'dad and _me_'."

He nodded at her gentle correction. "OH, thanks, Bones. Dad and_ I_ always joke like that, then." He smiled as he turned back to the TV and settled in to watch.

As Parker became further enthralled in MythBusters, (Booth suspected his son's interest was more focused on a particular red head wielding guns, named Kari, more so than by the specific myths they were attempting to bust), Bones snuggled deeper into Booth's lap and he allowed his fingers to dance through her loose curls.

She stared up at him and he held her gaze steadily; silently conveying countless feelings and apologies for their earlier misunderstanding. Just as silently, she accepted his and offered up her own request for forgiveness, about which he didn't think twice. He brushed his fingers across her cheek and brought his forefinger to her lips, where he let it dance for just a moment. "I love you," he whispered, "that will never change, Bones."

"Thank you, Booth. I love you too." She smiled as she softly responded. After a few moments of getting lost in his deep brown eyes, she turned her face back towards his abdomen, sighing in contentment. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a little while. Can you wake me when you're ready for dinner, Booth? I don't want to sleep long, but I find I'm suddenly exhausted."

"Stress'll do that, baby. You rest, we have time before we have to eat." Smiling at the now-empty pint of ice cream discarded on the coffee table, he continued, "I don't think Parks will be hungry for a while, he just ate his dessert first."

He let his head lull back against the back rest and enjoyed the feeling of her heaviness as she drifted into a peaceful rest. He closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings. Bones' even and deep breathing indicated she was at ease. Parker's giggles at explosions and explanations from Kari on the TV reminded him that his eleven-year-old was the same as any red-blooded American male – loving explosions and pretty girls who shoot things. The sounds of the late afternoon traffic down below his windows floated up and invaded the peace that was his apartment. A telephone ringing on the floor above, too many times, indicated that Mr. Jameson was not home to answer the call. _MythBusters_ ended and he felt Parker move from his place in front of the couch and heard him make his way towards the bathroom. The elevator bell in the hallway, followed by Mrs. Williams' greeting to Agent Duke, told Booth that the older woman was home from babysitting her 4-year-old twin granddaughters.

_Granddaughters… daughters…daughter…Will Bones still want to have a child with me? She once wanted that. But she wanted to raise the child on her own, though; she only wanted me for my donation. I would love to have a child with Bones. She worried if I would love that child as much as I love Parker. When I told her I wanted to help her raise any child that I fathered, she countered that she didn't think I would have enough in me to love another child, she sees how much I love Parker already. But, how do I make her realize that there is enough love in this heart for Parker, her and as many children as she would bear me? _

Absentmindedly, his left hand drifted from where it rested on her hip and gravitated towards her stomach. He slid his hand beneath her loose-fitting t-shirt and just under the waist band of her hip-hugging yoga shorts. He allowed his fingers to dawdle low on her abdomen, making small lazy circles and figure-eights along her warm and silky bare skin. At some point in her slumber, she recognized his gentle touch and brought her hand to join his and he stopped moving, splaying his fingers and letting his palm lay flat against her firm body. Her hand rested lightly atop his and from somewhere deep inside her chest, a small, nearly inaudible mew escaped. Like the soft cry of a kitten, her little noise made his heart flutter and his gut jolt in adoration.

He slowly raised his head and looked down at her, surprised to find her big blue eyes looking up at him. The smile she rewarded to him spoke of undying love and too many missed opportunities. As if she was able to read his mind, she stroked his hand where it lay on her tummy. So soft was her voice that he had to bend his neck to hear her, but the words she spoke stole his breath away. "I haven't forgotten, Booth. I haven't given up hope. And maybe, when the time is right, we could talk about trying? I mean, if you still want it, with me, I still want a baby, Booth. Your baby. _Our baby_…But maybe not in the clinical way we had first explored. Perhaps we should attempt a more…natural…conception? I mean, like I said, if you still want that…"

He looked down at her, speechless and in awe. Tears pricked the back of his eyes, and he this time, he didn't even try to hide it. The look in his watery gaze spoke volumes to her. At that very moment, she, who could not read people, could read Booth, just as easily as she could read one of her anthropological journals. The emotions she saw written all over his face warmed her from the inside out and drew forth from her, a happy giggle that made her feel like a school girl just about to receive her first kiss.

He gave her a crooked smile and sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Yeah, Bones. I still want that. I'd love that. As long as it's something that you also want; I'd adore having a baby with you." The mere mental image of Temperance Brennan, heavy with his child, was enough to set his blood boiling and his heart racing. "And, I agree," he flashed her one of the most charming smiles he'd ever managed to pull off, "we should definitely go for the natural route; half the fun of planning a family comes from practicing for the conception."

She beamed happiness and intertwined her fingers with his, where they rested on her stomach. "I concur. That sounds like definite 'fun', Booth." She gave him a wickedly seductive smile and he groaned, as his little member was waking up, and wouldn't be 'little' for much longer.

"OK, you temptress, sit up. I'm gonna go call for delivery. What do you want tonight?"

"Actually, Booth. Do you think we could all go out? Maybe to Wong Fu's?" She asked sheepishly, not sure if he wanted to bother with taking her out, since they had to cart along the wheel chair, but she really wanted to go outside and get some evening air.

"Sure! That sounds great to me, Bones. As long as you're up to it, I have no doubt Parker will be, too. He always hopes that Sid will make him that repulsive 7-organ shit that Hodgins got that time. I told Parks that it didn't seem to be all that great and Hodgins regretted it the whole week, but Parker doesn't seem deterred. He keeps telling me that one day, we will walk in there and Sid will be able to tell that Parker's ready to try it… God, I hope it's not tonight." Booth shook his head in frustration.

Bones giggled and reached up to touch his cheek. "Go ask Parker if he wants to go out. I'll go get myself freshened up." She raised herself from her laying position and reached to pull her wheel chair over her way. He knew she wanted to do it on her own, but he hated to see her struggle – ever. So he gently picked her up and placed her in the chair. "Booth… You are going to hurt your back. Let me do it. I am starting to feel stronger and I do need to get better at moving myself around." She pouted and he bent down to kiss the adorable lip that jutted out beyond her other.

"OK. I'll try to do better. Not making any promises other than I promise to try…" he smiled as he strode towards Parker's bedroom, where he'd last seen his son retreat. "Go get ready, Bones. The Booth boys will be ready to go soon and if you're not ready when we are, we'll leave ya here." He laughed at her little huff as he entered his son's room.

B/B/B/B

After returning from dinner, the three of them congregated once more in the living room to discuss what was going to happen the following morning. Rebecca had called during their meal and asked if, since Parker was off from school, she could take him with her to see her parents. Parker's grandmother was ill and Becs wants to go up and see her and wanted Parker to come along. Her arguments were valid – first, her mom was getting up there in age, and with her failing health, they were not sure how much longer she would be with them; second, if Parker was in any danger, having him out of immediate harm's way of being in DC would be one of the safest things they could do; third, by her taking Parker, it would allow Booth the time he needed to investigate, now that they knew who they were searching for; finally, she agreed to 24/7 FBI shadows, to put Booth's mind at ease.

"OK, Parks. Tonight, I need you to pack for 5 days in upstate New York. It'll be cold there by now, so no shorts. Take your jeans and sweats, a couple of t-shirts and your hoodie. Wear your sneakers and don't bother with your sandals, kiddo. Don't forget your underwear and socks." Booth waited until his son made eye contact to ensure that he was listening. When the younger Booth did, his father continued. "I will email your school assignments to your mom's email address so ask her to log on and check them. Before you send them back to your teacher, Bones wants you to email them back to us, and she'll check your work. If you have any questions about anything call us, K?" Parker nodded. "And take something with you for the car ride, you know it's a while to get up there, but your mom and Drew will take turns driving, so you won't be stopping much."

"Dad. I don't wanna go up to New York. It's boring at Gramma and Grampa's house. And it smells funny."

"Parker, that's not polite. It's your grandparents' house and you need to respect that. They love you and it will mean a lot to them to have you there. I know it's sometimes boring when you're sitting with older people, and unsure of what common ground you have, but I know for a fact that you will have a lot in common with your Grampa this year." Booth smiled at his son, trying to reassure him. "Your Grampa loves archaeology. In fact, you should ask him to see his fossil collection. In his hey-day, he was an amateur fossil-hunter."

Parker's eyes got huge as saucers, "Really? I never knew that! He has a fossil collection? What kinds of fossils? How many?" Obviously the boy's tune had changed at the prospect of this new information of his family.

"I don't know, Parks, you'll have to ask him those questions. I know he'll share all that with you, son." He clapped the boy on his shoulder.

Parker turned to the beautiful woman leaning against his Dad's side as they sat on the couch. "Did you hear that, Bones? My Grampa collects fossils. I wonder what kind? Can I call you if I have questions about the fossils?"

"I heard, Parker. You can call me any time you want. Questions or not, you can always call, hon." The term of endearment fell from her lips before she could stop it. She had called him sweetheart and sweetie in the recent past, but only after he'd been upset. She never gave him a label like that when there was nothing she was trying to fix. She worried slightly at how he would react, but he didn't seem to even notice it, he just kept chattering about ancient creatures and prehistoric ancestors as he ambled towards his bedroom. She looked up to meet Booth's humored eyes. "What? What you are laughing at, mister? You always try to call me pet names, I just thought I'd try it…that's all…" she tried to convince herself of that excuse as much as she tried to convince him of its truth.

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, baby. It slipped and you know it… Now you know how I feel!" He laughed and pulled her closer to him, planting a loud kiss on the top of her head. When he pulled back and looked down to see her smiling, he placed his lips lightly against her forehead and spoke. "I love you, Bones. I love that you care about my boy. I love that you let us in."

"Well, it's been kind of difficult to ever keep you _out_, Booth. You'd just keep coming over to my house in the middle of the night with take out until I let you in, so I had to cave eventually." She chuckled as she tucked her head beneath his chin, inhaling his scent and exhaling any worry at her moniker slip-up.

"C'mon, Bones. Let's get some medicine on your back and then get in our PJ's. There's a movie on tonight I wanna watch. It's one you've probably seen, but it's been years since I've seen it." When he stood up, he started to reach for the wheel chair, but thought better of it. "Aw – screw it, c'mere Bones," he scooped her up and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, my big-strong alpha-male FBI agent." She knew arguing with him about his back was futile, so she didn't even bother.

"That's _Special_-Agent to you, missy-miss. I didn't earn that title just for you to ignore it." He laughed as he moved into their room and shut the door behind them affording them some privacy while he applied the necessary anti-bacterial cream to her stitches; he was continually pleased with the speed with which she was healing. He was able to leave off over half the bandages from her back that time, and her feet were looking as though they'd be able to forego the bandages within the next week or so.

B/B/B/B

"Booth. How can you possibly be hungry again?" Brennan looked at him incredulously as he carried out popcorn and almonds and placed them on the coffee table along with their drinks.

"It's a movie, Bones. You gotta snack during a movie – otherwise it's just – well – it's just boring. There's something not right about watching a movie and _not_ snacking." He teased her as he held out a fluffy piece of popcorn, "you know you want some, Bones…. It's white cheddar flavor… your favorite!" His sing-song voice bringing a smile to her lips as she leaned forward and took the offering from his fingers, wrapping her lips around his calloused fingertips and sucking them gently before pulling back to chew her tasty morsel. "MMmmm, yummy, Booth." She smiled at him knowingly, as she leaned forward, her lips parted, waiting for him to feed her another piece.

"Uh-uh, you vixen. Get your own popcorn, here, you can hold the damn bowl." He grinned, relishing the fact that she was so open with her flirtations when it was just the two of them. He loved seeing that side of her. He loved knowing that he was the only one who ever got to see that side, and he counted himself blessed. "Otherwise, we won't get through this movie, and I know you're gonna like it." He flashed her a toothy grin and turned off the table lamp and clicked on the TV.

"What movie are we watching, Booth? You still haven't told me." She spoke through munching popcorn, slightly excited about their pseudo-movie-date. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist holding her close. As the opening credits started to roll she became excited. "The Quiet Man? I _LOVE_ John Wayne, Booth!"

"I know, I know! That's why I wanted to watch it. I was just a kid when I saw it and even though I knew you certainly would have seen it, I thought it'd be fun to watch together, like a movie date, since Parker's asleep, you know? Is it OK?"

She snuggled into her favorite spot at his shoulder. "It's perfect, Booth. Perfect."

He spent half the movie watching her rather than the TV, and he got more enjoyment out of seeing her many reactions to the film She laughed, she swooned, she cried and everything in between. As the movie ended she turned and met his warm chocolate gaze. "Thank you, Booth. I enjoyed that movie very much, I forgot how much I liked it."

He kissed her on the forehead and held her tightly. "You're welcome, Baby. Let's go to bed, I'm beat. Huh?"

She nodded as he stood up and walked the apartment, making sure everything was locked up tight. When he walked back into the living room, he saw that she was sitting there with a contented smile, looking down at her hands where they tenderly rested across her stomach. He approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt the peaceful look she wore. He knelt down in front of her and reached his hand out to join hers, resting it atop lightly. She swapped and placed his hand against her stomach and placed hers on top of his, holding it in place.

They locked their eyes for a few long moments and he ever-so-slowly leaned in to kiss her delicately, nipping her bottom lip until she opened to him. Their tongues tangled with one another, neither fighting for dominance, both simply dancing, caressing, loving. She moaned into his mouth and he moved the hand that wasn't resting on her abdomen and cupped her head, holding her as only a lover could. He pulled back from her soft mouth and dragged his mouth along her jawline, kissing, sucking, nipping. When he reached the soft spot just below her ear, he felt her shiver beneath his touch. He smiled to himself, happy to know that he was the cause of the trembles traveling through her perfectly sexy body. His touch did that to her, his mouth, his tongue, his teeth. He made her shiver _for him_ and his ego grew ten-fold.

"Booth – please…" she stammered with a shaky breath.

"Hmmm?" he hummed against her neck, rattling her body with another round of trembles.

"Let's go to bed. Please, Booth, take me to bed." She turned her face so she could capture his lips as he turned in time.

Without argument, he wrapped his arms around her bottom and pulled her up with him, as she wrapped her legs tightly around his narrow hips and her arms around his neck. He retreated to what he now considered _their_ bedroom and gently closed the door behind them.

Booth sat on the edge of the bed, keeping Bones on his lap. Slowly and without hesitation, Brennan turned her face to Booth's, her lips seeking contact with his. She had resolved herself to never getting enough of his sweet kisses. Whether they were frantic and firm or slow and sensual, his kisses caused her knees to go weak and her stomach to flutter with activity.

He cupped her firm bottom with his left arm, palming her perfectly shaped ass, caressing and massaging her through the thin material of her pajama shorts. Slowly, he brought his right hand up to the buttons on her pajamas, expertly and deftly opening them to his touch. Once he made it to the bottom button, he pulled his lips from hers and looked deep into her darkened eyes. Her breath hitched at the look of pure lust she witnessed in his glare.

As he inched his left hand beneath the waistband of her shorts, his right hand calmly and deliberately peeled each side of her top open, allowing him a full view of her perfectly natural breasts. She lowered her arms from around his neck, so he could push her shirt off her shoulders. Temperance Brennan was not a shy woman, she knew she had an attractive body, and she worked hard to keep in shape. She was not one to hide like so many other women. But when Booth stared at her, she blushed. His eyes were full of reverence and he momentarily stopped breathing when she was revealed to his observation. She felt, for lack of a better description, worshipped, under his discerning eyes. She sat perfectly still, the sleeves of her pajama top each resting at her wrists as they hung down at her sides, limiting her movements momentarily.

He unconsciously continued his groping of her backside as his eyes danced from her face to her neck to her shoulders and downward… Her porcelain white skin, marked occasionally by his previous love bites, was perfect. Her breasts heaved as her breathing increased, her nipples peaked in anticipation of what she knew was coming. He brought his right hand up and skimmed his fingertips along her collar bones to the hollow of her neck then down to the valley that was her generous cleavage. Shivers riddled her body as he lightly tickled her skin. He drug his fingertips along the undersides of each heavy breast, jostling their weight slightly as he played.

"Booth…" she moaned breathlessly.

"Shh…" He didn't look up to meet her eyes; instead his gaze followed his hand as it coaxed more goose bumps from her skin. "Let me just…Let me just touch you, Bones. And look at you." His words were hushed, breathy. "You are amazing, Bones. Beautiful. I'll…I'll never get tired of looking at you. I'll never get enough of touching you." As he spoke, his fingertips continued their easy caress, circling the outer edges of her breasts, lingering in their valley, tracing up and down her arms, following the contours of her face, jaw line, lips…Restarting their journey from her beautiful face, he moved slowly, straight down her chin, over her neck, through her cleavage and down to her bellybutton, where he lingered, circling her perfect little dip. Then lightly, so very lightly, he laid his palm flat across her taut tummy as he raised his eyes to lock onto hers.

"When that time comes, you are going to be an amazing mother, Bones. Beautiful, fair, honest, compassionate. And you have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you still want to have a child; and that you still want me to father that child." Tears stung the backs of his dark brown orbs, and he lowered his eyes to join his hand upon her womb. "I thought, when you didn't ask me again about giving you my _donation_…I thought that maybe you'd changed your mind." His confession was emotional, filled with trepidation and vulnerability. "I thought maybe you'd found someone else. Someone better suited to your liking...Someone with more smarts…Or someone…I don't know…after my brain tumor, I thought maybe you'd want someone who wasn't…so _damaged_." The tears trickled slowly down his rough cheeks.

She immediately shrugged the shirt from her wrists and brought her palms up to cradle his sculpted face. "Booth," she breathed, "your tumor doesn't make you damaged. Please don't think like that." She wiped his tears away. It was a role reversal, and that fact didn't escape her. She was not accustomed to seeing Booth so vulnerable, so scared, but the reality was that he obviously had insecurities just the same as she did. "Booth," she leaned in to kiss him, "I didn't bring it back up because after your coma, you had to have the time to recover. Then things got so…so crazy and strained between us during that time. I thought… I thought that maybe you wouldn't want to help me after that." She took a shuddering breath, "Then…after that night on the steps of the Hoover, when I hurt you by pushing you away, I knew I could never ask you again. I knew that it would be unfair of me to ask you to do something like that for me, because you'd want to be part of the child's life…but I couldn't do that to you when I wasn't ready to be with you like that…like this." Her own tears started to seep from the corners of her eyes. "I consigned myself to never giving birth; to never becoming a mother after that…"

He looked at her in shock, "Bones, why would you give up your dream of having a child? There are hundreds of men out there who would have given their right lung to donate their little swimmers to you, Bones. Men who are smarter, better looking, richer, _better over all_ than me, Bones. You could have had your pick of donors, but you didn't. Why?"

"Booth. I didn't want anyone else to father my child. I could never imagine another man's characteristics influencing my child's personality or looks. Booth, there are no other men out there for me, I know that now. I knew that then, I just didn't recognize my own knowledge. As far as other men being smarter, better looking, richer? Booth, there is no one that matches that description. You are one of the smartest people I know, maybe not scientifically, but there is more to being smart than science. And I don't think I have ever met another man with such pleasing features as you; you are a beautiful man, Booth. I know you don't like 'beautiful', but deal with it, it's the truth. I don't care about the richer part – I have money and money doesn't buy happiness…that old saying is true, it turns out. And… There is no man _better_ than you, Booth. There is no better fit for me, Booth. Just you."

"Oh, Bones…" he leaned in to kiss her softly. "I love you so much." Their foreheads rested together.

"Can I make a confession, Booth?" They both kept their eyes closed as she broke the silence after several minutes. "When we came home…from our respective corners of the earth…I was going to tell you then, that I wanted to have your baby. That I wanted us to have a child together. But…well…you know how that conversation would have gone if I had mentioned it again. So I didn't. I swallowed my wants and resigned myself to a childless future. I think that is why I so desperately always wanted to see Parker when he came to Science Camp. I was trying to fill that void…if I couldn't give birth to your child, then I would try to become a more active part in your first child's life. It was unfair of me to do that. I shouldn't have taken advantage of the science camp; I shouldn't have burdened Parker by making him spend time with me at the lab; I shouldn't have wanted you so desperately when you belonged to someone else. But I was weak, I couldn't stop myself." She raised her eyes to find that he was watching her, "forgive me, Booth. Please."

"Bones, there's nothing to forgive you for. And I didn't say all that just to make you feel bad. I just…well, I thought that you should know what I was thinking about when it came to the idea of us having a baby. It was a long time ago that we discussed it, and no matter when you would have decided to have one, I would have stood by your side the whole time. But perhaps…that just wasn't the right time back then. Perhaps now…with this new path we're journeying, this is the time we're supposed to be thinking about that. God, even if you don't believe, has a plan for us, Bones. And maybe this is His plan." He rolled his head so their foreheads lost contact, but they were joined in a most exquisite kiss. "This is our time, Bones. This is finally our moment, and, after losing out on so many other moments, we're not going to miss this one."

He was rewarded with a beautiful smile that reached from her soft, kiss-swollen lips, all the way up past the rosy apples of her cheeks and settled in the depths of her sea-blue eyes.

"Booth, it's not that I wasn't enjoying what was just happening, you know. But do you think – do you think you could just hold me tonight? Just let me sleep in your embrace and get metaphorically lost in slumber?" She looked at him with pleading eyes, which suddenly turned worried. "I mean, unless you need to finish, I understand. I will do that for you if you want."

"I only want to be with you, Bones. And if you want to cuddle, I am more than happy to cuddle with you; it's one of my new favorite past-times, you know. It's better than hockey." He grinned.

"Better than playing hockey or better than watching hockey, Booth? Because I know that you love doing both of those things immensely, and I'd like to know which activity I top…"

"All of it, Bones. You top it all." He pulled her to the bed with him and shimmied the covers down so he could roll their bodies underneath. She came to settle at her 'spot' at the crook of his shoulder where it met his neck. "You comfy?"

"Perfect, Booth." She inhaled deeply, "this is perfect."

After a few moments of whispering endearments and dreams to one another, sleep started to overcome them both. She allowed her left hand to remain splayed across his steely, smooth chest and while he held her close with his left arm, his right hand settled just above her bare belly, where she nested against his hip.

Booth fell into a blissful sleep with visions of a very pregnant Bones, and a little girl that would look just like her stunning mother, and be just as smart. Brennan drifted off with the image of a child that would resemble his father and inherit Booth's wonderfully easy personality and natural way with people. Tomorrow, they would deal with saying goodbye to Parker after several wonderful days together, building the bridges of family. They would face the files compiled by Charlie to begin their hunt for the woman who had hurt her so terribly. They would face her memories of a tortured youth as those visions would surely come rushing back to her as they rediscovered the truth about Julie Coyle. And the harsh reality that caused these new scars on her pale body would certainly make a reappearance. But in that moment, as they fell into each other's dreams, they would face none of those horrors; they would just love each other and catch glimpses of their future together.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, thank you for coming back for chapter 41! I know we didn't get to see what Hannah was up to when she called, but I promise, that's coming soon. I will miss Parker, for a bit, but felt the need to let B&B have time alone and they need to focus on the investigation. But fear not, Parks will be back later! **

**Please take a few minutes and review to let me know your thoughts. I was in a different mind-frame when I wrote this chapter, because it was a really stressful week at work and it knocked my Muse for a loop. But I'm feeling my normal groove making a recovery, and HOPEFULLY I will have chapter 42 out very soon! **

**Thanks in advance, for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. **


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N Welcome Back! Thank you for returning, it's great to have you here! Hopefully you all find chapter 42 acceptable, I know there were mixed feelings about chapter 41; I hope I have redeemed myself here! Please enjoy and I'd love to hear from you when you're done! **

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to do this again? I don't own anything….**

Brennan sat quietly at the table, drinking her coffee slowly. The pancakes that Booth cooked for her sat untouched, as did the fruit salad he threw together to surprise her. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared into the swirl of her milked coffee, fighting back tears. "How – how do you do it, Booth? How do you handle saying goodbye to him so often?" Bones found herself horribly torn apart emotionally when Parker left that morning with Rebecca and Drew.

Pondering her question for a moment, Booth turned his warm brown eyes to her, although she continued to stare into her steaming cup. "It's always hard, Bones. I hate saying goodbye to him, but I was forced to get used to it." He took a deep, shaky breath, triggering her to draw her eyes to his steely features. "But you know, Bones. It gets easier; it's not always so raw. And it's a lot better now that Rebecca at least understands that I'm good for Parker. Before – well – when I was still gambling – I was lucky if I got to see him once a month. And I'm not talking one weekend a month; I'm talking one Saturday _or_ Sunday afternoon per month. So, I have to count my blessings, Bones, and each and every minute I have with Parks these days, well, they fall into my bucket of blessings." He reached across the table and touched her fingers gently, dragging his calloused pads across her smooth knuckles. "Plus, I always know he'll be back, baby."

She sighed and looked at him, vulnerability and innocence shone in her eyes. "I'm being irrational, I know, Booth. I apologize. And I've never felt this way before. When he left the lab, or when you guys came to my apartment to use the pool, then left…It's just… I've never felt like _this_, Booth and I don't…I just don't understand. And I _hate_ not understanding." Her newfound frustration was obvious to Booth as he realized she was experiencing her first bout of part-time-parent-empty-nest-syndrome. It was true, she wasn't Parker's parent, but she'd always been a motherly figure to him and she treated him as if he were her family.

"Bones, babe, you just spent several days and nights with my kid worshiping the very ground you walk on. He adores you, he idolizes you, and he _loves_ you like, well, like a mother. Spending time with a child in short spurts, like you've always done with Parks, umm, it's a _visit_ when you do that. But being together 24/7 for several days escalates that relationship into a real family setting. It opens your eyes to what it is to have someone depending on you for everything. I mean, even though Parker is pretty well self-sufficient where we're here at the house, he still depends on us for virtually everything. That can create a big impact on the attachment or connection between an adult and child. It builds an unbreakable bond, Bones. And while rationally, you know you're not his mom, emotionally, you are. We may not be united in the eyes of the law, but Bones, you know as well as I do, that we are united for good."

"Do you think, do you really think, that Parker is OK with this? I mean, do you really believe that he will view me in a ..positive…manner? You don't think he'd going to resent me, right? I've read about families who were torn apart when a parent became involved with someone the child grew to dislike. I don't want Parker to see me and only see a person who's taking his Dad's time away from him."

"OH, Bones, no way. My kid loves you. Hell, my kid loves you more than he loves me." He smiled when she shook her head in the negative to that. "OK, OK, maybe not more, but he loves you at least as much as he loves me. Bones, Parker has wanted us to be together almost as long as I've wanted us to be together. Maybe I had a bit of influence on his thoughts, but more than likely, he just plain fell in love with you the same way I did. He loves you differently than I do, of course… otherwise that'd just be creepy…but nevertheless, he loves you. You've been his family for years. You heard him – he's thrilled to have you back in our lives. Don't worry about him disapproving our relationship. We have his full support, of that I have no doubt, babe."

She smiled in relief, "Thank you, Booth. I'm sorry I got so upset this morning. I'll do better next time."

"I know you will, Bones. I know." He squeezed her fragile hand in his larger one. "Now, why don't you eat something, we're going to head over to the Hoover and get the files from Charlie, then we can swing by the lab before coming back. I want you to eat."

She didn't argue. She dove into the fruit salad with gusto and finished almost all of it, to Booth's surprise and happiness. He loved making things she liked and it looked like the fruit was just what she needed that morning.

B/B/B/B

As Booth and Bones made their way down the hallway towards his office, Booth pushing her chair quickly, they were greeted amicably by all the agents and office staff. Seemed that the curious whispers surrounding Dr. Brennan's ordeal had subsided finally and it was just accepted that the strong woman would be in the chair for a bit. Plus, it was a known fact (now even to the rookies), that anyone who made his partner feel uncomfortable with her current situation would face the wrath of Special Agent Seeley Booth. And frankly, no one wanted that, given his reputation of being overtly overprotective of Dr. Brennan. If they didn't know better, people would say the partners were _more_ than partners, but given the strict guidelines of the Code of Conduct within the FBI regulations, that was not possible. But even so, their relationship was different than any other partnership anyone had ever encountered within the walls of the Hoover.

"Booth! Get your ass up to Cullen's office, pronto!" Hacker's whiny voice rang out loud across the bullpen, causing Booth's hackles to rise and Brennan to roll her eyes.

"Why does he insist on screaming like that, Booth? We're in the same room; we can hear him just fine." Brennan huffed in aggravation.

Booth had to chuckle at his Partner. Eight years ago, she didn't even understand the concept of an eye roll…and now, she used it almost as often as he did. "Oh, come now, Bones…" he mocked, "aren't you impressed by his dominance and power here in the bullpen? Aren't you squirming in your seat with anxiety that he'd ordered my 'ass' up to Cullen's office? Obviously I'm in trouble for something…" He smiled over her head as he looked at Charlie on their approach to the young man's desk. Charlie sat with his back to Assistant Director Hacker's current position, trying desperately to hide the grin threatening to break through, and failing miserably.

"Mornin' Booth. Good Morning Dr. Brennan. How are you feeling?" He noticed that she was looking considerably better than the previous morning. "Looks like you're getting some great care as you recover. You look better every day!"

"Thank you, Charlie. But it only goes to reason that I would improve with each passing day. The human body is a remarkable network of -" She was cut off by Booth's hand clamping firmly across her mouth, from behind her head. She turned up and glared at his smiling eyes and toothy grin.

"Just say 'thanks,' Bones. Charlie doesn't need a science lesson. He's just complimenting how good you look considering everything." Before he lowered his hand, he smiled wider at the daggers she was sending to him through her darkened, challenged eyes. "Be nice, Bones." And with that, he lowered his hand and prepared himself for the pending hurricane that would be Bones lecturing him about his behavior. He wasn't disappointed.

"Booth, dammit, you can't just decide to shut me up whenever you want to by shoving your hand over my mouth. How dare you? I am only trying to make Charlie understand that his statement didn't really make sense because…" as she ranted and raved from her seat about his display of alpha-male behavior, he smiled at Charlie and started pushing her towards his office door, bobbing his head as if listening to a song no one else could hear. That song, to him, was his partner's voice.

Charlie leaned forward and whispered, "all the files are in there, Booth."

Booth replied, also in a whisper, "thanks, man. Call Cullen and tell him we'll be right up."

As they entered his office, Bones was still yelling at him, flailing her arms with movements emphasizing her points. Booth heard Hacker calling from behind him, "Booth! I told you _now_, damn you! Cullen wants you _now_!"

To that little outburst, Charlie turned to Hacker and handed him the phone receiver her was just speaking into. "It's for you, Assistant Director Hacker."

Hacker furrowed his brow and huffed into it, "Andrew Hacker speaking". Suddenly his face paled and Charlie sat smiling at Booth through the window of the now closed office door. "Uh, yes sir. Yes sir. I understand. I'm sorry sir." He handed the receiver back to Charlie with a rumble from his throat. "Cullen wants Booth and Brennan…as soon as they're ready. You make sure to pass along the message, there, _junior_."

Charlie just smiled into the file he was pretending to study, "yup. Got it." Hacker stormed away, yelling at other junior agents and rookies along his way, "what the hell are you all looking at? I'll tell you all something," he pointed in the direction of Booth's office, "_that Agent_ is not the one you all need to be looking up to. He is rogue. He's a miscreant. He doesn't follow the rules. He thinks rules don't apply to him. I don't want to see anyone emulating his behavior, _ever_, you all got it?" His face was beet red as he huffed out of the pen, and made his way towards his own office. He gritted his teeth as he heard an eruption of laughter from the collection of agents as he closed his own office door. "Fucking great… just fucking fantastic. Booth made a fool of me again. Sonofabitch."

Meanwhile, back in Booth's office, Bones was still lecturing her partner on the etiquette of silencing other people. Well, lecturing wasn't quite the definition that Booth would use, but he let her rant. He was just happy that she was getting her fire back. Many people may not have noticed the difference in Temperance Brennan's mannerisms since her kidnapping, but he certainly did. The spark of electricity that spurred them to bicker so often had been temporarily lost. Booth could see the change in her when she thought no one was watching. He would catch her, when she didn't have to put up a brave front for visitors. Sometimes she just sat and stared nothing in particular. Other times, she would stare at her own hands where they rested in her lap; she would run her fingers over the healing abrasions on her wrists and nervously wring her fingers together. During these times, her eyes were slightly clouded and he knew that her mind was back in that basement, she was back on that mattress experiencing the harshest punishment imaginable.

But her fire was slowly returning. He caught a glimpse of it the previous night, when they had their little squabble. But this, _this_, was his partner in all her glory. Spewing facts about anthropological findings and research about some tribe in a remote part of Africa that showed evidence of torturing those members who didn't show respect to otherwise well respected figures. He sat opposite her, pulling his chair so he could face her directly while he received his tongue lashing. _Ahhh, a good tongue lashing… she can give me a tongue lashing anytime she wants… _

As he smiled, one of his half-raised, crooked smiles, his eyes danced over her face, her neck, her heaving chest, which heaved even more, the madder she became. _She is adorably hot when she's mad. And she's clueless about what she does to me._ Then he focused on her words again…or tried to, anyway; he found it increasingly difficult to listen to her science lesson when she was turning him on like she was... He thought she might have been threatening to tie him to a pole and flog him in reaction to the disrespect he had just demonstrated towards her out in the hallway, while she was simply trying to enlighten the obviously-less-than-intelligent man who didn't seem to understand the process of bodily recovery. He moved from where he'd stationed himself in front of her, and walked silently to his door, where he dropped the blinds and flicked the lock. _She can tie me up if she really wants to_, he thought as he smiled. He then dropped the blinds on the window and saw Charlie chuckle in response to his actions.

When he turned back to reclaim his seat, he noticed that Bones was staring at him, expectantly. _Oh shit, she must have asked me a question. She's waiting for an answer, I know that look. Shit, what was she saying? She wanted to punish me because I was a bad boy…?_ He stammered, biting back his own smug smile, "uh, what was that, Bones? I'm sorry; I didn't hear that last part while I was closing the blinds."

"Booth! Were you even listening to me? I asked you if you had anything to say for yourself! Do you see how your actions equate to those of the Bwamimba Tribesmen? The barbarian actions of an uneducated human?" She was frustrated, and it only grew the more he smirked at her. "WELL?"

His response took her by surprise. He quickly leaned forward and claimed her mouth with his, fisting her hair and palming the back of her head with his wide hand. His tongue demanded entrance, to which she put up a feeble fight before relinquishing and melting into his warmth. Her anger disintegrated beneath his heated touch and he swallowed her guttural moan. He pulled back from her supple lips and drew his teeth along her jawline, back to her earlobe, which he sucked in between his lips. Flicking it with his tongue, he drew back and let a lazy breath graze over her surface.

"Dr. Brennan," he breathed, "do you know what happens when you talk all squinty and anthropologically? Hmm?"

She couldn't answer, she just whimpered.

He licked just in front of her ear. "You make me impossibly _hard_. You make me so fucking hard that I want to take you right here and right now." He reached his hand up to her breast and palmed it in his strong grip. He could feel her diamond-like nipple perk to life beneath her thin blouse and the flimsy material of her poor-excuse-for-a-bra. "But I can't do that right now…because we are at work; we need to be professionals." His fingers circled then tweaked her, eliciting a surprised gasp from her throat. "But I want you to know, that tonight…when we get home? I am going to demonstrate for you exactly what happens when you lecture me...When you equate me to a Godless heathen in some remote part of Africa." He drew his fingers around and lifted her breast from below, relishing its now-familiar weight. "So, prepare your lectures now, Doc, because you're gonna want to use 'em later." He crashed back to her mouth for one final, mind-numbing kiss; deep and passionate, filled with raw desire.

When he finally pulled away and stood to his full height before her, he admired the flushed, pink hue that had fallen across Bones' cheeks and upper chest. He alone was privy to know that when she got that beautiful color, it meant she was mere moments away from creaming her panties. Feeling guilty that she was so worked up, he bent over, placing his hands on the arm rests of her wheelchair, and he issued her a sexy challenge. "Now, if you're a good partner, if you behave yourself upstairs in our meeting, I'll let you cum before we ever get to the Jeffersonian. _However_, if you misbehave, if you become naughty or purposely embarrass me…well then, _you_ are going to experience a very _long_ afternoon of frustration, much like I endured for years, before I ever bring you into a sweet oblivion."

To his experimental ultimatum, her eyes lit up and a smile danced across her lips. "Promise?"

"Oh, Bones… You have no idea…Scouts honor, baby. And I never break a promise." Once again he leaned in and brushed his lips against her swollen mouth. "Especially to you, Bones. I'll never break a promise." His caress turned tender, sensual, ensuring her that it was a playful challenge and he would deliver as negotiated.

"I promise to be a good partner, Agent Booth. I will not intentionally embarrass you," she smiled slyly, sneaking in the word 'intentionally' very quietly. "I don't think I can wait until tonight, sir. I think I need a release before we reach my office…I am very wet right now. In fact, if you were to just swipe your rough fingers across my sensitive folds, I think I may lose it." She knew that he got off when she spoke explicitly. She placed her lips just at the rim of his ear and she spoke seductively. "In fact, I was so close to cumming just by having you near, I fear that I'll be squirming throughout our upcoming conference with your boss, Booth. I hope no one else will be able to tell. I hope no one else will be able to _smell_ my need for you." She nipped his lobe and sat back, beaming proudly, realizing that she had just gotten to him as much as he had gotten to her just moments before. While her proof was subtle, the evidence that he carried was out there for everyone to see. His erection pressed hard against his work pants, tenting them pompously. He growled in appreciation as he raised himself back up, squaring his shoulders and cracking his neck.

"OK, Bones. Game on. Let's take these files, get up to Cullen's office and get the hell outta here. We have a pit stop to make on the way to the lab." He turned and strode to his desk, pulling out his spare briefcase from below, he pocketed the collection of files Charlie had placed there for him. He turned back to see Bones smiling at him, with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Were you checking out my ass, Bones?" he asked mockingly insulted.

She met his stare and simply nodded. "uh-huh…" she smugly replied. "It's a very nice ass, Booth. I like it very much. I am imagining when I can finally lie on my back, and you can settle between my open thighs…I am going to reach down and grab your ass as often as I can, Booth. Because now I don't need to imagine it; now I'm free to do it if I want." She met his shocked look with a cocked eyebrow of her own. He appeared speechless. "What's the matter, Booth? Dog got your tongue?" She was quite pleased with herself that time, using one of his own phrases back at him.

Well, she was pleased until he burst out laughing and rolled his eyes. "Bones. It's 'cat got your tongue,' not 'dog!' C'mon, let's get upstairs, my sexy little genius." He laughed as he plopped the briefcase in her lap and turned her around towards the door. "Let's go see what Cullen wants that has Hacker all puckered up."

She pouted slightly; disappointed that she got yet another colloquialism wrong. But he tipped her chin up to look at him and rubbed his thumb along her protruding lower lip, coaxing it up into a gentle smile. He kissed the top of her head before he pulled the door open. "Now, Bones, you have to look mad at me, or something. Remember, I just shut you up and you've been lecturing me."

With that, he opened the door and she couldn't help but burst out laughing at his idea of falsifying an argument, but decided to use that to her benefit. "Well, Booth, you _were _rude to do that, you know. I mean, you could have simply and quietly interrupted me, asking me to stop speaking while you explained the social process that Charlie was undertaking when he commented on my appearance." She started again… knowing full well that she was going to get what she wanted before they got to the lab. She evenly and scientifically described the anthropological meanings behind social greetings and niceties and the confusion most of them cause.

"Aw, Christ-Almighty, Bones," Booth swore as he pushed her down the hall towards the elevators. "You're killing her here, you know," he complained, but secretly he loved it. He loved listening to her talk, regardless of the topic. Sometimes he did things just to spur her into talking squinty. He didn't think she knew what he was doing, but she always knew very well what he was up to. And though she feigned innocence, she played his game for him each and every time. On the ride up to Cullen's office, while she continued to preach to him, the unoccupied portion of her mind was thankful that he was with her; that he still loved her; that he saved her, so she could still partake in his playful little schemes.

When the elevator doors opened, she stopped talking, ending mid-sentence so she would not embarrass him in front of anyone. He looked at her to see what was wrong, silently asking with his eyes before approaching Mrs. Wembley's desk.

Her reply was a smile and a simple statement. "I'll behave myself now."

He sighed a laugh and shook his head as they continued to their destination, where they both greeted the motherly receptionist warmly.

B/B/B/B

"Booth." Cullen greeted him with a handshake then looked to his favorite FBI Consultant. "Temperance, you're looking well. How are you feeling?"

"Good morning, Sam. I am still recovering, but getting better. Thank you." She smiled at her partner's boss, appreciating what a kind person he truly was. Not many people saw the soft side of Sam Cullen, but they were part of the luck few who did.

"Well, thank you both for coming. I didn't realize you were both here until Charlie called up. I thought that just you would be here today, Booth."

"Bones wanted to get out of the house, right Bones?" He looked to her from his chair next to her spot, and she nodded in ascension.

"But, Sam, if you need to see Booth on his own, I can leave. I can wait out with Mrs. Wembley."

"No, no. That's not what I meant. I just thought – well, never mind. Anyway, the reason I wanted to see you, Booth, was to let you know that Caroline has been called away on a family emergency to Louisiana. If you need anything, search warrants, legal advice, and so forth, here is the phone number for her counterpart. Also, on the _other_ issue, you two are going to have to keep under the radar still; she didn't have time yet to investigate what we needed her to. She promised when she called last night that she will get back to it, and find us a loophole as soon as she returns, but we're not sure if that will be this week or next week or next month. So, you two, try to control yourselves, huh?" He grinned at them both, knowing full well that their hormones were raging like a couple of teenagers'. _If they are as passionate with each other as they are about finding justice for victims, these two must be wild together_, he mused silently. "You guys, uh, think you can handle that?"

They both answered very seriously, "Yes, sir, of course."

"OK. Well, Charlie said he gathered what you needed, are you guys working from the lab together?" He suspected that if they were staying at work for the day, Booth would not be letting his partner out of his sight for very long, so would likely be setting up office at the Jeffersonian.

"No, actually, we're going to stop by there when we leave here," Booth started to say, but then Brennan interrupted softly, instilling a look of innocence as she leaned towards Booth, "don't forget, Booth, we need to make that crew stop before we get to the lab," she smiled sweetly as she reminded him of their previously issued challenge, as if it was just a routine delay.

Booth glared at her in disbelief. _You did __**not**__ just go there, Bones_… "What? A crew stop?" he hoped to derail the actual topic.

She smiled back, "yeah, Parker was trying to educate me on the finer details of racing, although I don't see the attraction of watching cars doing nothing but riding around an oval track for hours on end, it's quite boring, but anyway -"

"Bones!" he jumped in before she talked anymore. He desperately wanted to reach out and clamp his hand over her pretty little mouth again, but didn't _dare_ open that can of worms in front of the Deputy Director of the FBI… "It's a _pit stop_, not a crew stop. There is a _crew in the pit_ that works on the car, but it's a **pit stop**. And no, I haven't forgotten about our stop, Bones."

Both of their attentions were turned when Booth's boss burst out laughing. "Oh, my goodness. You two are perfect…Booth, it's a good thing you're fluent in speaking 'Dr. Brennan,' because I can't imagine anyone else understanding where she was going with that one…"

Bones looked at Sam, and while she knew he was joking affectionately, she couldn't resist, because she actually understood that joke. "Oh, Director, I assure you I was speaking English, do you need to have your hearing checked?" She kept her face perfectly neutral while Cullen burst out loud again, throwing himself back in his chair.

"Ha! Well, you know what, Temperance? I don't think I need my hearing checked, but I think that if I had to work with you every day I would have to go back to school and study _squint_."

They both joined in the laughter for just a few moments before turning back to the conversation at hand.

Cullen continued, "So, anyway, you two are going to make a" he chuckled, "_crew-stop_ then work from the lab, is that the plan?"

"Actually, no sir. We're going to gather whatever information the team has and take it back to my place to work through it. Bones is more comfortable sitting at home than she would be at work, for now, anyway. But if you need anything, I can be here in 10 minutes."

"NO, no, I don't expect to need anything, I was just trying to get a run-down of where my best team was going to be today. No problem. Oh, did Schneider and McCarthy hook up with your son and his mother today?"

"Yeah, they were right on time. They're following Rebecca's car all the way, and they've made arrangements with a local B&B to stay close by her parents' place while they're up there. Thanks for sending them, they're a good team, I've worked with them in the past."

"Well, I wanted to make sure your little protégé was well protected, Booth. The next generation is going to need another one of you to uphold the law, ya know."

Booth blushed at the compliment and swelled with pride that his boss saw the potential in Parker to be an upstanding citizen. "Well, thank you, sir. But I actually think that my son is more of an apprentice to my partner here, than to me. He idolizes the ground she walks on and has already advised me that he plans to become a forensic anthropologist. He says he wants to be 'just like Bones'." Booth smiled at Brennan, who was a little shocked that Parker flat out admitted that to Booth.

Parker had spent a lot of time at the lab with the team and in Science Club, but regardless of the amount of time she spent with him, she always suspected that he would still follow in his father's footsteps and join law enforcement. "Really? Was he serious when he said that, Booth?"

"More serious about that than he ever is, Bones."

Cullen spoke up, "Well, I don't know the other half of his family, but I know he has two great role models in his life on this half of his family." Cullen didn't miss the contented rosiness that rushed to both their cheeks when he referred to them as 'family.' They were more of a family than most blood relatives he knew, and he was so happy for them both. _Now if we can just get Caroline to find our loophole_… "Alright, you's guys, get outta my office, I'm tired of looking at ya's."

Booth rose with a wide grin, "Well, now, Director Cullen, listen to whose Philly accent is coming out now…" He circled around to the back of Brennan's chair.

"I'm not from Philly, that's you, Booth." Cullen shook his head at his slang slip-up. "I'm from Jersey; South Jersey."

Booth laughed as they made their way towards the door, "aahh – Philly, South Jersey, it's all the same; we all speak the same language, like it or not. As long as you're not from North Jersey, then you might as well be a _New Yorker_." He drew out a New York accent to make his point.

"Fuck you, Booth." Cullen retorted playfully. "Have a good afternoon, Temperance. It's great to have you back."

Bones called over her shoulder, "thank you Sam. It's good to be back."

Booth grumbled in humor, "Sure, I get a 'fuck you, Booth,' and you get a red carpet unrolled for you. Soon they'll be placing a crown on your head."

"I don't know what that means, Booth." Her trademark line brought about new chuckles from Booth as he pushed her into the elevator.

"Of course you don't, Bones… Of course you don't." One the doors were closed, he bent down and spoke into her ear, careful not to make any moves that would appear unprofessional, as there were cameras in the carriages. "You are going to pay for your little stunt up there, pretty lady."

She continued facing forward, looking at his reflection in the shiny metal of the closed doors. "Oh, good. I can hardly wait, Booth."

The elevator stopped two floors above where they needed to be and when the doors opened, they were met by a red-faced Hacker. He was about to step into the carriage when he looked up and saw who else occupied the space. He huffed and backed away, "I'll take the next one, I don't want to talk to you." He made a point to look down at Brennan. "Either of you."

"Fine by us, Hacker," Booth spoke as he reached out and depressed the 'close doors' button, and they both smiled at the aggravated man as the doors slid closed. To add insult to injury, just before the gap was completely closed, Hacker saw Booth bending towards Brennan and in his mind's eye, he was certain the Agent was kissing his partner. The Partners were _more than partners_ and, even if he had to go against Cullen's direct orders, he was going to make sure that people knew about them. He was tired of being made the fool to Agent Booth's heroics. He just had to devise a plan…

B/B/B/B

"Booth? Why are we pulling into the parking garage here?" Brennan looked around in confusion. He had driven them to the lab, rather than to one of their apartments, for their _pit stop_, as planned. She managed to hide it well to other people, but Temperance Brennan was horny as hell for her partner. She wanted to be surrounded by his Boothiness and he didn't do what he was supposed to do, and that was making her on edge. "You said -"

"I said," he grinned as he put the SUV in park and turned to her, "that if you behaved yourself, I would let you cum before we got to the lab. But you didn't, Bones…You were very, _very_ naughty." His eyes were dark with desire and she knew that look. He wanted it as bad as she did. She could see the pulse point on his neck throbbing beneath his olive skin.

"No, I didn't say anything embarrassing. I didn't say anything wrong!"

"See? That's where you're mistaken, my dear Dr. Brennan." He leaned close to her; she could feel his breath on her cheek as he closed in on her ear. Instinctively, she was drawn in towards him, but he backed away, grinning evilly. "You had to go and bring up our planned pit stop to my boss in our meeting. That was far from behaving. That was flat out mischievousness. You tried to embarrass me, but I am a quick thinker," he spoke with cockiness, "I was able to navigate around your little road block."

"You're crazy, Booth. I didn't misbehave. I just know you wouldn't want to lie about where we were going. And since you said we were coming straight here, but I knew we were not, I was trying to help you find your way back to the truth." She knew it was a lie…she knew _exactly_ what she was doing up in that office, but she didn't think Booth would actually make her wait. After all, he was sporting a hard on just thinking about sex. But here they were, sitting in his SUV in the parking garage of her lab, and she was still as sexually frustrated as she had been sitting in his office earlier that morning. "I was trying to help you save your soul, Booth. Lying is a sin in your religion."

His laughter filled the car. "Bullshit, Bones. You were challenging me, and guess what baby? You lost. I win this one, and now, as promised, you don't get your release until later…"

Behind his eyes, Bones witnessed a battle occurring; his self-constraint to hold out, abiding by his own set of game rules vs. the sheer sexual desire that wanted to break those very same guidelines. She smiled and reached up to his cheek, caressing it softly, "I'm sorry, Booth. I'll be good from here on out, I promise."

He grinned, "No you won't…I know you too well. You were having way too much fun teasing me." His eyes danced as he spoke. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, Bones." He leaned in and finally pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss. "But rules are rules, Bones. You misbehaved, and now you'll just have to wait." He laughed at her sweet pout. "Don't worry, Bones. I'll let you make it up to me later." He pulled back, opened his door and slid out of his seat.

As he closed the door, he heard Bones complain, "Wait a minute! You'll let _**me**_ make it up to _**you**_? What the hell, Booth?" She looked at him in disbelief as he circled around to her door, positioning her chair for her. When she swung her door open, ready to give him some grief, _(and throw in some squintiness just because)_, she was immediately assaulted by his hands splaying across her ribs as his lips affixed themselves to her neck, just below the ear. She wanted to fight the incredible feeling she experienced when his mouth was on her, but she couldn't, and her desire to playfully torture him dissipated. "Ahh, Booth…Mmm…"

She let him work his charm as he sucked and licked his way across her milky skin, finally ending at her bottom lip, which he nibbled lightly when he brought his palms up to her face. He looked deep into her blue eyes. "You know I love you, right Bones? I mean, I am hopelessly and eternally in love with you, and I love our games, baby."

She rested her forehead to his and rubbed their noses together. "I know, Booth. I love you too and, I must admit, I am highly aroused by our little sparring."

"C'mon, let's go see your little band of squints, Bones. Then we can get outta here." He pulled her into his arms and placed her in her seat, then they headed inside to see what else the team had uncovered.

B/B/B/B

They entered Hodgins' office to find the scientist hunched over a microscope and talking to himself.

"You know, Bug-man, you keep talking to yourself they're gunna get the men in the white coats to come take you away."

Jack didn't raise his eyes at Booth's comment, but he smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Like that would be a bad thing? I could hang out with Zach and talk about you people all day long." When he was done making notes on the clipboard that sat to his right, he eyed his friends. "Hey Dr. B; Booth," he nodded in turn, "what's up?"

"We just picked up the files over at the Hoover and are taking them back home to work on. Wanted to stop by in case you had anything new to add?"

"Naw, not yet. I'm running some tests, but haven't interpreted the results yet; they're not all in just yet. Mostly I'm trying to determine any unusual compositions that will help us to figure out where this woman has been and maybe that will lead you to where she's hiding out, you know?" He shrugged absently, "I mean, we already know who she is, but we have to figure out where she is so you can throw her ass in jail and leave her there." Then he nodded towards his wife's office. "Angie's working through the computer system, reviewing all of Julie's files from the prison where she was held. I don't know how far she's gotten on those yet."

"OK, Thanks, man. Gimme a call if you find anything. Maybe you and Ange wanna get together for dinner later?" He looked to Bones, who readily agreed, then back to Hodgins.

"You'll have to ask her. I'm game if she is, but she's the keeper of the social calendar. I just go along with whatever she wants." He smiled shyly as he felt his cheeks blush lightly.

Booth grinned and leaned towards his friend, "you're whipped, dude. It's a shame…" he teased Jack.

"Oh shut up, Booth. You're heading that way, too, you know. I give you another week before you're doing anything and everything Dr. B asks." It was his turn to observe the strong Agent's face flushing red.

"Oh hell, Jack, I'm already whipped. Have been for 8 years, man…" He and Bones made their exit from the Ookey room and headed over to Angela's office, where they found her skimming through files, using her overhead monitor to enlarge those she needed to read.

"Hi Ange," Brennan spoke first, happy to see her best friend.

"Hey, Sweetie; hey Studly." She beamed at them both. "Wow, you two are…glowing…Life must be good, relatively speaking."

Brennan didn't respond, but her smile grew and Angela didn't need any more confirmation than that. She winked at Booth and whispered, "nice job Studly. Haven't seen Bren this happy – in like – _forever_."

Booth rolled his eyes and Bones spoke up, "Angela, Hodgins indicated that you have a schedule into which you enter requested collective social proceedings involving both you and Hodgins?"

Angela gave her best friend a blank stare, jaw gaping, and then raised her eyes to the smiling Agent standing behind the wheelchair, where he was taking a long, slow drink from his bottle of water. She raised an eyebrow, waiting…

"Angela, are you and Jack free to join Bones and me for dinner later?" Booth interpreted for Angela, who was slowly trying to process the questions/statement that Brennan had put forth, but was coming up blank with a point.

"Oh, right, yeah. Why didn't you just ask, Bren?"

"I just did, Angela." She craned her neck to look up at Booth, "is it me, or are people getting dumber, Booth?"

Booth practically spit out his last mouthful of water, but managed to get it down without choking.

"Bones!"

Angela spoke at the same time, "Hey! I'm not dumb!"

Bones sat in her chair and folded her arms defiantly. "Well, it seems that no one understands anything I say. I've been out of work not even a week and people don't understand me! Over at the Hoover no one understands, now you don't understand… What's going on?"

"Bones, baby, they're just a little out of practice, that's all… A week is a long time for people to adjust to non-Brennan-speak."

"You know, Sweetie, it's a good thing I love you and I know you didn't mean that as a direct insult. Otherwise, I might not agree to have dinner with you two tonight. But since I know you so well, then yes, Jack and I will be happy to join you. How about if I give you a call when we're done here for the day, then we'll figure it out?"

Brennan smiled warmly, "that would be good, Ange. Do you have anything for us?" Her mind could change subjects immediately, often leaving her colleagues, friends and family in the dust. This time was no different. It took a few moments for Angela realized that her friend was asking about her research for the case.

"Uh, not yet. Everything I had, I sent to Charlie already, he was supposed to give it to you. But today, I am just separating anything that looks remotely relevant, then I will go back and pour over everything in more details."

"OK, well, we picked up the files from Charlie a bit ago, so we're going to hit the road, and start dissecting what we've got." Booth spoke as he looked at the collection of projected documents he saw stacked on the computer screen in front of them. "What is all that, Ange?" These are all the files from her prison profile. I'm still trying to find out how she got released. You'll see in the stuff I sent to Charlie, she was actually released as if she fulfilled her complete sentencing, but she didn't. She only served 4 years of her life sentence. So I'm trying to filter all her interactions and see who had access to her file. There's a lot of irrelevant information, it seems, but I'm going through it all slowly. I'll keep you posted."

"That's great, thanks Ange. Give us a call when you guys are ready to eat, we'll hook up." Booth started to back away and he heard the distinct clippity-click of Cam's heels echoing across the lab.

"Seeley? Dr. Brennan, how are you?"

Booth gave her a dark stare, "Camille…" his veiled threat was met with a humorous smile from his ex.

"Hello Dr. Saroyan. I am improving. Booth is a very good care-giver, you will be pleased." Brennan ignored Angela and the remark her sex-fiend-friend passed, regarding the only care-giving that Booth gave was via intercourse. She continued looking to her boss. "He said my back has improved greatly, and I think that my feet are showing a marked improvement, because I have been experiencing increased tingling in my extremities."

Cam smiled at Brennan then up at Booth. "Do you have time, Dr. Brennan, for me to take a look at your back? If any are ready, I can remove the stitches so your skin can begin to repair itself."

Bones looked to Booth for guidance, silently asking if they had time.

"Sure, we have time," he spoke, answering for his partner.

"Great," Cam smiled, "I'll bring you in my office, Dr. Brennan, where we can close the shades for privacy." She looked at Booth, dismissing him from hovering over his partner. "We won't be long, Booth. Excuse us." She smiled at the slightly shocked look he gave her as she whisked Dr. Brennan away from his grips.

He turned and looked at Angela, who was smirking knowingly. "Don't worry Studly, you know she's in good hands. She doesn't need you crowding her in, you'll only end up pissing her off." She looked at him thoughtfully then, "you know, I think that was the first time I personally witnessed her yielding to you to answer for her. I mean, when she's been hurt or upset, she's let you answer for her. But this time – Cam asked her a direct question, to which she was perfectly capable of answering…Yet she turned to you for her answer." She squinted her eyes suspiciously, "Who is that woman and what did you do with my best friend?" She laughed at her own joke as Booth walked over to her couch and flopped down.

"Angela, you know that's still her. She's still independent and strong, and don't you dare let her hear you indicate any different. I don't want her pulling back, huh?" He eyed her, knowing that she supported their relationship and would never purposely interfere by instilling doubt into his partner's brilliantly naive brain. But he knew, deep down, that if Bones caught wind of anyone witnessing her in a weakened state, she would pull back so fast it would make his head spin. And wrench out his heart in the process.

Angela picked up on his tension and smiled sadly. "Booth, she loves you. You love her. She's finally realized it; finally admitted it. She won't pull back now, she's in too deep. When she does something, you know as well as I do, she does it full-on; she gives herself wholly. You have her, Booth; heart, body, soul. She's not leaving you. But, I will not say anything to make her think differently, honest." She glanced over at Cam's office then sat down on the couch next to her friend. "Booth, I'm going to tell you something, and if you ever tell her I told you, I will disown you then find a way to make your body disappear forever." She took a deep breath. "Now, I'm not telling you this to make you sad, or for you to feel back, I am telling you this because I think it's important to know where Bren's coming from." She had his undivided attention, she could tell because his deep brown eyes were boring into her, as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs.

"Booth, when you came home with Hannah in tow, Bren spent more time at my house than she did at her own. She didn't understand the feelings that were at war within her. She never experienced jealousy before; she never experienced the feeling of true love lost. When she was in Maluku, she had finally come to terms with the mistake she made by turning you down, and in her mind, she was going to return to DC and everything was going to be just like it was when we all left, and she was going to run into your arms and you were going to embrace her. Except it wasn't like that…and she didn't know how to handle the situation. For once in her life, she didn't know how to compartmentalize her feelings, because she didn't understand them." She paused to sort her thoughts before continuing. "I lost count of how many nights I sat up with her, trying to make her realize that what she was feeling was the equivalent of mourning. She spent 7 years denying her true feelings and locking away any hope she had of ever having a family, for fear that she would be abandoned once she opened her heart. Then, when she finally realized that she wanted the same things that you did, it was too late. She felt she'd lost her chance forever. Even though the rest of us knew that it was only a matter of time before you both came back together and met in the middle, it was a harsh awakening for her. It was as if you'd died again, but you were still here, working side by side with her, and she was forced to face you with Hannah every day. She desperately tried to be happy for you, because she thought that was what she was supposed to do. She committed to herself that she would support you, in order for you to be happy, even though it tore her apart; and all the while she didn't realize what it was truly doing to her. It was pulling her back into hiding; her heart was hardening. In the evenings, when her false bravado faded into the darkness, she would come see me or call me and we'd talk. She'd open herself and tell me about the visions she'd had, involving you and her, a home, a family. She had thought that there was a chance at 30, 40, 50 years, but then she'd lost that chance when Hannah caught your attention." She saw that he was paling at the discussion. "Booth, listen, like I said, I'm not telling you this to rehash the past. I'm telling you this so you'll realize that she has loved you for a long time; she has envisioned a life together with you; and you are not going to lose her unless you flat out hurt her or abandon her, which I know you will never do." She reached out and touched his arm affectionately, "Do you understand why I wanted you to know this? Do you see that she thinks the world of you, Booth?"

"Thank you Angela. I didn't know it was quite that bad. I mean, I knew it was bad when I was with Hannah…but I never really knew. I didn't know that she felt so lost, Ange. I feel like shit. I mean, I know that you didn't intend that, but it doesn't change the fact that I was an asshole."

"Booth, don't be so hard on yourself. You went through hell for this relationship. Now, don't dwell on the past, just plan the future. Plan the future you both dream about, the one you both deserve. Show her every day that you love her, and she will show you, in return. She might not always know how, but I promise you, she will show you in her own ways. And no one understands her ways better than you do, Booth, so let her." She smiled at Booth and turned when she heard Daisy squeal, apparently when Cam brought Brennan out of her office. Angela gave his arm a final squeeze and moved to stand up. "Don't doubt her, Booth, she won't leave you; not now."

He stood up from the couch and schooled his facial expression so Bones wouldn't know something was wrong. He had to push aside the terrible memories of how he'd treated her for all those months. He had to focus on the here and now, and as Cam pushed her back in the office, his worries melted away at the look on her face. She was smiling, laughing at something Cam said that he hadn't heard. He didn't care what was said, he only cared that it made her smile; it made her laugh. She looked happy. Angela was right, Bones had a glow about her that he'd never seen before, even while sitting in the same room with her. Sure, he'd seen her glowing in other aspects, but this particular aura…it was one of happy contentment; it was one of someone who'd lost and found their most prized possession and he suddenly felt humbled that maybe – just maybe – he was that thing she'd lost and found. As cocky as he sounded to himself, when he looked at her, looking at him, that was how he felt.

Bones squinted her eyes, "What are you thinking about, Booth? What's that look for?" She observed the far-away look he had in his eyes while he was looking at her.

He smiled, flashing her the smile he _only_ gave to her. "I was thinking about how beautiful you look right now, Bones. Just – beautiful."

"Booooth…" she whined, "stop it!" she whispered loudly.

He laughed heartily, "Bones, they all know. It's _my_ people we need to keep our secret from!" She rewarded him with a shy bowing of her head. "You ready to go, Bones? We've got some files to dig through and I believe we have something to do before we delve into that, right?"

Her smile grew as she nodded enthusiastically as she started spitting out her sentences lit a rapid fire rifle. "Yes! Let's go. Bye Ange, Bye Cam. Thank you for taking out my stitches. Call if you have anything new to share. Leave a message if we don't pick up. Ange, call about dinner." She turned to Booth after taking a breath. "OK, I'm ready, let's go," she started to wheel herself, spinning her chair around and aiming for the elevator to take them to the garage level.

Ange and Cam looked at each other and then at Booth. "What did you promise her, Booth? Why's she so worked up? You're going to go have sex, aren't you!" Angela accused him happily.

"No comment. Gotta go, or she's likely to leave without me." He jogged after his girlfriend, who was rapidly rolling herself along… "Bones! Yo, Bones! Wait up! You're gunna hurt your hands wheeling yourself around, you don't have callouses built up yet. I want you to keep your hands nice and smooth, Booones! Wait up!"

The entire lab stopped what they were doing to chuckle at the partners as they entered the elevator, then they all returned to their respective jobs, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, watching Booth chasing Brennan. But then again… it _was_ pretty normal when they thought about it. It had been like that for 8 years…

**Postscript A/N**

**Thank you all for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! The last chapter my reviews dropped dramatically, so I think that either I have lost some of you, or the chapter was not among the best. At any rate, I'd love to hear your thoughts please! **

**A great big THANK YOU to those who have religiously left me messages, it's been a huge help and my Muse appreciates it immensely! swak**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N Welcome back to chapter 43! You know, it seems that most of my chapters end up around the 10,000 word mark… no matter how I try to cut them down, I just can't seem to insert a break to make them shorter…I hope that's OK! I don't want anyone getting bored by 10,000 word chapters!**

**Thank you all SO much for your reviews and words of confidence. I felt so much better after chapter 42 than I did after 41… I was feeling quite deflated, but you all pumped me back up, so I jump-started my Muse again! LOVE TO YOU ALL! **_**SMOOCHES**_

**Disclaimer…Well, much to my dismay, HH and Fox turned down my offer to buy the rights to Bones and all its characters… so I STILL do not own anything other than this little story line. But oh, how I LOVE the characters! **

"So, Bones, do you need anything from your apartment while we're out?" Booth asked her as they pulled out of the Jeffersonian parking garage. "We can swing by before going home." He paused, "um, well, I mean, before we go back to my place, that is." He reprimanded himself. If he didn't stop referring to his place as 'home,' she might start to get upset; after all, she had a home of her own, and they really hadn't yet worked out any of the logistics of the where/when they were going to actually start cohabitating.

"Yes, Booth, as a matter of fact, I could use a few things if you don't mind stopping." She started to speak then stopped herself and lowered her eyes to her hands where they rested in her lap. Booth noticed she looked deep in thought suddenly.

"What is it, Bones? What's wrong?" His concern for her was evident in his voice, even though she couldn't see his eyes while he drove.

"Booth, I – I don't want to, you know, _do_ anything at my place just yet. It's not that I don't want to be with you there…it's just, well…I'm not ready to go back to my bed yet." She sounded shy and scared and vulnerable; his heart went out to her.

"Bones, baby, that's not what I intended. I don't want you to think that I just wanted to stop by your place for sex." He pulled up alongside her building, claiming one of the parallel parking spaces curbside. "I just figured you may need something, I didn't mean to rush you into anything, I'm sorry if you thought I did."

"No, Booth, I just thought that maybe you were thinking of making _this place_ our 'pit stop', but I'm just not ready to face…my bed…just yet. But I will, soon." She met his eyes and smiled when she saw his complete understanding shining through his deep brown irises.

"Bones, I'm in no rush, honest. And I promise that I can control myself for the fifteen or so minutes it's going to take us to stop here and gather whatever it is you need. I will keep my hands to myself. Well, mostly." He grinned, putting her immediately at ease. "I'll never be able to keep my hands _completely_ to myself," he reached over and stroked her cheek as he brushed her lips with his, lightly and tenderly. "I've waited too long to be able to touch you – I will _never_ be able to stop touching you…."

She reciprocated his smile and nodded. "Thank you, Booth."

"No sweat, Bones. Hang on, I'll be right around." He slid from his seat and grabbed the chair from the back and met her by her door.

As they entered the lobby, she was greeted by the staff, all of whom were very happy to see her and they proceeded to fire questions and concerns her way. Booth waited patiently, while she answered all of their queries in turn, expressing her appreciation for their concern and thanked them for their diligence at keeping nosy reporters at bay; she reassured them that she was healing well and advised them that she would be remaining within the care of her partner for the immediate future.

The doorman on duty disappeared behind the desk momentarily and returned with a large bag of mail, which they'd been holding for her. "In addition to your mail, Dr. Brennan, there is a note in here that was left by a young gentleman, perhaps about your age, maybe a little older. He kept insisting that we let him up to see you, claimed to be family, but refused to give his name or further details when he noticed a couple of reporters lurking. We advised him that we were not permitted to allow entrance for anyone at this time. We made no indication that you were not here."

"Thank you, Walter." Brennan smiled at the older man while Booth grabbed the bag and opened it immediately, wanting to find the letter in question, concerned about the identity of the sender.

He found the handwritten envelope right away, 'Tempe' scrawled across the front in, very obviously, male penmanship. He handed the envelope to Bones and waited anxiously for her to open it. If he thought he could have gotten away with opening it himself and _not_ getting his ass kicked, he would have…But she would not have taken kindly to his alpha display in previewing all her mail, so he refrained.

She smiled when she looked at it. "Relax Booth," before she even opened it, she recognized the writing. "It's Russ." He visibly relaxed and looped back around behind her chair and resumed their path towards the destination of the elevators that would take them to her floor. She read silently to herself then let out a deep sigh. Booth stood behind her silently, waiting for her to speak; he knew she would when she was ready.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Apparently Dad didn't tell Russ anything. He came back from his trip last night and saw a brief article in one of the newspapers on his doorstep. The one right after the news broke about my abduction but before you found me." She held the letter up for him to read. He took it from her, but didn't read it, as she kept talking. "I guess he tried to call me, but, of course, my phone is gone. No answer on my land line brought him here this morning." She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm surprised he didn't call you, Booth. He should have your number."

Booth pulled his phone from his pocket to make sure he hadn't missed an incoming call. "Nope, nothing, Bones. No missed calls, no voicemail." He handed her the phone, "but go ahead and give him a call, babe. He needs to know you're OK."

She took the phone as they started to make their exit from the elevator and onto her floor. Booth opened her door using his set of keys and did a quick scan of the place, ensuring that everything looked safe before he turned back and pulled her into the foyer. He shut and locked the door after taking another glance up and down the hallway. Leaving Bones sitting in the midst of the entryway, he moved about the apartment, checking all the rooms, all the windows and closets. Once he was convinced they were alone, he returned to his partner and heard her arguing exasperatedly with Russ.

"No Russ; that's not necessary… But I _am_ fine… You could have called Dad you know." …. "Well, then why didn't you call Booth?" …. "Whose fault is that? Not mine; that's your own pride getting in the way." ….. "Russ, the media exaggerates facts, you know that." …. "I'm not staying at home, I'm staying with Booth…"

With that statement, Booth could actually hear her brother's reaction loud and clear as she pulled the phone away from her ear and looked for the volume button. A wrinkle marred her forehead as her jaw clenched. "That was uncalled for, Russ. And no, I will not come and stay with you and Amy. Booth is the only one I want with me while I recover." ….. "Yes, Russ, _I do_." … "Well, I trust _him_ more than I do _you_. **He** would never hurt me. **He **won't leave me."…. "You don't know what you're talking about, _Russell_." With that, she effectively ended the conversation by disconnecting the call and boldly looked towards Booth as he leaned against the wall, drinking a glass of ice water, daring him to comment on the one-sided conversation he heard.

He slowly pulled himself from his leaning position and closed the distance between them, holding out the glass to her in silent offering. She took it, drained it dry and handed it back to him, the ice cubes tinkling as they resettled on the bottom. He nodded slowly and took the glass. He dropped a smiling kiss on the top of her head and turned back towards the kitchen to refill his glass. He called over his shoulder, "You have no idea how adorable you are when you're defiant, Bones." He heard her chair rolling on the hardwood floor. "I take it Russ isn't too happy with your current living arrangement?"

"You know, Booth… How _dare_ he? He left me when I was 15. HE left me, just like my parents did, to fend for myself...He didn't know some of the hellish places I lived…What I had to endure as a foster child… And now, for him to question my ability to make a rational decision regarding my own well-being…he just….AARRRGGGHHH" she quietly screamed in frustration and punched her hand onto the surface of the kitchen table. Immediately, she pulled her hand back and looked at her knuckles, regretting her decision and rash behavior.

"Bones," Booth carefully took her hand in his as he sat in the chair next to her. He held her hand gently in his larger one, turning it over and back as he looked for permanent damage. She tried to pull from his grasp, but he didn't let her. Shaking his head and holding her wrist tighter, he looked at her eyes, "Uh-uh, Bones, you don't get to pull away from me… Not anymore…" He looked back down at her pinky finger, which looked like it took the brunt of her anger, and he squeezed the knuckle, "does this hurt?"

"A little," she pouted, "but it's not broken, I just didn't think about how much it would hurt."

"Well, baby, that's what happens when you punch a solid wood surface," he smiled gently and brought her fingers to his lips, and dropped kisses on each one in turn. He looked back at her deep blue oceans, "he's just worried about you, Bones. It's what brothers do. We worry."

"He lost his right to worry about me almost two decades ago, Booth. The day he walked out, he forfeited that right."

"He'll always worry about you. He tried to contact you for several years, you know that, Bones. Hell, he was a kid, not much older than you were when he left. He was just a _kid_, Bones; cut him a little slack, he's trying to make it up to you, he's trying to have a sibling relationship." His words were quiet, but firm. He knew he had her attention, because she wasn't fighting him; instead she just stared at their intertwined fingers and she slowly sighed.

"He said it was your fault, Booth. He blamed you…" She raised sad eyes to meet her partner's. "He said that it was your fault for not protecting me. But that's not true! He doesn't know _anything_; he doesn't know you, he doesn't know me… He has no right to say those things. He doesn't know what happened, Booth…" Her eyes were threatening to betray her and spew forth tears of frustration.

He was shocked that Russ would actually blame him for Bones' unfortunate situation, but he held his temper in check, because he had to be strong for her. "OK, Bones…You're right, he doesn't know what happened. So, tell you what, call him back and ask him to come over to my place today. Tell him to meet us there for lunch and we'll explain what happened."

She just shook her head, "No, I don't want to see him."

He said nothing; he just took the phone from her lap where it sat. Then after a moment of mutual silence, he continued. "OK, well, go get whatever it is you need. Do you need my help with anything?" He was not surprised when she shook her head to the negative.

"No, I'll be right out." She rolled her way down her hallway as he flipped to 'recent calls,' highlighted the number that was dialed mere moments ago, and hit 'send.'

"_Hello?"_

"Russ, this is Booth."

"_Well, I am glad you called, there pal. What the hell-"_

"Russ, I'm not going to argue with you over the phone. If you want to see your sister and you want to learn what happened, just come meet us at my place this afternoon."

"_Why, so you can arrest me?" _

"Did you do something that I should know about?"

"_No, but you seem to like arresting my family, man. And then you have the nerve to let my little sister get hurt." _

"Look, Russ. I didn't _let_ this happen. Believe me, if I could make all her pain go away, I would. But we can't go back in time and take away the hurt that she's experienced in her lifetime, can we…?"

The unspoken point to Booth's statement hung in the air, a silent reminder that Russ had been a major part of Brennan's pain in her past.

"Now, if you would like to meet us, so we can talk, and so you can better understand, I'm inviting you to my place. If you don't want to meet like a civilized human being, and discuss what happened to your sister, then understand this – I want you to stay the _fuck _out of her life. For good. I'm not going to stand by and watch as the woman I love is mentally tormented by a family who loves her, and then leaves her, only to come back and lecture her on how she should lead her life. She's done well for herself. Damn well, no thanks to you or your father."

"_Booth, you listen here -"_

"**No**, you listen." Booth's voice got deadly serious. "If you want to find out what happened, learn how all this went down, then you will be at my place in 45 minutes. If you don't, then I will know that you have turned your back, once again, on your little sister. And you don't get to hurt her a second time, Russ. You hurt her once, but I wasn't there to protect her then…I'm here to protect her now and you will _not _get another chance."

His words were met with silence.

"You remember where I live?"

"_Yes."_

"Good. I expect we'll see you soon, then?"

"_Yes."_

"Good man. She will appreciate it. Oh, and if you tell her I called you back, after she hung up on you, I will break your legs. Slowly and painfully."

He ended the phone call, much like his partner did, without waiting for a reply. He turned to look over his shoulder and he could hear her, still shuffling around in her bedroom. Rising from his chair, his took his now-empty water glass back to the kitchen and washed it. He made his way back down the hall and stood just inside the doorway to her sanctuary.

On the bed, she had a small canvas bag into which she placed a few incidental items. Then he felt warmth spread through his chest as he saw what she was gripping in one of her hands as she used the other to rummage through a drawer. Peeking out, just above her tight little fist, he could see the tiny snout of a pig. _Jasper. She still has Jasper_, he thought with a smile. She didn't see him standing there as she lovingly placed Jasper into the bag, along with whatever else she'd just retrieved from her bedside drawer. An absentminded smile graced her lips as she zippered the bag closed. He moved into the room and she turned to smile at him as he approached.

"You about ready?" he spoke, as if he didn't see what she'd just packed.

She nodded, "Yes, just a few things here that, well, a few things that are of importance to me." She smiled and pulled the bag onto her lap. Bones met Booth's loving glance and rolled towards him, "what are you thinking about now? That's the same smile you had at the lab, Booth."

He sat down on the edge of her bed and met her eye to eye. "Same as always, Bones... I'm marveling at how beautiful you are." He touched her cheek lightly, tracing his forefinger down her cheekbone and stopping just at the corner of her soft lips. "You're incredibly gorgeous, Bones, and I can't believe that I can finally just say it whenever I want…And," he grinned, "I can openly stare at you without the threat of you kicking my ass half way across DC."

"Hey, I can still kick your ass, Agent Booth…Maybe not today…but I _soon_ will be able to kick your ass again, don't you forget it." She met his laughter with a light hearted giggle of her own.

He leaned over and let his lips linger on hers for a few seconds then ushered her from her room, and from her apartment. Their ride back downstairs in the elevator was filled with idle chatter and longing looks passed between the partners.

After leaving her place, he glanced at her in the SUV. "Do you want Thai for lunch, Bones? We can pick it up on the way back home."

She nodded, accepted his offered phone, and called in their regular order. Before she hung up, Booth asked her to order an extra quart of rice, which earned him a confused look from his life-partner. "Why did you want me to order extra food, Booth?"

"Well, you know… I don't have a lot of quick grub at the house, and in case anyone pops over today, we'll have some to share; or we can have it tomorrow." He knew he'd been caught. He never plans to have food in the house for anyone to 'pop' in, unless it's food for her. She knew that… She knew he had an entire section of his kitchen reserved for vegetarian food, just for her. But other than that, she'd never known him to buy extra 'just in case.'

"What's going on, Booth? Why did I order extra food?"

"I called Russ back, Bones." He felt her anger like electricity in the air. "Now, before you get all pissed, just hear me out, ok?" She didn't respond, so he took that as his cue to continue. "Bones, it's your brother. He's supposed to be all over-protective and shit, even though you don't understand it. Trust me, that's how brothers are. I just think that he needs to know what happened. He needs to see that you are, in fact, all in one piece. I don't want you to push your family out of your life, Bones."

With that, she interrupted. "I don't _want _to see him, Booth! Sometimes, I swear, you are such a stupid, _stupid_ man! You don't think before you open your big mouth! You think you know everything, and dammit, Booth, you _don't!_" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the passenger window, refusing to make eye contact with her best friend. "You have no right to try to control my actions, Booth; and you're trying to control who I see and when I see them. You're trying to make me do things that I don't want to do. I don't approve of it nor do I appreciate it."

"Bones," he spoke as he pulled up outside their favorite Thai take-out joint, he silently implored her to look at him, which she promptly and stubbornly refused to do. "Bones, please-"

"Booth, our order is surely ready by now; you should go in there and get it."

He silently moved from his seat and walked into the restaurant, the impact of their newest disagreement weighing heavily on his shoulders. Lunch wasn't quite ready, so he stood by the counter and waited. He turned once to look at her through the windows and when she saw him, she turned away, looking then out the driver's side windows. _Shit, I shouldn't have told her…but I didn't want to lie. She thinks I'm stupid. She thinks I am trying to control her. I'm just trying to help…_

When he returned to the SUV, the ambience in the cab was just as cold as it was when he left. "Booth, take me home."

"That's where we're going, Bones."

"Not _your_ home. _My_ home. I don't want to be with you right now. You betrayed me. You knew I didn't want to see Russ, but you still called him and told him to come over. I will not kowtow to your every whim, Booth. I make up my own mind; _**I **_decide who I see and when; I am an independent woman and have lived my life this long without being told what to do. I refuse to start taking orders now, just because you think that since we're together that you can dominate me. Take me home."

"Bones, don't…" He leaned forward, trying to catch her gaze. She refused to meet his pleading eyes.

"NOW!"

He grabbed the phone from where is sat on the center console. Flipping to the phone number in question, he dialed. "Don't bother coming over, Russ…Forget it, she doesn't want to see you…Stay pissed at each other all you want, but if you show up at my place, I will shoot you." He hung up without waiting for a response and without another word. He threw the phone back in the console and ignored it when it rang.

She looked at him incredulously. "What the hell, Booth?"

He looked at her, locking a hard stare on her fire-angry blue eyes. "Be as mad as you want, Bones. But I was _trying_ to help you. I was trying to ensure that you still had a connection with your blood family. And I hoped, foolishly, that you would want Russ to get to know _me_ a little better, so he doesn't think I am just some douche-bag wanting to get into his sister's pants. I would have _hoped _you would have let me have that one. But I guess I was wrong. I guess I really _am_ stupid…I thought this was more to you." He cranked the wheel hard as he turned back towards her place.

Instead of focusing on the words that he'd just spoken, she was locked on the fact that he had threatened Russ. "You can't just call and threaten my brother like that! You have no right!"

"Bullshit, Bones. I invited him, now I uninvited him. And anyone who shows up to my apartment uninvited is fair game at this time. If you're not going to be there with me, I'm not going to try to defend you to him. I'm not going to try to defend myself to him, nor will I try to explain _us_ to him. Why should I, if it's not worth it to _you_? You don't want to be with me, fine. I'll take you home – I wouldn't want to _force you into anything you didn't want_." She could see the anger in his face, in his throbbing neck, in his firmly set jawline.

He threw the SUV into park in front of her apartment building, cut the ignition and, without so much as a glance to her, he stormed out of his side of the car. When he ripped open her door, he already had her wheelchair in place. He reached in, and while he was not as loving and gentle as he normally was, he was still careful as he pulled her from her seat. He set her down and handed her the canvas bag she had brought along not even a half hour ago. He also handed her take-out down to her, grumbling "you still have to eat."

He pushed her up the ramp leading to the lobby and as the doorman started to greet them warmly, welcoming them back, Walter silenced himself when he saw the looks on their faces. Dr. Brennan was silently weeping, biting her lip in attempt to silence her cries. Agent Booth's jaw was stone hard and his eyes were black in anger.

Booth stopped in front of the elevator and stood behind her chair, pulling at his key ring. Just as the elevator doors opened, he dropped the key to her apartment door into her lap. "I'll have Agent Shaw call you with any updates on your case. I'll have Angela pick up your belongings."

She turned her big blue eyes up to him, "Wha-What? What?"

"You don't want me, Bones. You made that pretty damn clear. I'm nothing but a stupid FBI cop and you're too much of an independent woman. I guess I was just a biological satisfaction for you, huh?" He started to storm away, then growled back at her, "or was I an experiment? You didn't have enough of fucking with my emotions over the past 8 years…You just had to screw with me a little more, huh…" He fought back his own tears as she turned her chair towards him. "I can't... I can't be your toy anymore... I'll be your partner again, eventually…but nothing more." A tear escaped from the corner of his dark chocolate eye. "You wanted me to leave you here, and so, I am. This is _your_ choice, Temperance. Not mine. I'm not walking away from you; you've pushed me away this time." He turned his back to her and, with just a few long strides, made his exit from her building, and she feared, from her life.

She realized as soon as the glass door closed behind him, that she was wrong to doubt his motives. Like so many other times, she jumped to the wrong conclusion. The _very_ wrong conclusion. She prided herself on _not_ making assumptions; instead she was the one who gathered the facts, weighed all the variables and presented a reasonable solution or answer. Except this time, she messed up. She insulted the man who loved her. She out-right accused him of betraying her trust, when he obviously was trying to help her. And she let him walk out of her life…

"Walt-Walter – please, stop him! Please!" She threw her bag and her lunch on the floor and started wheeling towards the doors through which he had just left. Walter was already out on the sidewalk, waving his arms frantically as the black FBI-standard-issue SUV drove off into the distance.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, I didn't catch him in time. I tried…" Walter looked defeated as he locked eyes with his favorite resident. "Would you like me to go after him? I can clock out early and go find him…"

She lowered her face into her hands and cried openly. She cried out loud and sobbed as the older man looked on. He had never seen Dr. Brennan so upset. He'd never seen her distraught like this, and he was concerned. As he raised his hand to her shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort, she shook her head, "No, Walter. I don't want you to go after him. Thank you for the offer, though." She started to turn her chair around when she realized that the weight was taken from her hands. Walter was pushing her, silently trying to help in the only way he could.

"I've got you, Dr. Brennan. I'll help you back upstairs, my dear." He often thought of this young woman as a daughter. He'd lost his own daughter several years back, to cancer. He'd watched Temperance Brennan over the past decade, grow and mature from a young ambitious 20-something when she first moved in, to the confident, accomplished 30-something who was now broken hearted at the fight she'd just endured with her 'partner', who was obviously so much more…

He pushed her through the lobby and to the elevator. He scooped up her bag and lunch container and handed them to her gingerly. While they waited for the carriage to return to the ground floor, he rubbed her shoulders and quietly consoled her as best he could. When they arrived at her front door, she allowed him to unlock the door for her before she bid him a grateful goodbye. "Call downstairs if you need anything, Dr. Brennan. Anything at all." And with that she closed the door quietly and sobbed harder than she could ever remember sobbing before.

B/B/B/B

Booth made his way up to his apartment by taking the stairs, trying to burn some energy and anger. _Dammit all to hell! What is it about her that drives me mad? She thinks I'm just an idiot. Yeah, I guess I was an idiot to believe that I could ever make her really love me. Who am I? I'm nothing more than a dumb street-kid jock from Philly who got a lucky break and got the hell outta there. Why did I ever have to get partnered with her? If we weren't partners, we would never have met; we wouldn't run in the same circles, we wouldn't associate with the same people. Hell, as it is, I don't have any friends of my own… all __**my**__ friends are __**her**__ friends! Shit! I can't even call anyone to talk – they'd all be on her side… 'Sure, Booth…like you really thought she could ever love you?' No one would back me up; not when it comes right down to it. They're her friends. They probably __all __think I'm an idiot… Christ…What the hell am I going to do now… _

Booth continued to berate himself as he approached his door. Agent Duke was off duty and the Agent on duty looked familiar to Booth, but he couldn't remember his name. At that particular moment, he didn't care, because he wanted to be by himself. He nodded curtly at the younger man and unlocked his door, letting it slam closed behind him.

He threw the case files onto his dining room table and went to the fridge to grab a beer. _When did today go so terribly wrong? What the hell happened? We went from being on a mission to come home to make love to a disaster that completely fell apart…I was trying to help her __and__ her brother. I was trying to bring them together. Did she really mean those things she said? Does she really think I'm stupid? Probably…. Hell, compared to her, Einstein would be stupid…_

Booth pulled out his phone and sent a text to Angela.

**Ange – Bones is pissed me- seriously. She doesn't want 2B w me, so she's her place. Can U stop by & p/u her stuff 2 take 2 her? Sry – dinner's off 2nite. Thx. Booth**

Once the message was sent, he sat at the table and opened his container of rice, intent on eating straight from the box. He spread out some of the files, to see what Charlie gathered for him, and started to separate them into piles, quickly glancing and skimming for anything that jumped out at him, but planning to review more in depth once he had a system set up. Something shiny caught his attention out his window, towards the building across the street, but he wasn't sure exactly what. He stood from his chair, slowly, trying to focus on whatever it was that drew his eye.

As he started to move around the curve of the table, a shot rang out, the bullet piercing through the window pane and burying itself deep into his lower left shoulder. As his body spun to the left from the bullet's momentum, a second shot made its way into the tiny room, shattering a second window and grazing his chest. Had he not allowed his body to turn from the force, the second bullet would have interred itself deep into his chest; most likely it would have been a kill-shot. He dropped flat to the floor as Agent Davis busted down the front door. _Agent Davis, that's his name_…

"Agent Booth? Agent Booth!" Davis was by his side, gun drawn and scoping the apartment.

Booth struggled to try to sit up, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Blood was gushing from the wound; it was deep, Booth knew. The front of his shirt was growing bright red from the additional blood brought about by the grazing across his chest. He raised his right hand and grabbed Davis' shirt. "Bones! Bones is at her place. Get back-up over there. NOW! She's by herself! Arrhhhgg, Christ!" He crumbled back down in pain, his left arm useless.

Agent Davis spoke into his radio, ordering backup to Brennan's address then requested an ambulance to Booth's apartment. He applied pressure to Booth's shoulder, reassuring the senior agent that help was on the way.

Booth started to grow light-headed and the pain in his shoulder and arm started to numb. _That's not a good sign…the pain should be bad; should be almost unbearable. But it's numb…_ "Bones – Bones… Gotta get Bones…"

"It's OK, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan is going to be fine, there's a team enroute to her place now. You try to rest; an ambulance is on its way here too." Sirens could already be heard in the nearing distance.

"She needs to be kept safe. Make sure she's safe. And…tell her I love her." Booth started to see black spots before his eyes. His felt a searing pain cut through his head, and he brought his right palm up to press against his temple. "Davis, tell her…Ahh… my head fucking _**hurts**_!" Booth grimaced in pain as he let his head fall back down. "Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her..."

"Agent Booth? Agent Booth! Stay with me, here, man!" Davis was applying pressure to his injured counterpart when he saw the blood seeping out from behind Booth's head. Maintaining as much pressure as he could with one hand, Davis rolled Booth's head slightly and saw that when the larger man dropped to the floor, he'd hit his head on something sharp, resulting in an open gash across the upper side of his skull, which was bleeding profusely. Booth wasn't responding to Davis, having lost consciousness mere seconds after delivering his message for Bones.

The EMTs were in Booth's apartment within minutes, but to Davis, who'd been pressing down heavily on Booth's shoulder, it felt like hours. After briefing the medical technicians on the situation, as best Davis could, Booth was whisked away and rushed to the hospital.

FBI agents swarmed Booth's apartment and the complex across the street. Davis was put in charge of managing the comings and goings of those at the apartment, and when a curly-haired man appeared at the side of a tall and beautiful dark haired woman, he whipped out his hand, intent on stopping their progression towards Agent Booth's apartment. It was obvious the couple knew the Agent when concerned questions were fired at him.

"What's going on? What's happened? Where's Booth?" The pair asked in rapid fire.

"Please, folks, back away. You can't be here..."

"No way, man," the shorter man said, "We're part of Booth's team. What's going on?"

"What do you mean 'part of Booth's team'? Which team?"

"Booth's 'squint' team, from the Jeffersonian. What the _hell_ is going on?" Angela got in the man's face, demanding an answer.

"Well, Agent Booth was…injured…he's on his way to the hospital," Davis started to explain when he noticed sheer panic light up in Angela's eyes.

"Oh my God…Brennan…"

"No, ma'am, Dr. Brennan was not with Agent Booth. She should have been picked up by another team about five minutes ago; she was at her own apartment."

"I know Bren wasn't with him! Oh God, Jack, I need to get over there to her." Angela turned to her husband.

"Ma'am-" Davis started –

"Angela. My name is Angela and Brennan is my best friend. And our colleague."

"Well, Angela, Dr. Brennan would have been taken into protective custody moments ago, there is no use in going to her. Once you have clearance from the FBI, you may be able to contact her."

"No way," Jack interjected, "Dr. B wouldn't go anywhere without seeing Booth. Or talking to him at the very least." Just then, they heard Booth's phone ringing from inside the apartment. They knew the ringtone. It was Brennan's personal ringtone that Booth had assigned to her - it was their song; "Hot Blooded."

_Meanwhile…._

Brennan heard loud banging at her front door. At first she thought it might be Booth; she hoped it might be Booth. But as she approached her entryway, she could see shadows playing under the door, through the barely noticeable gap. Too many shadows to be Booth and the hairs on the back of her neck started to rise.

"Who is it?" she asked cautiously as she started to roll herself further back from the door.

"Dr. Brennan? This is Agent Shaw. Can you open up for me, please?"

Brennan recognized the woman's voice and wondered why she was there. Slowly, she opened the door and saw no less than 5 people gathered outside her door. Shaw had her gun drawn but lowered. "Dr. Brennan, are you alone?" Shaw's voice was quiet and her eyes strained with tension.

Brennan opened the door wide, "Yes, of course. What are you doing here?" She paused momentarily. "Wait a minute…Did Booth send you?" sudden anger edged its way into her voice_. Oh, so he thinks that just because I am here alone, I can't handle myself… is that it? I'm going to kick his ass when I get back over there_…

Shaw nodded her head, "Yes, Dr. Brennan. We're here under orders from Agent Booth." She started to enter the tiny foyer and was stopped by a hand thrust at her.

"No! I don't want you here. I can handle myself. I don't need protection and if that…._alpha male_bastard…wants to see me, he can come here himself. He needn't send a team to 'fetch' me like a damsel in trouble."

_Distress_, Shaw thought silently. _Damsel in Distress._ "No, Dr. Brennan, you don't understand-"

"Oh, I understand perfectly well, Agent Shaw. I know you are only doing what you're ordered, but you can tell Seeley Booth that if he wants to talk to me, he can damn well do it himself." Her jaw was locked in a stern expression. _Why am I so angry with Booth? Why does he do this to me? HOW does he do this to me? He is so incorrigible! OK, so I was wrong earlier, but to send an entire team out? This is ridiculous! Even for him!_

"No, really, Dr. Brennan. You don't understand yet. Please let me explain." Shaw implored her and saw that, although reluctantly, Dr. Brennan was going to listen. "Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth was…hurt. Injured. And he insisted that we get a team over here ASAP to ensure your safe transportation to a secure location. You may not be safe here."

Shaw waited for a moment, watching as Brennan processed what she had just been told.

"What? Booth? What happened? Where is he? Injured _how_, Agent Shaw!" Bren started to wheel herself back into her living room, heading for her telephone on the end table.

Shaw called after her, and started to follow her into the home, and she indicated for her accompanying team to hang back. "Umm, Dr. Brennan, I am not certain of exactly what happened. I was just told that Booth gave an order to Davis who called it in to us. And we are to take you to a secure location. We are going to head over to the Hoover to start with, where we will await Cullen's further instructions, unless he catches us before we leave here. You should pack an overnight back, ma'am."

But Brennan wasn't listening. She was calling Booth's phone, but it went to voicemail. She then tried his land line, which also went unanswered. In a panic, she dialed his cell again, praying to a God in whom she didn't believe that he would pick up. _He's hurt. We argued and he's injured. I need to talk to him. Why isn't he picking up? How injured is he? He gave an order, so he can't be that bad, right? Dammit, Booth! Pick up your friggin' phone! He wants me taken to a safe location. What the hell happened?_ Then she heard the ringing stop, just seconds before she expected the voicemail to pick up again.

Sighing a breath of relief, she waited to hear his voice come over the airwaves, but it wasn't to be… She heard a familiar voice, but it certainly wasn't Booth's.

"Sweetie? Bren, are you there?"

"Angela? What are you doing with Booth's phone? Where is Booth?"

"Sweetie, where are you?" Angela avoided the question.

"I'm at home with a group of uninvited FBI agents at my door, _none_ of whom are my partner. But they want me to go with them… and I want to talk to Booth. What's going on? Where. Is. Booth?"

"Sweetie, sit tight. Jack and I are on our way, tell the Agents that you are **not** going with them, but let them stay until we arrive. We'll be there in a few minutes." Angela ended the call far too early for Brennan's liking. She wanted answers. She wanted to know what the hell was happening and she wanted her partner. Their argument long forgotten, her stomach ached in anxiety. She stared at the receiver in her hand then turned her eyes to Agent Shaw who was standing by, expecting to be obeyed. _Where's my Partner? Where's my Booth? _

"Agent Shaw, I will not be accompanying you at this time, but I beg you to wait until Angela and Jack Hodgins arrive."

"Dr. Brennan-" Shaw began, but then saw the determination in the eyes of her superior's partner. _Wow, she can be intimidating when she wants to be, can't she…._ Shaw called out to the guys in the hall, "Angela and Jack Hodgins are on their way. Permit their entrance."

Brennan sat silently, fretting over what may have happened. She turned to Shaw, "Please Agent Shaw, tell me what happened."

"I very honestly don't know, Dr. Brennan. Like I said, we were only responding to a call from Davis. We don't know anything. If I did, I would tell you…I know how close you and Agent Booth are..."

Brennan lowered her eyes to the floor. _Oh God, I fought with him and told him I didn't want to be with him… I told him he was stupid…I accused him of betraying my trust…Please forgive me Booth…If I was with you, maybe you wouldn't have been injured. What happened! Oh Angela, please hurry…_

As if in answer to her silent plea, loud footfalls could be heard running in the direction of her apartment. She and Shaw looked up to see Angela come to a sudden halt in the open entryway, trying to catch her breath; she had obviously run all the way upstairs rather than wait for the very-slow elevator. "Bren – Bren…" Angela bent forward, still gasping for oxygen. "c'mon, we need to get to the hospital."

She moved towards her friend and ignored the objections coming from Shaw's direction…until Agent Shaw actually stepped in front of Angela to stop her progress. "Mrs. Hodgins, you cannot take Dr. Brennan to the hospital. I am under direct orders to take her into custody and move her to the Hoover before proceeding on to a safe locale."

Angela's normally soft features turned to stone and she stood nose to nose with the young agent. "Listen here, Shaw, Bren's coming with me to the hospital to see Booth. He needs her with him; trust me, I've known these two a lot longer than you have. She _needs _to be there with him. Now, if you would like to accompany us, that would be just grand, feel free, but she's coming with me. You can arrest me later, but not before I get my best friend over to see the man she loves before he goes in for surgery."

Brennan interjected, "WHAT? Surgery for what, Ange? Someone tell me what the HELL is going on? Why is Booth in the hospital?" She placed herself between Angela and Shaw, wheeling over Shaw's toes in the process.

Angela squatted down in front of her friend, resting her own hands on Brennan's. "Sweetie, Booth was shot. Twice. He's going to need you. So, whatever happened, you need to put that behind you and be his partner, Bren. You need to be there for him."

Just then, Shaw's phone rang. After stepping away for a few moments, she returned to the ladies waiting in the middle of the living room. "That was Director Cullen. He, too, wants us to bring you to the hospital, Dr. Brennan. Apparently Agent Booth is in and out of consciousness and when he is awake, he's asking for you and refusing treatment. But I guess he needs to be attended to, right away. Cullen is waiting for us in the ER."

B/B/B/B

Angela pushed her best friend through the automatic doors of the George Washington University Hospital ER and straight over to where the Deputy Director of the FBI stood impatiently waiting. When he saw them coming, he took over pushing the chair and dismissed Angela, as she was not permitted back in Booth's room.

"Temperance, I don't know what happened between you and Booth today, but whatever it was, you need to stay calm. He's going to need you level-headed and even-keeled. He's in stable but very serious condition and he's lost a lot of blood. He was shot in the shoulder, and the bullet is still lodged deep inside. He was almost shot a second time, but by the grace of God, the bullet only skimmed across his chest, causing fairly superficial wounds. But he's in and out of consciousness and he's refusing any assistance until he could see you, Temperance."

Cullen stopped talking as they approached Booth's private room. The doctor on duty was standing outside at the nurse's station. He turned when he saw the Deputy Director pushing the woman in the wheel-chair, hoping that this was the infamous Temperance Brennan for whom his patient was demanding.

"Dr. Wheeler, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan, Agent Booth's partner." Cullen made quick introductions and allowed the two doctors to converse.

"Dr. Wheeler, what details can you provide to me regarding Booth's condition?" Brennan was in full-on scientific-mode as she listened and processed the doctor's diagnosis. After the doctor finished his debrief, Brennan excused herself for a moment and pulled out Booth's cell phone, which she had commandeered from Angela. Once she completed a few phone calls, a familiar voice called out from behind the closed door to Brennan's back.

"I want my partner! And I want her nooow!" Booth's pained voice rang through the hall and Brennan paled when she heard his obvious distress.

The nurse scuttled out of the room and closed the door behind her as she exhaled in frustration. "Doctor, you need to find this man's partner…He's uncontrollable and will not accept the pain medication that I am trying to administer. And he's too strong to try to over-power. Whoever this partner is must be either a saint or insane to put up with this man…"

"You'd be wise to not attempt overpowering Agent Booth, nurse." Brennan spoke matter-of-factly as she leveled her eyes at the woman. "And I am neither a Saint nor am I insane; Agent Booth is one of the highest ranked FBI Agents in the DC field office and is a highly decorated Army Veteran. You are obviously incompetent as a nurse; you can't control your patients nor can you understand their needs in order to help them, and it appears you are in the wrong profession. Now, move aside so I can go see my Partner." She rolled forward giving the woman a seething stare. She ignored the snickering she heard coming from behind her, knowing it was Cullen and he had apparently enjoyed the 'show,' as Booth always liked to say. Brennan turned her head slightly, as the phone at the nurse's station was ringing. "Dr. Wheeler, that will likely be a call for you. I called in a few favors, they will explain."

The nurse moved aside and allowed the bossy, out-spoken woman to pass. When Brennan got into the room, she allowed the door to softly close behind her before she moved the curtain aside to reveal _her_ Booth.

Not knowing it was his partner entering the room, Booth, who was angled slightly away from the door, yelled at his intruder, "Don't bother coming back in here unless you have news from Bones. That's Dr. Temperance Brennan, _to you_! She's my Partner and I don't want anyone to talk to me about my condition until she's here!"

Bones' breath hitched when she got closer to the bed, causing Booth to jerk his head around, eliciting a yelp of pain from deep within his throat.

"Booth-" Bones' voice was barely more than a whisper. "Booth-" She couldn't form a sentence as she fought back fresh tears.

"Aw, Baby," Booth motioned her closer, using his right hand, wanting to touch her. "Bones," his tears pricked the corners of his eyes. "Bones, c'mere. Please."

She moved as close to his bed as she could get, then pulled herself from the chair and crashed into his uninjured shoulder, paying no mind to the sear of pain that coursed up her legs from her not-yet-completely-healed feet and ankle. "Booth! I'm so sorry. I never meant those things, Booth. I love you and I'm so sorry I wasn't with you." She was sobbing into his neck as he used his good hand to rub large circles across her back.

"Shh, baby, I'm going to be alright." He kissed the top of her hair, "I think… I don't really know what the hell is happening; I just know I didn't want anyone giving me medicine until you were here. I don't want to end up in another coma, Bones." As he tried to raise his head so he could look down at her, another bout of blackness threatened to envelop him, so he eased his head back to the pillow.

Bones immediately recognized the change in his body language and realized she should be consoling _him_, not the other way around. On shaky legs, she lowered herself back to her chair and gripped his right hand. "OK, listen to me, Booth. I am going to tell you what's happening. I just spoke with your doctor outside in the hall. I hear you've been making quite the fuss, but the way," she smiled at him, pleased that he still wanted her by his side.

"Yeah, well, I needed my girl by my side, Bones. Have you seen her? She's real cute…And she's a genius…" He tried to joke, but the pain in his shoulder reared its ugly head again, causing him to spasm in discomfort.

"I'll keep an eye out for her, Booth. In the meantime, I want to explain some things to you. Are you listening? I promise to put this is layman's terms, Booth. No squint-speak." She waited for his eyes to open again, once the sharp pain subsided. "Well, you're losing consciousness on and off because you have a slight concussion. It appears that when you fell, you hit your head on something, which caused some damage; but nothing permanent, as far as they can tell at this point." She reached her hand up to wipe his brow, seeing a thin sheen of sweat forming from his stress. "Now, I told the doctor about your difficulties with certain anesthetics, and he has notated your medication file and recommendations accordingly. You have a bullet lodged in your shoulder, Booth. You need surgery." She waited for yet another round of spasms to ease. "Your shoulder is dislocated, probably from the impact; and you have splintering of some of your bone, which needs to be repaired. Depending on the tissue and muscle damage discovered once they're operating, you may have to have some reconstructive work done as well."

Booth groaned in realization that he would be out of commission for the foreseeable future, thus hindering their investigation into who tortured his partner and took shots at him. Then reality set in once again…His partner – his partner in _life_ – had just recently been through hell, and now this… _what if it had been her?_ He reached for her fingers and gripped them tight in his. "I'm glad you weren't with me, Bones. I'm sorry I made you mad. But I'm _not_ sorry that you were not there. If something else - - if something else happened to you, after everything you went through…Oh God, Bones…I don't know what I'd do, baby." He brought her hand to his lips so he could drop kisses on her knuckles. "But I'm sorry I hurt you, and I love you, Bones, I hope you know that. Please don't ever doubt my feelings for you. If I don't wake up from this surgery, I need you to know that I love you; I always have and I always will until the day I die. I just hope today isn't that day…"

"Booth," she gulped, "don't say that. You're going to be in fine hands. I promise."

"Yeah, probably a bunch of students here at the University…just great…"

"No, I have a doctor flying in from Maryland on a chipper. I called him; I know him and he's a brilliant surgeon. And he owed me a favor… You're going to be treated by one of the country's finest, Booth."

Booth looked at her in confusion, and then actually _heard_ what she said. "Chopper, Bones… You have someone flying in on a _chopper_, not a chipper." He smiled warmly at the woman he was madly in love with as she blushed at her error. "Really, Bones? You called someone for me?" He was touched that she would call in a favor – she didn't like using her life-lines, as he called them, but he was touched to know that she did it for him.

"Of course, Booth. I want you to have the best possible care."

His face paled and she thought he was about to pass out, but then she saw his eyes. "Bones, my insurance won't cover the best in the country…Not unless there is no other care available."

"Booth, don't worry about that. You have enough to worry about without concerning yourself about insurance. I'll make sure you're covered."

"I can't let you do that, Bones!" he started to get worked up, knowing that he would never have the money to repay her. His excitement and anxiety caused his vision to blur and he started seeing the blotches again.

She gently laid her hand on his forehead and eased him back to the pillow. "It's OK, Booth. Let me help you, it's the least I can do, for everything you've done for me." His head lulled and he once again started to lose focus as he drifted into oblivion. "Booth? Stay awake, Booth, stay with me." He fought the desire to keep his eyes closed and he forced himself to look into her deep blue oceans. "I'm going to go out and get the doctor now, Booth. I'm going to let him administer some medication, but don't worry, I'll be with you."

Booth didn't have the energy to argue against her logic, he knew he needed medicine. And as long as she was with him, he believed that he would be safe.

The next thing Booth realized, he was being prepped for surgery. He found that he had wires and tubes attached all over his torso and arms. He tried to focus among the flurry of people surrounding him. He couldn't find Bones and his heart rate elevated, causing the monitor to alert his attending nurses.

"Mr. Booth? Mr. Booth… You need to calm down. You're being prepared to go into the OR, sir." One nurse was bent over his face, trying to gain his eye contact as they pushed his bed through the double doors. "Calm down, Mr. Booth. Your heart rate is rising."

"Bones?"

"Your bone is going to be fine. We're going to repair the fragments. That's part of why we're going into surgery."

"No. Not my bones, _My Bones_…" he was groggy from whatever medication they had already given him. "My Bones…"

The nurse turned to the doctor as he was entering the room, "Doctor, I think we need to begin the sedation, he appears very confused and I am worried about causing undue stress. He keeps asking about his bones."

The doctor smiled and approached the man on the gurney. "Hello Agent Booth. My name is Dr. Barry Schuller. Your partner, Dr. Brennan asked me to take good care of you. She said you would probably want her in here with you. Is that right?" He smiled, already knowing the answer, after hearing rumors from the ER hospital staff – almost all of whom had dealt with the partners from one time or another.

"Yes…Bones... I want her with me. Like my brain surgery. I need her here…" He looked confused, "my voice doesn't sound right…What's going on?"

Once again the pleasant surgeon looked down, "It's your medication, Agent Booth. You're just a little sluggish right now, don't worry." He looked up as the double doors swung open, revealing his former colleague, scrubbed and dressed to observe her partner's procedure. He whispered to Booth, "She's here. She wouldn't let me begin until she arrived."

Booth's sleepy smile grew slowly as he tried to find her. When she came into view, hobbling unsteadily towards him on a pair of crutches, his heart rate decreased almost immediately and he visibly calmed.

"Hi Booth. I'll be in the room during the entire procedure. Barry knows about your medical history, he knows a little bit about _our_ history, so he knows why I'm here." She looked up at the nearby nurse before looking back into his deep brown eyes. "Now, you need to relax Booth. They're ready to begin, so count backwards, Booth, from 20."

He shook his head gently, holding her gaze. They placed a mask over his nose and mouth. He held her eyes with his; a few stray tears sprung from behind his soulful windows.

"Count backwards, Booth."

"I love you, Bones…I love you." He whispered, instead of counting. Telling her he loved her was better than counting any day…. He repeated his mantra over and over, "I love you…I love you…"

She interjected, "I love you too, Booth. You're going to be fine…"

"I …love…Bones…..…love….….you…...…I…...…..Bones….love….…."

Immediately she backed away, just as she and Barry had previously agreed, so she would be out of the way, but still in the room to observe. She made the promise to Booth and she wasn't about to leave now. The surgery was textbook routine and she found a certain peace as she listened to the easy banter between her old friend and the OR nurses. When Booth was moved into recovery, she stood to follow, nodding in great appreciation to her former colleague and friend. "Thank you, Barry. Not only for dropping everything and coming here, but for letting me stay…and for doing such a wonderful job for Booth."

"My pleasure, Temperance. The procedure went well and I expect he'll have a healthy recovery. He's a strong man, and that will be to his benefit. I'll be in to see how he's doing in about 45 minutes. It'll be a little while for him to wake up. But I know yours will be the face he wants to see when he opens his eyes; not my ugly mug." Barry laughed as he moved to scrub down, nodding at her with a smile. "Oh, and Temperance? I want to hear about what happened to you…I left it alone at the beginning, but I want to know what caused you to be in your condition. We'll talk later, huh?"

She moved into recovery and claimed the only chair in the cubicle where they'd left Booth, which she drug close to the bed so when he opened his eyes, he would be facing her. She grabbed the fingers of his right hand and held them tightly in her own. She observed him silently, and felt her emotions filling up as tears flowed freely and easily down her cheeks. _He looks so weak…so tired…so small in this bed… Booth, please wake up soon...and __**please**__ remember me this time… I need you to know me…I can't do this without you. Please remember…_

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so my Muse's creative license ran deep this chapter… I know that Brennan wouldn't be allowed in an OR while Booth was having surgery… And I know that the FBI would not submit to defiance like that from Angela and Hodgins...but hey – this is fiction, right? So I am allowed a little slack! **

**I hope you all still like it; even though we got a little angsty. Fear not, remember that I LOVE B&B together… so they'll never remain angry with each other for too terribly long! **

**Thank you for reading and PLEASE take a moment to review! It means so much to those of us who take the time to write, to hear back from readers. Truly, we appreciate it, so if you would be so kind… I think by now you know what to do...**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N HELLO! Wow, ****y'all**** are mind-blowing to me. You brought me up over 500 reviews and I am touched beyond words and my Muse has been jumping for joy ever since... It's been hard to make her sit down here to finish this chapter! LOL! Seriously, though, as I have said in the past, I never intended this story to turn out so long; it was originally intended to be 8 – 10 or so chapters… but all of your words of encouragement and kind reviews have helped develop it into the epic story it has become. (OK, so it's not quite ****epic**** - there are many other epic-level stories out there… but it's epic to me!) **

**Wow, this chapter is a doosie. I couldn't see a place to break it, so it's even longer than the last… So those of you who indicated you liked long chapters... this one's for you! Cheers! LOL **

**OK, so my disclaimer has not changed… I still only own the story line and the characters you don't recognize. All the rest belong to the ingenious HH and Bones and Fox. **

Brennan sat with Booth, waiting for him to awaken from his anesthesia induced slumber. She held his hand, stroking her fingertips lightly over each of his larger, calloused fingers, one at a time. She spoke quietly to him, hoping that he could hear her words. She found herself, once again praying to _his _God, to let Booth hear her pleas, hear her confessions of love, hear her sorrow for their earlier fight.

"Booth," she whispered, pulling the plastic chair nearer to the bed and leaning close to his ear, "please wake up. Please hear me." She swallowed a soft sob. "Booth, I am _so_ sorry about our fight. I am so sorry I wasn't with you. I pushed you away from me and I didn't mean it; I am just so confused…so tired and confused…" She sighed and rested her forehead against his right shoulder as she continued to speak, almost inaudibly. "I need you, Booth. I need you with me; I can't imagine my life without you. If your God exists, I pray to him that he heals you, in the way you believe he can." She raised her eyes from his shoulder and looked at his pale profile. "I love you, Booth. I love you so much that I don't think the words 'I love you' encompass all the emotions coursing through my body. I know it doesn't make sense, because logically, emotions are just chemically induced thoughts; and I don't necessarily understand all of these feelings, but there is no further use in denying they exist. And…when I heard the words spill from Angela's mouth, that you'd been shot, I think my heart stopped. I saw you, in my mind, that night when you took a bullet for me – the one from Pam Noonan. You died, or so I thought and I can't…I can't lose you again. And I am not letting you out of my sight again, Booth…Not again; I will not let them do that to me again… When Angela came to get me, all I could hear was my own blood rushing through my ears; my heart pounded so loud in my chest that I thought it might break through my ribs. I know… logically and scientifically, I know _that_ is an impossibility, but it didn't make the momentary thoughts any less disturbing."

A tear fell down her cheek and onto his shoulder. "I need you; I want you; I love you, Booth. Please don't leave me now. Not after everything that we've been through to get to where we are. I know you said you'd never leave me if it was within your power…_please_, let this be within your power… _please_ tell your brain to remember me when you wake…please, Booth… It's me…Bones…I'm _your_ Bones. I'm your partner. I'm your best friend. I'm the woman who loves you more with every breath I take and every passing moment of the day. I don't always know what to say; I don't always know the right words, but I hope this is making sense to you. Please remember me…Seeley."

His first name fell from her lips with a calm awkwardness. She never called him Seeley; he hated his first name. She had always called him Booth, from the first time they started working together. She wanted a nickname for him, but was never able to originate one that fit him better than 'Booth.' So, in that moment, she thought she'd try his first name…just to see how it felt and to hear how it sounded. She had heard all his other women call him Seeley; Rebecca, Tessa, Catherine, Cam, Hannah… They _all _called him Seeley when they were with him. She wrinkled her brow slightly, and then gave him a crooked smile that he couldn't see. "No, it's gotta be 'Booth.' I can't call you Seeley. I'm different from your other women, Booth. I can't be one of those – and I hope that you are really OK with that…I hope that you don't regret who I am...When I call you 'Seeley,' I find myself mentally comparing myself to your past lovers and somehow, I just don't fit in with them…They were all so… beautiful, Booth…I don't really fall into their categories…I hope that you don't change your mind about us when you start to compare me with -"

Just as Brennan was about to continue her self-conscious analysis of why she didn't compare with the beautiful women who'd come before her in Booth's life, she felt a presence behind her. When she raised her eyes and turned, she found the attending nurse standing in the doorway, and Brennan blanched in embarrassment.

The nurse nodded her head curtly as she entered the confined area and went straight to the computer that was recording Booth's vitals; but she said not a word.

As the nurse worked, Brennan sat in an uncomfortable silence, simply observing the nurse's actions before she broke the stalemate. "Nurse, I am so sorry about my earlier outburst. It was uncalled for and unprofessional." Brennan's voice was low and small.

The nurse looked at her, eyes unforgiving and cold, but said nothing.

Brennan continued when she realized she had further to go before gaining this woman's recognition of her apology. And, in her emotion-fogged mind, she needed to make sure there were no hard feelings between herself and the nurse, for Booth's benefit. Although the nurse would have taken excellent care of her patient, Brennan's disillusion led her to believe that if they didn't work out their differences, it could jeopardize Booth's care; and she was not willing to be the catalyst that lowered Booth's chances.

"I…" she cleared her throat as she turned on her clinical and logical brain, "I am not yet accustomed to my new _in_ability to compartmentalize my unexpected emotional eruptions. I am working on gaining better control over these outbursts and I truly hope that you can forgive me for my earlier transgression."

The nurse looked utterly shocked. After being berated by this woman earlier in the day, she did some snooping and learned that the FBI partners were well-known in the ER and pretty much throughout the entire hospital. She also learned that, to be belittled by Dr. Temperance Brennan was a pretty regular occurrence, especially when Agent Booth's health was in danger. She was also advised to not expect any sort of apology, because the woman was cold, distant and bossy. Most of the scuttlebutt was that no one, especially the females on staff, could understand why the handsome and studly Agent remained partnered with her, much less why he demanded to have her with him for every routine he underwent there at the hospital…or why he protected her so passionately and vehemently when she was under the hospital's care. Apparently they argued all the time and didn't see eye-to-eye on anything. Rumor had it while he was a devout Catholic, she was an Atheist; he worked on gut-instinct, she worked strictly with evidence; he was loving and tender, she was ice cold and off-putting; he lived pretty much paycheck to paycheck, she was set for life, even if she never worked again.

But, what the nurse just witnessed – the tender words she heard the scientist speak to her sleeping partner when she thought no one was listening; the quiet tears that stained her face; the way she held the man's hand in her own; the stiff apology offered when Dr. Brennan recognized her as she entered the room…these were not actions of a cold FBI consultant. These were the actions of a woman who cared deeply for a man who was badly injured and required the medical attention which she, herself, could not provide. No, Temperance Brennan was, the nurse suspected, a grossly misunderstood woman indeed, and she felt privileged to be able to view the anthropologist in this light, and she imagined there were very few who knew the real woman behind the stern mask.

The nurse softened her eyes and offered a small smile. "Dr. Brennan, I understand that you were very upset when your partner was injured, it's a natural reaction, of course. I appreciate your acknowledgement, however, and accept your apologies. My name is Barbara. If you need anything, please let me know." With that, Nurse Barbara, nodded and excused herself from the cubicle, leaving the Partners once again, alone.

Brennan turned her eyes from the retreating nurse and looked towards Booth. To her pleasant surprise, Booth's eyes were opened slightly, and he was smiling as he looked at her.

"Booth!" she gasped, almost afraid to speak too loud, and inwardly terrified that he wouldn't know who she was.

"Bones…" Booth smiled, "you're so beautiful." His voice was gruff and groggy from the medication.

Fresh tears surfaced in Brennan's eyes as he spoke her name. "B-Booth, how do you feel? Do you need anything? The doctor will be in soon." She spoke quickly, trying to assess the entire situation and maintain some emotional control.

Booth closed and opened his eyes slowly, smiling when he saw that she was really there. "I'm so happy you're here, Bones." He reached for her fingers and grasped them tightly in his right hand. "So happy you're here…please…stay…with me…" he started to drift off to sleep again, the anesthesia not having worn completely off.

"I'm not going anywhere, Booth. I'll be right here when you open your eyes again. She kissed his hand and felt it relax under her lips, and she knew he was asleep again. _But he remembers me! He woke up and remembered me immediately! And he's happy I'm here – so we must be alright…_ she talked to herself as she smiled at her partner.

Just then, Dr. Schuller walked in and cleared his throat to gain her attention.

"Barry, he woke up, but he fell back to sleep already. But he remembered me, Barry. He didn't forget me this time. And he woke up, no coma, just sleep…" She smiled at her old friend as he approached.

"That's great Temperance. I felt confident that the combination of medication we administered would have been a good grouping for him, but it always feels better witnessing that we did right. We can arrange for him to be moved upstairs, since he's in and out of it. Since we know that he woke, that's the most important thing right now. He'll sleep for most of the rest of the evening; he's on some pretty heavy-duty drugs right now."

"Barry, he needs a private room. I don't want him sharing a room with anyone else. Can you arrange that?"

"Well, Tempe, I know they're pretty well full up there, but I will see what I can do."

"Thank you. If I need to, I will pay to cover another bed, if it's a matter of cost."

As he stopped to look at Tempe, he was amazed at how kind the years had been to her. She was one of the few women who truly had improved over time; appearance, personality, the whole package had improved greatly since they'd met nearly 12 years prior. When they were both teaching for a semester at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, he had hoped they would become more than colleagues. She was one of the youngest instructors the University ever contracted; she was brilliant, even back then. He was a number of years her senior, but she was always mature for her age and he had been drawn to her from the start.

After their paths diverted from one another, at the close of the semester, they had lost touch for several years. He married and always assumed she would remain single, having such negative views on marriage and monogamous relationships as she did. But after his failed short-lived-marriage and countless pointless relationships, he found himself thinking of her again in recent months. Then, to have her contact him, out of the blue, it had almost felt like destiny stepping in to give him a chance. She called with an urgent request that he fly in and perform the operation on her partner, an Agent with the FBI. Surely, fate was drawing them together once more…

That's what he thought on the flight into DC. Until, of course, he arrived and saw the way she looked at her 'partner'; the way she spoke his name, explained his medical history and described how they were each other's proxies, and the way she watched out for his well-being. The longing glances she sent towards the handsome Agent mirrored the looks Schuller himself had cast towards Brennan. And he realized that he and Tempe would never be more than old friends. He silently, and ever-so-slightly, mourned the loss of the woman he never really had, but was thankful that he at least was able to share part of her life with her, albeit a brief time and now a distant memory.

Shaking himself from his revelry, he smiled, "This one's really important to you, isn't he, Tempe? He's _the one_, right?"

She raised her eyes from where they had settled on Booth's sleeping features and met Barry's smile with one of her own. "Yes. He _is_ very special to me, Barry. I still don't know if I concede to the idea that there is 'one person' out there for everyone, but if I were to subscribe to such a notion, then, yes, I believe Booth would be my '_one_'." She smiled wider and moved her sights back to her partner. "Well, it's not really fair of me to say I don't subscribe to the notion, because I am not planning to look any further than Booth; if he will have me as his '_one_', then I am done searching. I'm right where I want to be in life."

Barry smiled at her contentedness and moved closer to her chosen man as he spoke, "well, then, let's get this show on the road." He laughed when he was met with a confused look from her in return. "Um… sorry… I forgot, you don't do colloquial phrases…I just mean let's work at getting your man awake… it's just a saying."

She nodded and leaned forward, stroking Booth's hair and speaking to him as Schuller turned up the oxygen ever so slightly, forcing additional amounts through the little tube resting below Booth's nose. "Booth? Wake up Booth. Can you hear me? C'mon, you need to wake up so we can get you upstairs." Brennan continued to coax him until his deep brown eyes fluttered open and met her light blues as they stared at him.

"Bones…Baby… hey…" he was groggy but very much aware of who she was and where they were. But then there was another voice invading his ears, while he was trying to listen to her speak. He turned his sights towards the very male vocals directed towards him.

"Agent Booth? Do you know where you are?"

"George Washington University Hospital." He looked back to his Bones, assuming his questioning was complete. He was about to be disappointed…

"And do you know _why_ you're at GWU Hospital?"

He slowly shifted his eyes back to the doctor, whose name he could not remember, but he didn't really care. "Yes. I was shot and had to have surgery. Was the procedure successful?" Without waiting for the doctor to respond, Booth turned his eyes back to Bones, asking _**her**_ if he was going to be alright.

Schuller allowed Brennan to answer for him. "Yes, Booth. It was a smooth process and you should recover fully." She smiled warmly at him as the grogginess started to take over his body again. He nodded, but already his eyes were closing once more as the medication was working its way out of his system.

"I'll go make the room arrangements. Keep trying to stir him, but don't get discouraged. As I said earlier, he's going to be in and out all evening and over night. I just wanted to get him talking."

Bones sat by his bedside all night, once they moved him into a room. Since there were no private rooms available in the general wards, Booth was placed in a large, private birthing room in the maternity ward. Having this room afforded Brennan the ability to remain as long as she wanted; the hospital made concessions for their most prominent non-corporate source of donation monies. GWU had offered to name a wing after Dr. Brennan, but she had declined several times, not wanting her name to be on display for everyone to see; while she was not able to remain completely anonymous with her donations, she preferred to maintain a certain degree of privacy.

Brennan was happy to learn that the night-time nurse was one that they knew well, and who, in turn, knew the partners also. Debbie had attended to both partners on more than one occasion while they recovered from an assortment of injuries. She knew that if Brennan was hurt, that Booth would never be far away and vice versa, that if Booth was hospitalized, Brennan would rarely leave his side. On behalf of the sleeping agent, Debbie ensured that Dr. Brennan was delivered a meal to eat in the evening, knowing she would not leave his room until he was awake, for fear that she'd be gone and he wouldn't know where he was.

Normally Debbie did not perform rounds in the maternity ward, but in learning that a couple of her favorite patients were upstairs, she volunteered for the round that would take her up there 5 or 6 times in the night. She kept close watch on Booth as he slept pretty much the whole time, and she ensured Dr. Brennan received sheets and a blanket to use while she stayed the night.

B/B/B/B

As the sun shine peeked in the window the following morning, Booth found himself waking from a dazed slumber. He knew exactly where he was and precisely why, but it still took a few extra minutes for his brain to catch up with the knowledge.

His left arm was immobilized against his body, making it impossible to move. Understandably, they didn't want him swinging out and undoing whatever it was they had to do in there to fix up his shoulder.

A smile spread across his face when he realized his right arm was immobilized for a much more rewarding reason. As he turned his head, he found his sleeping partner squeezed into the side of his bed, rather than on the couch that she had obviously made up for herself. She had situated her flexible body, lying on her side, between his own firm form and the side protection bar that would stop him from rolling out of bed should he get restless, his arm instinctively wrapped itself around her shoulders and upper back, holding her tight against his torso. Bones' face was snuggled into his chest and her right hand was splayed across his pec. He wiggled his toes and found her feet tangled with his and she subconsciously mewed at his movement.

Booth allowed himself those few brief moments to enjoy the feel of her body. He was very much aware of the softness of her hair as he touched his cheek to her head, the silkiness of the smooth skin of her arms beneath his fingertips, her delicate curves pressed flush to his hard body, her fresh sweet-smelling scent that invaded his every pore.

He allowed his fingertips to trace little circles and figure eights along her satiny upper arm as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. He was in physical discomfort; obviously his medication had worn off, but he was loathe to call his nurse, because that would mean disturbing the woman he loved; and she was sleeping so soundly he hated to wake her.

_Knowing Bones, she probably sat awake most of the night_, he thought to himself. _The couch is made up for her to sleep on, and it looks rumpled like she tried, but at some point she must have not been able to sleep, so she came up here with me…I'm so glad she's here; she's safe, she's at my side, she reached out to me by crawling into bed with me…I love you, Bones. _He kissed the top of her head and rubbed his cheek once more against her hair.

His movements registered somewhere within her subconscious, and stirred her from her pleasant dream. Her eyes fluttered, the knowledge that her face was pressed against Booth's chest brought a smile to her lips. Then she remembered where they were; _we're at the hospital! Booth? Booth! _

She raised her head hurriedly and smiled broadly when she saw his bright, deep brown eyes shining down at her. "Booth," his name fell from her lips in a thankful whisper.

"Mornin' Baby." He hugged her tight and met her lips as she raised herself up to kiss him gently.

"Booth," she smiled. "Good morning, Booth. How do you feel?" She brought her hand from his chest up to his cheek and touched him gently.

"Like I was shot…and then cut open…and then sewn up again…" He buried his fingers in her long curls as he smiled. "How do _you_ feel?"

"Booth, I'm fine. _I'm_ not the one who was injured." She admonished him playfully. "Are you in pain?" She started to sit upright, but he pulled her closer still, wanting to hold her just a little longer.

"Yeah, I hurt. But not enough to let you up, yet, Bones. Please, stay here, just like this. Just a little while longer." He gave her his best puppy-dog-eyes, begging her to remain as she was…

She smiled and blushed, "Booth… You should take medication to help your pain. You should not let it wear off, otherwise it gets worse, Booth."

"I will, Bones. But right now, the best medication I could ask for is right here, tucked into my side," he jostled her gently, careful not to move too much.

She kissed his shoulder and sighed in contentment. "I love you, Booth... but you _do_ need medication…" she added the last bit with a knowing look

"Oh, I love you, too, Bones…so much. I know I told you before, but I really am so glad you're here."

Bones allowed Booth to hold her just a few minutes more before she pulled back and prepared to get out of bed. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, so they dangled, she turned and looked at him over her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I squished you last night, Booth…I was going to sleep over there," she indicated to the sleeper-couch, "and I stayed there until about 2:00am, but I just couldn't get comfortable." She suddenly blushed, "I find that I have grown accustomed to being at your side in the night…and it's a feeling that I enjoy. Very much."

Booth was smiling at her, and reached up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. "You didn't squish me, Babe. It felt perfect having her here with me when I woke up." Their eyes locked and they were momentarily lost in one of 'those moments,' when a knock resounded through the closed door to his room.

They both turned to see a cleaning personnel enter his private bathroom and empty the trash before turning to leave again. The gentleman didn't speak a word to the partners, but eyed them with a gentle smile and nodded as he left. It was then that Booth actually got a good look at his room.

"Wow, Bones. How'd we manage to get a suite in the hospital? I didn't know they made rooms this large…" He grinned widely as he gazed around.

"Well, Booth, this is _hardly_ a suite," she smiled at his boyish excitement. "It's actually a birthing room." Her smile grew when she saw the momentary panic set in as he met her gaze.

"Uh, Bones… Why are they putting me in a birthing room? This is – this is the maternity ward? What if – what if someone needs this room? Why am I in here? These are maternity nurses and all… do they – do they know about my bullet wound?"

She finally just laughed out loud and rocked softly against him. "Booth, they didn't have any single private rooms available on the other floors. And I wasn't _about _to have you sharing a room with a complete stranger. So…Barry spoke to admissions and they agreed to put you in here. But don't worry, the care will be the same; your nurses and the doctor will be visiting you up here. In fact, last night, Debbie was your nurse. Remember her?"

"I do remember Debbie, wasn't she the one that tried to kick me out of your room that time?" He continued with a nod and a grin after he saw her confirmation. "And, gee, Bones, thanks…You didn't want me to share a room… That's sweet." He winked at her, "you _do_ love me, don't you?"

"Of course I love you, Booth. I told you I did." She spoke matter-of-factly, as if she really thought he doubted her feelings. "And I plan on staying here too, so I wanted to ensure that we were not disturbed by someone else in the room. It can be quite inconvenient when you're trying to read or enjoy a conversation and it's interrupted by someone uninvited cutting in."

His smile grew, "Well, you know, if we're gunna be all alone in this great big room… we could… you know… do more than read or talk…" he waggled his eyebrows playfully as his dark chocolate browns danced.

"Booth, you are hardly in any condition to engage in sexual intercourse. So, I doubt sincerely that we will be doing much more than talking, reading or watching TV." She admonished him gently, with a smile of her own, but he could see her eyes darken. "But… maybe… do you think it'd be alright if I…kiss you properly now?"

He reached his right arm, beckoning her closer and she immediately allowed his arm to wrap around her hips. "It's about time, Bones…" he mumbled as she leaned in and captured his strong lips with her softer ones. She nipped lower lip and gained access without argument and they allowed their tongues to swirl and dance as they moaned into each other.

Booth's left arm was still immobilized against his chest, preventing him from wrapping her completely within his Boothy warmth, but he made up for as much as possible with his right arm as he allowed his hand to skim from her hips, up past her waist and settle so it was cupped to her nape. He held her close and kissed her with abandon, relishing the feel and taste of her.

As their kiss deepened, they were suddenly disturbed by a loud knock at the door. Without waiting for an invitation, Dr. Schuller entered with a smile and told them he was just doing his AM check-up; he wanted to make sure Booth was comfortable through the night and he wanted to have a brief look at Booth's shoulder. After seeing that all was in order, he left a list of do's and don'ts along with a firm shake of the finger towards Brennan, who was still tucked into the hollow of Booth's waist as she dangled from the edge of the bed. "Now, Tempe, the man just had major surgery and although we are confident he's going to recover quite well, let him get some rest…" He then turned to Booth with the nearest to an authoritative look as he could muster, "and Agent Booth? I expect you to behave yourself as well…Nothing strenuous; don't let Tempe here _tempt_ you…" Schuller didn't wait for a response, he didn't expect that either partner would actually pay heed to his gentle warning; he just hoped that whatever was going to happen between them would not rip apart the finished product he worked so diligently to perfect. He shook his head with a grin and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving the partners in peace.

Their quiet moments were short-lived, however, as a nurse entered the room. She was not a nurse known to the partners, and when she walked into the room, she was startled to see the woman sitting on the edge of her patient's bed.

"Good morning, Mr. Booth. My name is Jackie, and I am going to be your nurse this morning. Have you been shown how the call buttons are used?" Her tone was professional and she addressed only the man lying on the bed and not the woman.

Booth moved his eyes slowly from Bones and looked at Jackie. "I am well aware of how they work, this ain't my first rodeo, Jackie; perhaps you should check my file." He smiled, attempting to be pleasant, but not appreciating the cool demeanor of this nurse. _Where's Nancy or Debbie_, he wondered? _They're good nurses…they already know us_…

"My apologies, Mr. Booth, I haven't yet had a chance to review your file, I just came onto the floor," she spoke as she brought his electronic records up on the bedside computer. She took a moment to read over the notes of his current condition and gave a brief once-over at his past visits. "Hmm, well, Mr. Booth, it appears you find yourself here often…"

Brennan couldn't take it any longer, "It's _Agent_ Booth, not _Mr._ Booth…Specifically, Special Agent Seeley Booth…of the FBI. He was injured while investigating a case; please show him the respect of using his proper title, Nurse."

"Bones, it's alright. She doesn't know us…" Booth tried to sooth his suddenly alpha-female counterpart as her metaphorical protective hackles rose.

"I'm sorry, _Agent_ Booth, I will make note in your records for future staff members." She looked to Booth before raising her eyes to the cool blues that were locked on her. "And who might you be, ma'am?"

Booth smiled and squeezed Bones' hand, as he spoke for her, "This here's my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute." He introduced his best friend/partner/girl friend with a sense of pride and adoration.

Jackie nodded in acknowledgement, "_Doctor_ Brennan? Are you also one of Agent Booth's attending physicians? I don't see you listed here."

Brennan's forehead creased, directly between her eyebrows in a gesture that always made Booth's stomach flip. He thought she looked adorable when she scowled in confusion. "No, of course I'm not an attending physician. Didn't you hear him? I'm his partner."

"Oh, I see. My apologies." Jackie put on an air of false pleasantness. "Well, in that case, visiting hours haven't started yet. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You can return in -" she glanced at her watch, "2 hours and 45 minutes, Dr. Brennan."

Booth interjected, feeling Bones' body start to tense, ready for a confrontation. "Umm, Jackie, if you will check with your supervisor, I think you'll find that Dr. Brennan here, doesn't necessarily adhere to the normal visiting hours. She will be staying well beyond those outlined hours. Again, this should be notated in my records."

Jackie straightened her back and read further into his file, where she finally came upon his 'partner's' name in a _'Special Note'_. She saw various explanations, outlining the proxy relationship between the pair along with personal inclusions from several previous attending staff members. Some praised the partners with everything from '_a wonderful pair_' to '_perfect patients_', and others cursed them with comments like '_an impossibly demanding couple_' and '_the most difficult patients ever_'. Then, Jackie saw additional notations regarding Dr. Brennan specifically.

_Dr. Temperance Brennan is the single highest, non-commercial, contributing board member and supports several scholarships alone. She will be permitted to remain with her partner, S.A. Seeley Booth, FBI, when he is interred within the hospital. In addition, on the occasions when she is hospitalized, S.A. Booth will also be permitted to remain within her company. It is expected that the partners are treated with respect and with the same care that family members would be treated when visiting a loved one. They are each other's medical proxy; therefore, any and all information relating to either patient may be shared with their counterpart. For further inquiries or clarification, please contact GWUH Director Elisha Abernathy. _

Jackie thought to herself, as she read the final line, _Wow, the Director permits them to pretty much have free reign? Exactly who is this woman?_ She turned a cool eye towards the partners, glancing from one to the other before settling on Booth. "Well, I do see in your chart, Agent Booth, that your partner is permitted to remain with you," she turned to Brennan, "but I must insist, ma'am, that if he is in urgent need of assistance, you _must_ stay clear and remain from interfering with the staff assigned to care for him."

Again, Booth felt Bones start to stiffen, so he tightened his fingers around her thigh where he had rested his hand, and he interjected, "Don't worry, Jackie, we know the routine and Bones here won't be in the way. _Ever_. I want her nearby, and…what I want, I get…" He struggled to hold back the smirk that threatened to appear from the corners of his mouth. _Oohh… Can't wait for Bones to get me on that little charm…._ "Now, if I may, I'd like some medicine, because my shoulder is, at the moment, hurting like a she-dog, and I may become irritable if I remain in this pain…" he leveled his eyes on Jackie, silently indicating that the discussion of his partner's presence was completed.

Jackie nodded, "of course, I will be ordering your medication straight away, but, first things first, I must remove your catheter." She smiled sadly at her patient. She understood that it was much more uncomfortable for men to wear a catheter than it was for a woman, and she always felt bad removing them from men.

Booth groaned and turned his head towards Bones, "dammit, I hate this part."

Bones took his hand and smiled, "Well, Booth, if you would stop getting shot, you wouldn't have to be catheterized so often."

"Thanks for your support, Bones. You're the best." His voice dripped with sarcasm, but he knew she didn't have any magic spells to make this part any easier. He just had to man up and deal with it.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Booth. Seeing you in discomfort is certainly not my cup of coffee, but it is what it is; you have to have it removed." She spoke evenly and surely, thinking that he thought she could make it better.

"Cup of tea, Bones, _tea_… not coffee…" he smiled at her, "I know you can't make it better, I just wish there was some way to make it less… embarrassing" he whispered the final word to her.

She leaned closer, whispering back, with a crooked smirk, "Booth, you have nothing to be embarrassed about…compared to most men, you are very well endowed, even when you _aren't_ experiencing an erect-"

"Bones! SHHH. Stop!" he whined at her blatant lack of tact, although deep down, he was thrilled that he pleased her in that way…

"Dr. Brennan, if you would like, you can wait out in the hallway," Jackie spoke, interrupting the partners' banter.

"No, I wouldn't like. I will just sit there, on the chair."

"Umm… That's not exactly policy, ma'am. There should be no one else in the room while I remove this device."

Booth raised his eyebrows, "Jackie, I insist, it's quite alright for her to be here. I'd rather she be here than out in the hallway."

He turned and watched his partner pull herself from the bed, using crutches and make the step and a half over to the cushioned chair. He wrinkled his brow in worry, "Bones? Where's your wheel chair? Why are you on crutches? You're going to hurt yourself." He had no recollection of the fact that Bones was on crutches when she came to him in the OR, and since then, he'd been sleeping until he woke with her at his side.

"I couldn't use the wheelchair in the OR because of the space constraints, so they loaned me these," she held up her crutches proudly, "and I've been using them since. Angela took the wheelchair for me, and was going to bring it back to me when you were settled up here, but I called her last night and told her to wait until today to bring it back. I was pretty tired last night and just wanted to lie down to sleep." She met his worry with a calming smile, "don't worry, Booth. I'm not over-doing it. And besides, Cam removed some of the stitches in my feet already. The only thing that _really_ hurts is my ankle."

Jackie cleared her throat, trying to regain the necessary attention she needed to complete her job. _These two just don't shut up, do they? How do they get any work done if they talk all the time?_ She stood impatiently, waiting until she had Booth's attention.

Sighing, Booth turned to Jackie, "OK, OK, let's get on with it, I want drugs…"

"Agent Booth, are you sure you don't want you partner to wait outside?"

"Just get this _done_, already; alright? I want her in here, right where she is, so let's do this please!" Booth was growing frustrated with his situation. He turned to Bones as Jackie moved about, preparing to glove her hands. "Bones, when can I go home?"

"Booth! You just had major surgery, you're not going home for at least a few days," she looked at him with frustration, thinking about what a long few days it would turn out to be… He was anything but a patient patient…

"OK, Agent Booth, I'm going to raise your gown now," Jackie interrupted as Booth clenched his fist, gathering a piece of his bottom sheet, and squeezed his eyes shut. As Jackie removed the catheter, she did what was strictly forbidden among the medical profession…she admired the man for whom she was charged with caring. She felt that she did a good job at hiding her surprise at his attractiveness, and especially her shock of his…size…even flaccid, he was easily one of the most well-endowed men she'd ever seen…

If there was one thing Booth really loathed, despised even, it was someone messing with his…_junk_…and although he knew Jackie was a nurse, and surely did this every day, it didn't ease his embarrassment or discomfort. He rolled his head to find Bones, hoping to get momentarily lost in her deep blue eyes. Instead, he found that she was watching his nurse like a hawk; her brow wrinkled, eyes locked squarely on what the woman at his loins was doing and her jaw was set in a determined manner, in such a way that she was clearly making it known that she did not approve of another woman looking at her partner.

Jackie felt eyes on her, and assumed it was Booth, but when she raised her eyes to his face, she found he was looking at Dr. Brennan. When she turned to look over at Brennan, a chill ran down her spine. The woman's eyes were hard and it felt as though they were boring a hole directly though her skull. Jackie instantly blushed and lowered her eyes to her hands, finishing her work and pulling the good-looking Agent's hospital gown back down over his body. _Did she know I was looking at him? Was I obvious? I thought I hid it pretty well… What kind of 'partners' are they anyway? The records indicated they are work partners…so is that all? Or are they more than that? I can't imagine a man like this being attracted to a woman like her; but I have seen __far__ stranger things in this life…_

"Alright, Agent, all done. I will go order up your medication now." Jackie moved quickly and avoided the cold blue eyes that followed her every move. "I won't be but a moment." She excused herself from the room and hurried to prepare his morning dosage.

Booth looked at Bones, a comical expression on his face, barely hiding the pain that he was experiencing. "Bones? You alright babe?" He smiled at her, knowingly…

"I'm fine Booth; but I don't like that woman. I don't like how she looked at you." She moved to adjust his gown, but took a peek for herself, just to satisfy her own need to know that all was in order down there.

"Whoa, whoa, Bones! What you are _doing_? Stop!" He tried to bat her hands away from the hem of his damn dress. "Give a guy a break, would ya?"

"Booth, don't be a baby...I was merely ensuring that she didn't mess anything up… and, I wanted to make sure that all was _normal_, since she was so intent on looking at your genitalia." She tried to remain elusive, but the fact was, she just wanted to see him, and she could hardly hide the smile that was creeping up on her, ready to spring any second.

"She was not looking at me…she was removing a catheter. There's a difference, Bones." Booth huffed at his girl's possessiveness, but he secretly loved it.

"Yes, there _is _a difference…and I know what I saw…She was enjoying that just a little too much. Trust me, Booth."

"You're jealous, Bones," he flashed her a cocky smile, despite the nearly overwhelming growing pain that was shooting down his arm. "Aren't ya? C'mon admit it…"

"No, Booth, don't be ridiculous. I do not get jealous." She remained aloof, egging him on, making him want more of her.

"Awww, Bones… C'mon…" he whined again, "humor me… tell me you're jealous. Make me feel good." He tried his puppy-dog eyes on her again, as he did whenever he wanted something that she was holding out on.

She broke down and flashed him a smile, but refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her say the words that she was jealous. Instead, she simply let him make the assumption from her expression, which seemed to appease him just fine.

"You _are _jealous… I knew it!" He smiled up at the ceiling, wearing a gloating grin across his chiseled features. Then he turned serious and turned to look at her once again. "You don't need to be jealous, you know, Bones…I'd never leave you for anyone else. _Ever_." He looked as though he was about to say more, but Jackie chose just that moment to make her reappearance, bearing his medication.

As she entered, she felt as though she was interrupting an important discussion, but she needed to administer his prescription, so she proceeded. "Here you go, Agent Booth, take these now, and when your breakfast arrives, take these other two. You will be sleepy, so don't fight it, just rest and let the medicine do what it does best. You're best off if you allow your body to sleep when it wants to; sometimes sleep is the best medication of all." She handed him the two sets of pills.

Booth looked at his nurse, "When they bring up my breakfast, can you make sure they bring something for Bones also?" He pointed to his girl when Jackie raised an eyebrow at the name 'Bones'.

"Booth, I'm not hungry. And I can go to the café when I am."

"You've got to eat. And if you eat with me, then I will know you are eating right and I will rest easier. I won't have to worry about you skipping meals, because I know you will, babe."

Jackie heard it then, her patient called his partner 'babe.' _So much for those hopes…seems like all the good ones are always taken already_, she grumbled inside her own head. Remembering that the doctor sitting in the room was a big-shot for the hospital, she snapped to attention, so to speak. "Of course, I'll make sure there's an extra tray sent up. Any special requests, Dr. Brennan?" She looked at the woman who made her very uncomfortable.

"Really – I don't want any-"

"Nonsense, Bones." Booth interrupted her, then turned to Jackie, "vegetarian, she's a vegetarian, so no meat on her plate… you can put her meat on mine, though." He grinned hopefully.

Jackie raised her eyebrows, doubting that either plate would have meat contained on it, but she nodded and simply replied, "I'll see what I can do." And with that, she made her exit, leaving the partners once again in peace and quiet. She wondered why he was calling her Bones; she found it to be a strange pet name…

B/B/B/B

Booth rolled his head to the side, looking at Bones once more and he held his right hand out towards her. "Come lay with me again, Bones?"

"I'm going to use the bathroom, Booth, before breakfast arrives, since you're insisting that I eat...Then after we eat, yes I will lay back down with you, if you want me to," she smiled, seeing her compromise met his approval.

He nodded. "I will." _I'll __always__ want her to lay down with me_, he thought to himself with a smile. "When you're done in there, I'll freshen up too."

When Bones came out of the bathroom, she found Booth sitting up in bed. Given the fact that she, herself was using crutches, she couldn't help him much. "Booth, are you alright to move? Do you want an orderly to come in?"

"No, Bones. I'll be fine; it's my shoulder, not my legs."

"I know it's your shoulder; but you've just taken medicine, so you may be shaky." She was concerned with his well-being.

"Thanks Bones. But really, I'll be OK. Is my toothbrush in there?"

"Yes, everything you'll need is on the counter." She moved over to the chair, which sat right next to Booth's bed and she waited for him to finish up.

When he came back into the room, he moved slowly, but with certainty and he smiled at her bright eyes as they tracked his movements. "I'm OK Bones, don't look so worried." He was in a lot of pain, but it was not debilitating and he hated to think she was worried about him. He turned to sit on his bed just as their breakfast trays arrived and he gave her a toothy grin with a waggle of his eyebrows. "Finally, I'm starved!"

"Booth, it would take several days for you to actually starve; you're being over-dramatic." She spied his crooked smile and knew that he wasn't serious. "You're being _purposely _facetious, aren't you?"

He nodded and winked in her direction as they both began digging into their meals. Their conversation was easy and although the food left a lot to be desired, it was consumed quickly and completely. Booth was happy to see his Bones eat her entire meal and Bones was pleased that Booth took his last two pills without argument.

He laid back against his pillows and turned on the television, flipping to the morning news.

"Bones?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Hmm?"

"It's not even 7:00 yet. I didn't realize we woke up so early."

"Well, Booth, you _were_ in a drug induced sleep for the better part of 14 hours, you were probably pretty well rested and your body ready to awaken. But you'll be sleepy again soon; the medicine you just took will take effect." She smiled as she watched his eyes already hazing over. "Visiting hours won't start until 9:00, Booth, go ahead and take a rest. I know that Cam, Ange and Hodgins are going to come up this morning; I would assume Cullen will be also." She reached for his hand and held it between both of hers.

He flashed her one of his famous smiles, starting to feel the effects of the pain medication and the slight high that comes along with ingesting them. "Lie with me, Bones," he tried to tug on her hand, but he found that he had very little strength, which aggravated him.

"Booth, I will sit here with you, you try to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise," she smiled at his grogginess, but wanted to give him the room in his single bed that he may need in order to be comfortable.

"But you promised, to lie down, Bones. You said you would lie down after we ate." Once again, his deep brown puppy dog eyes made an appearance as he whined. "Please? For me?"

"Booth-"

"I sleep better with you near. Like, not near as in, 'here let me hold your hand;' no, I mean near as in 'let me hold you close to my body and inhale your scent.' I need you near me, Bones. You _do_ want me to sleep well, don't you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, and he knew he had won. "You know, Booth, you won't _always_ get your way just by giving me your infantile-dog-eyes while you whine like a little boy."

"_Puppy_ dog eyes, Bones. _Puppy_," he grinned as said puppy dog eyes started closing without his permission. "And you know I'm irresistibly cute when I utilize them… lemme have this one, huh? Besides, I have it on good authority that you like it when I whine..." He held his good arm out in silent beckoning and she caved. Pulling herself up she simply spun her body from her position between the chair and the bed and planted herself in the hollow near Booth's waist.

As if they'd been sleeping together for years, rather than merely just over a week, the partners accommodated each other's bodies perfectly; two puzzle pieces fitting snuggly with one another, and Booth wrapped his right arm protectively around Brennan's shoulders, holding her close. She tucked her face into the space between his broad shoulder and muscled neck and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his shaving cream, which he'd just used when he was in the restroom. Once again, the sense of calm that she'd become so accustomed to, washed over her.

"Bones?" Booth whispered roughly and sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"Don't ever think that you need to compare yourself to anyone else." He was thinking back to his time in the recovery room the previous afternoon. He heard her clearly as she confessed her inner-most fears that she didn't compare with his previous women. Although at the time, he was in no condition to reply to her needs, he didn't want any of those thought invading her brilliant mind ever again.

She raised her eyes to meet his. "Booth, were you awake that whole time?"

"No," he spoke softly, "I don't think so. I just remember bits and pieces, really. But mostly I remember you comparing yourself with the previous women I've been with." He cast his eyes her direction as he fought off sleep – _just stay awake long enough to get this conversation over with,_ he thought. "And Bones? I never again want to hear you say that you don't compare with their beauty. Because the fact is, _they_ can't compare to _you_, Bones. They could never even come close. I told you before, you're the standard; I meant it then and I mean it now. You are the _only_ woman I want to be with; I will _never_ change my mind, I will _never_ regret choosing you and I will _never, ever_, let you regret trusting me enough to choose me." Sleep was starting to invade his words, regardless of how much he fought it. "Bones…I want to make a life with you – for the next 30, 40, 50 years…I want to make _a home_ with you…...I want children with you, a family…I want you to marry me someday…..I want to make you believe in true love and monogamous relationships and happily-ever-after…." His head lulled towards hers as his eyes closed of their own volition, "I used to….hate seeing you…. with other men, Bones. It made me…..crazy jealous," his words slurred together. "Marry me, Bones…someday….be my wife….trust in me….."

As she stared at him, her own eyes large and wet with tears, she knew that he spoke his true feelings. The medication took away his ability to filter what he said, allowing words, wishes really, which she knew he would never consciously say aloud, to be put out there into the Universe. She knew his lyrics were purely honest, as he'd be unable to lie in his current condition.

She smiled as she lowered her face once again to his neck and nuzzled in contentment. "Yes, Booth…don't give up on me – ask me someday…I'll say yes, I promise…" She smiled at his light snore, and she knew he didn't hear her words. She wondered if he would even remember asking her through his haze, once he woke. She suspected not, but inwardly, she hoped that somewhere in his subconscious, he'd recall the conversation and be able remember her answer to him as he fell into another slumber. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off for a nap, enjoying the closeness of their bodies.

B/B/B/B

The gentle knock was not enough to stir them from their shared sleep. Angela and Hodgins peeked through the gap as she pushed open the door.

"Awww…. Jack, look!" She crooned at the sight of her best friend cuddled into the side of her favorite FBI Agent.

"Angie, it's hardly a 'cute scene', given the circumstances. He was shot for crying out loud, and is laying in the hospital. Don't get all gooey over that." Jack rolled his eyes as he pushed the empty wheel chair into the large room.

"I can't help it, Jack, just look at them… they're perfect together."

Jack rolled his eyes and just smiled at his ever-romantic wife, loving her just a little bit more for seeing the beauty in a situation in which he, as a scientist, could only see complications. He whispered loudly, "we should let them sleep, we should go."

The couple was startled to hear an equally loud whispered reply coming from Booth, "it's OK. You can stay." He grinned and cracked one eye open, so he could see their friends.

Hodgins stepped forward, "Sorry, dude, didn't mean to wake you."

"Naw, it's OK. I've been in and out for a little while now. What's it, about 10:00?"

"Yeah. How are you feeling?" Jack responded.

"Sore, man." Booth closed his eyes and stifled a yawn as he pulled his partner closer to his side. He started to rub his hand along the length of her arm that he could reach, knowing she'd want to be awake to see her other best friend, too.

She started to stir and snuggled into him, kissing his neck in her sleep as she brought her hand up to his jawline without opening her eyes. As he continued to rub tiny circles against her skin, she heard voices through her cloudy state of mind. She blinked her eyes open and listened; immediately she recognized Jack's and Angela's voices coming from somewhere behind her. She looked up and met Booth's eyes as he lowered them to look at her.

"Wakey-wakey, Babe. We have visitors." Booth kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly, knowing that she'd sit up right away when she realized what was going on around her.

He was absolutely correct. She gasped slightly and tried to turn to see their friends, but since her back was to the couch, she couldn't roll that way very easily. She sat up and turned, once again allowing her legs to dangle from the bed as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Angela stood and approached her, embracing her in a big hug. "Good morning sweetie. I'm sorry if we disturbed you guys. But we didn't want to wait any longer; we _had _to come see how Booth was doing. And, look, we brought your chair back."

Brennan cleared her throat, "thank you Angela. If you'll just pull it this way, please, I have to use the restroom." She was not quite awake, and Booth knew that his ordeal must have taken a lot out of her; she normally was quick to wake and easy to bounce back after a nap. But she was showing signs of exhaustion and he felt immediately responsible for that. He watched her silently as she moved into the chair and rolled herself into his private bathroom to take care of business.

When he looked back to Angela and Jack, Jack was sitting there with a cheeky grin. "You are _so_ whipped, dude… you're ruined for life, you know…"

"Tell me something I _don't_ know, Jack," Booth retorted with humor. "I just wish I could be stronger for her, you know? With everything she just went through, the last thing I need is to be incapacitated to the point that I can't take care of her."

Angela grinned, "Booth, you are strong for her. Just by being at her side, you make her stronger; you must know that by now, don't you?"

Booth gave her a slight nod, "yeah, but if something happens, I'm limited on what I can do right now."

"You won't be for long. You will heal quickly, you always do. Besides, right now, there's not much to do. We're running the ballistics tests on trace evidence left behind on the roof of the building across from your place as well as the bullets that were fired into your place. So far, we know that the bullets are law-enforcement-standard-issue…so we're taking those tests and running them against every gun registered to law enforcement. But it's a big list, man, and it's taking time." Hodgins filled Booth in on their progress just since the previous day. "We gathered all the files you had spread out on your table at home and took them to the lab, so they would be safe. Sweets is going to go through them today and see what he could find."

Booth nodded as Brennan rejoined their group. Maybe tomorrow, you can bring some of them up, and hopefully by then I'll be off some of the worst of the meds that I can concentrate long enough to read. I don't think I'd be any good today, I'm pretty drugged up."

He looked to his partner, as she sat quietly in her wheel chair, just out of his reach, but within a good line of vision. She met his eyes and smiled, letting him know, silently, that she was alright, just a little out of sorts. They both turned their attention back to Angela as she continued to talk about what she'd found so far while running tests on her Angelator.

"I was going through Julie's jail records and it seems that her sentencing time was reduced by someone, but there is no indication of whom. There is no record of a hearing to determine the reduction, and no ownership assumed for the change. I am dissecting the system to find out the user ID or name used for accessing the computer grid at the prison, so we can find out who was involved with making the change. Hopefully by the time I get back to the lab I will have some more information."

"That's a great start, Ange. Good thinking." Booth complimented their friend on her progress so far. He looked to Bones and she obviously agreed with what he was saying because she was nodding at her best girl-friend, smiling at her in gratitude. He noted that she looked very tired still, and uncomfortable sitting in her chair. He motioned her forward and lowered the side rail of the bed. He tapped on her portion of the mattress, asking her to come lay down.

She wrinkled her brow, "Booth, I can't see Angela and Jack if I'm laying down. I can't turn my head that far." She looked at him as if he was crazy, wondering if the medication was affecting the way he thought.

"Bones, you can lie down _facing_ them, with your back to me, Goofy."

He smiled as the realization of his suggestion lit up her face and she made an 'o' with her mouth as she nodded in understanding. "OK. That's good," she agreed and wheeled herself over, waving off the offer of assistance from Angela and Jack. She pulled herself up and sat in her spot, at his waist and lowered slowly so her head rested on his outstretched bicep. She pressed her backside against Booth's hip and intertwined her feet with his, careful to not bump her ankle. Booth bent his arm at the elbow and held her tight, bringing his forearm diagonally across her chest as his hand came to rest on her left hip. He flexed his fingers and palmed her tightly and securely, feeling the feminine curve beneath his touch.

He kissed the top back of her head once she was settled, "this ok?"

She nodded in appreciation. "Yes, much better. Thank you."

Once the partners were situated, the conversation continued between the four of them. They continued to talk about the case, tossing ideas around the room about who was watching, who was shooting, etc. They were, of course, all speculating, because they had absolutely nothing beyond knowing that Julie was involved somehow. Soon their talking turned to easier, friendly topics and gossip. When Jack and Angela noticed that Brennan's eyes were heavy, they made their excuse to leave, wanting to leave the pair to rest, not feeling any obligation to keep a conversation going.

Angela motioned for Brennan to remain as she was, when she noticed the anthropologist preparing to rise. "Stay, stay, sweetie. You're fine. You just rest and we'll pop back by later, let you know what we learn today." She bent and kissed Bren's cheek and winked at Booth. Hodgins nodded at them both, "you guys take it easy today, we'll see you later." He placed his hand on his wife's shoulders as they made their exit from the room, talking quietly about their plans back at the lab.

Booth kissed Bones' hair again and asked if she needed anything. He felt her gently shake her head in the negative as she gripped his forearm with her tiny fingers. He rubbed back and forth on her hip lightly, just enjoying the feeling of holding her against him. "OK, let's rest again. Go back to sleep, Baby."

He pressed the call button, indicating to the nurse on duty that he wanted more medication as the pain was once again shooting down his arm. Jackie entered the room and shook her head slightly. "Agent Booth?"

She started to speak, but Booth 'shushed' her, indicating that his partner was sleeping.

Jackie acquiesced and whispered, "Agent Booth, this hospital bed isn't made for two… It's not built to hold the weight of two people. Dr. Brennan should really lie on the sofa."

"This bed is plenty strong enough for us. It holds much larger people than the two of us together." He turned towards the mop of auburn hair draping across his arm, shoulder and chest and then turned back to his nurse, "She's been through a lot. I need her to be close to me as much as she needs me close to her." He hesitated to say much more, but felt he should explain to his nurse, so she would get off their case. "She was abducted a little over a week ago, and tortured; that's why she's been using the crutches and now the wheelchair our friends brought up. It's the same case I was researching when I was shot from a distance. So…we're pretty set on staying together for a while, Jackie. I hope you understand."

"Oh, Agent Booth, I'm so sorry to learn that. I had no idea. I didn't know why she was on crutches; I guess I just assumed something happened at the same time that you were shot. But I guess that explains the healing bruises on her cheeks and the faint indication of her split lip…" the nurse thought back to what she'd noticed, beyond the piercing blue eyes that had been watching every move she made. Refocusing, she looked back to Booth, "what did you need, Agent?"

"Can I have some more medicine? The pain's pretty bad right now and I just want to sleep."

Jackie checked his info and determined that he could, in fact, have a lower dose of pain medication. "It's too soon for the stronger meds, but you can have something to dull the ache and help you sleep. I'll be right back."

Jackie was back in a matter of moments with two pills and a fresh pitcher of water. "Here you go. These should help you sleep, at least until lunchtime. Then, after you eat, you can have some stronger ones to get you through the afternoon."

Booth swallowed the pills and cradled his partner tight, her back to his side, and he nuzzled into her hair, relishing in the sensations he felt coursing through his body at the mere closeness he felt. He whispered unheard words of love into her loose curls, planted tiny unfelt kisses atop her head, made uncelebrated promises to take her someplace special after all this shit they were dealing with was over and behind them. He knew she didn't comprehend anything he was saying, but it made him feel better by verbalizing it out loud rather than just in his mind. Feeling a sense of well-being, he drifted off to sleep, listening to the even puffs of air generated by his partner's peaceful sleep.

B/B/B/B

The next time Booth woke, he felt an absence and his eyes flew open as he jerked his head to the right. Seeing she was not there, momentary panic set in and he called out her name. "Bones! Bones?" The quick movement of his neck, as he looked around the room caused pain in his shoulder. He inhaled and smelled food, and his eyes zeroed in on the covered trays resting on the table. "Bones?" He looked towards the bathroom and felt a flood of relief as he heard movement from behind the door, reminding him that he, too, had to use the toilet. The door opened slowly and Brennan wheeled herself out.

"Booth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She smiled at him, but worry creased her face, concern that he'd panicked at her absence. "Are you OK?"

He smiled a but sheepishly. "Yeah. I just – I just sort of worried about where you were. I didn't mean to yell, sorry."

She smiled, accepting his apology immediately. "Lunch got here about 10 minutes ago. Are you hungry?"

He nodded and moved from the bed towards the bathroom. "I'll be right out. Wanna brush my teeth and pee."

She laughed out loud, she couldn't remember ever hearing her partner indicate that he was going to 'pee'. Not in the near 8 years they worked together could she remember hearing those words leave his mouth. Now, his kid, she heard it from him plenty, and now she knew, after hearing Booth's guard lowered, where Parker got it. She smiled at the fact that Booth was comfortable enough with her, now, that he could just burst out with such a phrase and not even think about it.

She waited until he came back out before she uncovered their meals. She was happy to see that her preference of a meat-free meal was remembered. She had cheesy pasta and veggies and she peeked over at Booth's, seeing he had a well-balanced meal of chicken, potatoes and veggies. She smiled up at him as she slid her carton of pudding onto his tray and he beamed at her gesture.

"Wow, Bones. Thanks! You don't want it? Pudding is the best!"

"No, I don't care for it. I like tapioca, but that's about it. I prefer fruit, but I guess that's not an option." She shrugged and dug into her pasta with gusto, realizing she was hungrier than she thought.

They ate in relative silence, commenting only on their food until both trays were cleared and Booth scraped the bottom of his second pudding cup, ensuring that he got it all – even the little bits in the corners of the cup… His partner laughed at him, "Booth, I bet that if you asked, they would bring you more pudding, you don't have to lick the container, you know."

Booth rolled his eyes at her observation, but blushed a little at the fact that he was practically licking the plastic. "Yeah, yeah… I just didn't want to waste any."

She smiled and rolled the tray out of the way, so it was ready when they came back to collect it.

He moved back against his pillows and realized that he didn't really need any pills yet. It made him happy, because that meant he'd be able to stay awake with Bones, rather than falling back to sleep after just waking. "Wanna watch anything on TV, Bones?" He looked at his clock, seeing that it was just before 2:00.

"Whatever you want is fine, Booth. I'm going to sit in the cushioned seat for a bit," she rolled herself around and scooted into the chair. "I don't know what's on TV during the day, so you pick."

He flipped until he settled on the NatGeo channel. He wasn't particularly interested in the show, but knew his Bones would be. It was a show about the Taboo rituals of native tribes – right up her alley, and he was rewarded with a broad smile that warmed his heart when she noticed what he'd turned on for her. "ooh, Booth, this looks fascinating," she beamed at him and reached for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his as she settled, leaning towards him, using the arm of the chair for support.

Booth spent more time during the show looking at his girl than he did looking at the screen. She was completely enthralled by what she was watching, and from time to time she would repeat something that was said, and he knew that meant she was committing it to memory, probably with the intent of conducting further research on the subject.

As it turned out – _yay for Booth_ – it was a 'Taboo Marathon'… Brennan was practically bouncing in her seat when she realized there were several more episodes coming up after the end of the one she was currently enjoying. She turned her bright eyes to Booth and smiled. "Thank you Booth, this is brilliant! I love this kind of programming!"

_I'd watch this all damn day, every day, if it meant seeing her smile like that each time. My God, she is beautiful; gorgeous. How could she ever think that she didn't compare to my past girlfriends. If I can see that smile, at least once a day for the rest of my life, I will die a happy man_. He smiled warmly at her, "see Bones? There really _is_ educational programming on television these days. It's not all crap, like you think."

She stroked her fingertips against his cheek and smiled. "Yes," she whispered, "are you OK with it, too?"

"I'm happy if you're happy, Bones. Enjoy it." They both turned back to the screen as the commercial break ended and more taboos were revealed.

They watched TV in relative silence, commenting ever now and again on something discussed on screen; sometimes it was Bones comparing a particular tradition to another that she knew about, other times it was Booth groaning in disgust at some crazy ritual involving self-mutilation or bodily deformation. But overall, it was an enjoyable afternoon, given the circumstances.

Their third episode was interrupted, much to Brennan's displeasure, by Cullen and Hacker coming to check on Booth. They had placed an agent on duty there at the hospital, which Booth had suspected but hadn't confirmed until Cullen mentioned it.

The men spoke of Booth's surgery, and, as Brennan was so engrossed with watching her new-favorite-show, she moved closer to the TV, planting herself on the end of Booth's bed, between his feet, so she could sit closer and still hear what was being relayed through the program. Hacker's eyes flicked from Booth to Tempe and back to Booth repeatedly as his boss and subordinate spoke about Booth's expected recovery time, the case, and general small talk.

Hacker was disgruntled to see Tempe's hands as they moved from resting in her lap, to reaching for Booth's legs, which were on either side of her shapely hips. He watched as she absent-mindedly and gently caressed his ankles and feet, rubbing her thumbs along the length of the top of his feet and down to his toes. Without watching what she was doing, she moved her fingers long his skin, massaging his previously-tortured feet, of which she now completely understood the pain. Hacker's ire rose as he saw Tempe pull herself higher on the bed so her knees were no longer bent, allowing her legs to hang from the edge of the bed. She scooted higher, so she was seated smack between Booth's knees, and she pulled his calves around her hips, so his calves rested atop hers, his lower legs encircling her waist. The whole time, she hadn't once looked at Booth, nor did she seem the least bit interested in their conversation; she was completely enthralled in the television show being shown, and Booth didn't seem the least bit distracted by his _partner's_ actions.

Hacker's anger continued to mount as he realized his boss _must_ see what was happening. The intimacy between the 'partners' was evident and obvious to anyone who would look upon them. No one – _no one_ – sat like that unless there was more between the two people involved than just friendship. Tempe continued to manipulate Booth's muscled calves beneath her talented fingers, rubbing all the spots where she knew he often felt stress; running her fingertips from his knees to his ankles and back up, all the while ignoring the men completely.

Cullen noticed Booth's eyes darken with anger when he looked over at Hacker. Cullen turned to see his assistant staring at Temperance, studying her body slowly with his eyes, and he knew that was what Booth was aggravated by. Cullen cleared his throat and gained Hackers attention the second time, finally hitting his leg at the same time he coughed. Hacker turned his head in a flurry and flushed when he saw his superior giving him the 'what-the-hell-are-you-staring-at' look. Hacker sighed and turned to see Booth's deadly stare locked on his position.

Hacker couldn't take it anymore, he leaned forward towards Booth, making sure Cullen was between them to hear what he had to say. "Booth, this bull-shit - - this _crap_ that you two are just partners, it's gotta stop. You can't tell me nothing's going on here." He nudged his head towards Tempe where she sat, still ignoring them.

Cullen rolled his shoulders and, cutting Booth off as the Agent started to speak, he spoke instead. "Hacker, I told you to drop this quest of yours. Stop. Just stop." He lowered his voice to a threatening level, "I don't see anything other than a _contracted_ anthropologist trying to sooth her partner's discomfort after he took a bullet; and not really paying any mind to it either. It's not like she's grinding against him and riding him hard while we're trying to carry on a conversation." Hacker was shocked at Cullen's painting of a visual he wanted to erase from his mind's eye as soon as it was said.

Booth had to hide his laughter by turning his head to the left, and in doing so, caused a pain to shoot down his left arm, radiating all the way to his fingertips. Acutely aware of her partner's bodily reactions, Bones felt Booth's legs jerk and she spun around to look at him. "Booth? Are you alright? What happened?"

She watched as he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain and clenched his jaw. "Yeah, Bones… alright…" he grunted through his teeth.

She thought momentarily – he hadn't had medicine for most of the day. He told her he had some before they took their nap when Angela left, but he didn't take any at lunch, and since that was several hours ago, he was certainly due for some more. He had gone the whole Taboo Marathon without any, and he'd been sitting talking to his bosses for about an hour by that point.

Without thinking, she leaned back, against his torso and reached for the call button, pressing it to call the nurse. She was relieved to see Debbie was back on duty and explained when he'd last had medicine and that he was having pain again. Booth was thankful for Bones, because at that particular moment, he couldn't have verbalized much, given the amount of pain he had caused to himself when he turned his head too quickly to the left.

After Debbie administered his pills, Bones turned to the two men on the couch. "You two should go. Booth needs to rest." She didn't sugar coat the request, she spoke it as an order. Her protective side of Booth was showing itself and Cullen smiled, despite himself as he stood from his seat. _She's as alpha as he is... they are so perfect together_...

He nodded and patted Booth's right shoulder, "take it easy, Booth. We'll keep you posted when your team updates us with anything." Booth nodded his thanks as he started to feel the quick-acting pills take effect.

Hacker also rose, but looked to Tempe. "Would you like to join me for a bite, Tempe? Maybe a drink? Let your _partner_ rest and you can get some decent food, rather than hospital crap?" He hoped to get her alone to get a confession out of her, and possibly get her to sway her opinion of him, to date him once more... He wanted to show her that he could be _everything_ she needed. He felt Booth's stare as if it were drilling into the side of his head, but he ignored the now-drugged Agent.

Brennan looked at Hacker, from her seat between Booth's knees, with them still resting on her thighs. "No, Andrew. I am eating quite well. Besides, Booth likes to see what I eat so he is sure that I am eating right. He said it helps him relax, knowing that I am getting a balanced diet. and I want him to be able to relax as much as possible, so he heals quickly." She answered matter-of-factly, relating exactly what Booth had told her; even though that wasn't the true reason she wouldn't go with Hacker. She had no intentions of ever going to dinner with him ever again. She would be sharing her meals with Booth from then on; every morning and every night, if she had anything to say about it. And as often as possible, they'd share lunch as well; depending on their schedules.

"Surely you _yourself_ can determine if you're eating well enough, Tempe, you don't need _his_ approval." Hacker lowered his voice and leaned closer to her.

Bones started to defend her decision, but was cut off by Booth, "Hacker she said she didn't want to go eat with you. Take the hint, man. She's gunna eat with me, _capishe_?"

Hacker straightened, locked his jaw and stared at Booth, "Good to see you're recovering so well from your surgery, _Booth_. Think you can manage to stay awake long enough to even keep her company while she eats? Or are you going to leave her sitting here alone while you sleep?" Hacker spat the words, disgusted that Booth had somehow taken the fight and independence out of the Tempe that he had fallen for. _Tempe would never allow a man to dictate to her when and what she should eat. What's he have over her?_ Hacker's mind was reeling with questions regarding the pair.

Cullen started moving out of the room and pushed Hacker out along with him. "I'll give you a call Booth. Good night Temperance, please call me if you need anything. Anything at all." Cullen smiled and Temperance smiled warmly in return.

"Thank you, Sam. We'll be fine, though, I am sure."

Cullen nodded and leaned close, ensuring that Hacker didn't hear. "Do you need an escort home, or are you staying?"

His answer came in the form of her smile and a simple, "No, I don't need one, thank you Sam."

He nodded as he pushed Hacker out in front of him, preparing for yet another lecture he was about to lay on the _Assistant_ Director.

When the two men finally left the room, Bones turned back to see Booth's sleepy eyes following her movements. She recognized that he was not only close to falling asleep, but once again, the medication was about to block out his verbal filter that he worked so hard to keep intact when he was with others.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Bones. Please don't leave me for someone like him." He fought the tears that were threatening his eyes. She saw his vulnerability and insecurities coming through as he doubted that he was enough for her. Their feelings mirrored each other's so perfectly, that she immediately understood his concern.

She scooted around, moving his leg so she could just scoot around the perimeter of the bed on her butt, until she could reach his face. Cradling his cheeks in her cool palms she looked deep into his eyes, hoping that he was still with her enough to hear her words. "Booth, I am _never_ leaving you. I am not interested in anyone else; just you. Only you." She leaned forward and planned to place a small, gentle kiss on his lips, but she was immediately seized by his free arm and held against him while he kissed her passionately. She allowed him to control her lips, invade her mouth and claim her as his. She surrendered to his need to ensure she was really here. Their kiss deepened and they moaned against each other; her fingers framed his face and his squeezed the flesh at her waist, just where her shirt rode up a bit.

"Bones," he gasped, "I love you. Don't forget that, please. Never forget that, no matter who's trying to entice you. I love you with every fiber in my body. I always have and I always will."

She met his eyes with tears of her own. "I'm not going anywhere, Booth. Now, sleep, Booth. You'll feel better after you sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

His mouth reached hers once more, nipping at her lower lip, then her jawline before moving down to the hollow of her throat, where he spent just a few moments suckling, drawing an adorable mew from deep within her chest.

"Mmm… Bones… You taste so good…" he spoke against her skin, his breath over the wet spot he left behind, caused shivers to run down her spine. "MMmmm… I want a case of these pills, whatever they are…they make me…mmmm….Feel…._You_ make me feel, Bones…" She allowed him to suckle a little longer, silently surrendering and permitting him to fulfill the need to know she was his; that she wasn't going anywhere. Once he seemed to calm down, she looked into his drowsy eyes and stroked his face.

"Sleep, Booth. I'll be right here. I promise." She spoke quietly as his eyes drifted closed. She remained in the same position until she was certain he was sleeping soundly, at which time, she turned back with an excited little smirk, and edged her way back around to the lower part of the bed, where she took up residence once again between his knees and watched another episode of Taboo as she rubbed his legs and feet, never once breaking the skin to skin contact that she understood he needed from her. She smiled knowing that she was able to calm him from his momentary vulnerable frenzy. While she became absorbed once more in her show, she massaged his often-aching feet, paying special care to his arches, which she knew from his x-rays, were particularly tender.

And he slept.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so a little bit of everything: angst, love, investigation, alpha-displays, etc… It was a fun ride, this chapter… LOL Hope you liked it. PLEASE take a moment to let me know! Thank you to so many of you who just started reviewing for me. I am touched that you opened up and started sharing your thoughts – reviews mean the world to those of us who write – they not only offer insight on what does or doesn't work, but it offers the encouragement that our words are not being lost out there in the world-wide-web, unappreciated. **

**Thank you in advance for taking time. I try to do my best to respond to all reviews, but some of you have you PM disabled, and I can't reply, so for those of you who do, please know that I really appreciate hearing from you all the same! **

**Peace and Love, ~ jazzy **


	45. Chapter 45

**Hello! Please accept my apologies for the delay in posting chapter 45. It's been a rough couple of weeks in my real-world; work has been a bear as the company I work for is 'streamlining' their positions and the staffing issues have been horrible! Not that you all care about **_**that**_** – but that is essentially the reason behind my delay, so I felt it necessary to explain… by the time I get home from work in the evenings, the last think I'm wanting to do is sit in front of the computer… **

**I know I am also behind in replying to reviews…I promise this weekend I plan to do my very best in replying to them **_**all**_**! PLEASE don't stop reviewing! I will do my BEST to reply! **

**You have all honored me with your continued support and kind words. I am constantly blown away by your encouragement and I am SO grateful for **_**you all**_**! It's great to know that you're still reading and enjoying and ****THANK YOU**** to so many people who have come out of their shells and started to review on the later chapters! *My muse and I* **_**L-O-V-E**_** to see the reviews in my email in-box when I break for lunch; it makes those days at work go by so much quicker! **HINT HINT** **

**Disclaimer: So… I still don't own anything other than this story line and those characters that you don't recognize…I wish I did… but lo and behold, I am not that creative…**

Previously:

_"Sleep, Booth. I'll be right here. I promise." She spoke quietly as his eyes drifted closed. She remained in the same position until she was certain he was sleeping soundly, at which time, she turned back with an excited little smirk, and edged her way back around to the lower part of the bed, where she took up residence once again between his knees and watched another episode of Taboo as she rubbed his legs and feet, never once breaking the skin to skin contact that she understood he needed from her. She smiled knowing that she was able to calm him from his momentary vulnerable frenzy. While she became absorbed once more in her show, she massaged his often-aching feet, paying special care to his arches, which she knew from his x-rays, were particularly tender._

_And he slept_

_B/B/B/B_

Booth slept soundly through dinner, so Brennan ate quietly while enjoying her marathon and asked the nurse if they could leave a non-perishable sandwich for Booth, knowing that when he did finally wake from his sleep, he'd be ravenous.

He started to stir around 9:00pm and blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings. Brennan was still planted low on the bed, once again watching NatGeo – her newest favorite channel. The 'Taboo' Marathon complete, they were now featuring a new special about a 7,000 year old set of 'caveman' remains discovered in Spain. The skeletal remains predated Otzi the Iceman, about whom she had recently sparked Parker's interest. While the special report was extremely watered-down, as Booth would say, for the public understanding, it held enough pertinent information that she was fascinated about the genome revelations of our closest extinct relatives. She had been invited to join in the excavation of the Spanish locale, but she'd declined the request twice, in favor of remaining close to her work – to her lab – _to her partner_…The thought, at that time, of spending more months away from Booth was nearly unbearable, so she chose to not go, and never even mentioned it to Booth, for fear that he might have encouraged her to partake in the historical find.

As she watched, making mental notes of aspects about which she wanted to conduct additional research on her own, she lazily rubbed Booth's lower legs and feet, once again paying special attention to those places she knew caused him agony after a long day of standing or working while wearing work shoes. Her touch was gentle yet firm, and she knew the minute he woke, because she could read his body language. Without turning around to look at him, she spoke quietly.

"Did you have a good sleep, Booth?"

He cleared his throat and tried to shift slightly, so he could sit up by raising the back of the bed. "Mmm-hmm," was his wordless reply, his voice box not yet ready to cooperate enough to speak.

With one final long rub from the backs of his knees down to his ankles, she turned to him with a smile. "Good." She swung her body slightly, so his right leg was draped across her lap and his left remained resting on the bed behind her curvaceous body.

"Mmm…" he groaned again, "wow, those pills kicked my ass, Bones…What time is it?" He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the clock on the wall, but was unable to read it.

"Just after 9:00," she replied and then decided to add "P.M." just in case he didn't realize that is was nighttime…

He smiled broadly and warmly at her clarification, "yeah, I figured out the PM-part myself, Bones… it's uh, pretty dark outside the window."

She smiled at his sarcasm, glad to see he hadn't lost his sense of humor through everything that they'd been through. She smiled harder at his next exclamation. "Aw, man! I missed dinner. Dammit!" He pouted like an insolent child who didn't get his way and she reached up to touch his hand.

"Booth," she whispered conspiratorially, "I asked the nurse to bring a sandwich for you. _And_ extra pudding too." She beamed when she realized she'd done the right thing when his own smiled grew wide and his eyes sparkled at her.

"Thanks, Bones. I can always count on you." He winked at her as she pulled the tray over his way, so he could sit up to eat.

The rest of the evening passed quietly, as they intimately shared stories of their pasts, their childhood memories, and lost dreams before settling down for the night. Booth was given another dose of medication and his wound was re-dressed. Bones sat on the edge of the bed while Booth reapplied her antibacterial medication and reapplied the very few bandages that were still necessary.

As she nuzzled down at his side, he huffed ruefully as he started to feel the effects from his medication. "Aren't we a pair? My shoulder's all fucked up and your back and feet are not yet healed… We really _are _meant for each other, Bones…"

She rolled her eyes gently as she leaned up for a kiss. "Booth?"

"Mmm…" he hummed into her lingering kiss, "hmmm?"

"Tomorrow we'll feel better. Let's sleep." She pushed her body flush against his and rubbed her forehead against his rough cheek, slowly breathing him in. "I love you, Booth. I never meant to push you away the other day…"

He allowed his right hand to cup the roundness of her hip, pulling her as close as possible. "I know, baby. I won't say it didn't hurt," his voice was tired, but he was perfectly aware of what he was saying. "I was just so shocked, Bones, that you reacted like that. I really _was_ trying to help; I would never do something that would purposely hurt you, I hope you remember that." He kissed her hair softly. "I love you waaay too much to do that to you."

"I realize that, Booth. And as soon as you were gone, I knew I had been wrong. I knew I screwed up, and I wanted desperately to apologize. But then I thought you might never want to talk to me again. I figured I'd messed up aristocratically. Then.. when I found out – when I learned that you were hurt – I was so terrified that I wouldn't have the chance to tell you that I regretted my actions and my words."

His sleepy smile spread across his handsomely chiseled face as he chuckled into her silky hair. "_Royally_, Bones. You thought you'd _royally _messed up, baby."

She wrinkled her forehead, "That's what I said…"

He tilted his head and gazed into her eyes. "Baby? You and I are going to have our fair share of ups and downs…that's something we're going to have to accept. We _both _are very intense, very determined, very stubborn, very passionate… Let's just both agree that we will work through our disagreements." He smiled sadly. "I handled it poorly; I shouldn't've let my temper get so out of control, Bones. I should never have left you sitting in front of the elevator like that, and I won't do it again."

"And I didn't mean to call you a stupid man. You are _so_ far from stupid, Booth. I spoke without thinking, and for those hurtful words, for my rash actions, I am so ashamed. I pride myself on being logical and calm and I always try to gather all the facts first; but my brain…it got all… I don't know…I just…I couldn't think straight." She blushed in embarrassment, although she knew that Booth would not hold her harshness against her. She was, for herself, terribly humiliated, so she buried her face into his chest, needing his warmth and comfort.

"Aww, Baby, let's move past it, hmm? Life's too short to dwell on a disagreement." He rested his head against hers, relishing in their closeness. "Let's sleep, Bones; this medicine if freakin' kicking my ass…" He was happy to feel her tip her head back up so they could join their lips once more. "G'night, Baby. Wake me if you need anything. Love you."

"Good night, Booth. And, thank you…for everything… I love you, too." She murmured against his chest, wishing she could rest against his bare skin, but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable, so didn't ask him to remove his shirt.

He sensed that she needed more, like there was something else she wanted to say, but was holding herself back from doing so. He tapped his fingers against her hip and waited for her to look up at him. When she finally did, he cocked an eyebrow. "What's the matter, Bones? What aren't you saying?"

"What do you mean, Booth?"

"I mean that you are not yet sinking into sleep, you're still holding yourself back. What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing, Booth. I'm alright." She tried to avoid staring at him for too long, knowing that he would break her.

"Boooones?" He drew her name out in a sing-song voice. "Tell me what else is bothering you…"

"It's not really something that's bothering me, it's just… well, it's kind of stupid… but I miss being against your bare skin…I miss feeling the way your muscles react when I trace my fingers across your chest. Does that…does that sound needy?" She truly was curious, and concerned, if her desire came across as needy – she really didn't know where the lines between lovable and needy crossed, she needed his reassurance.

"Not at all, Babe. I miss it too," he started to move, "c'mon, help me."

"Booth?" she didn't think that he'd really remove his hospital gown, since it was the only thing he was wearing.

"C'mon, Bones, help me, take it down my right shoulder and arm, I'll keep it draped over my left, in case the nurse comes back. But I want to feel you, too; your fingers skimming across my chest and stomach…" he smiled sheepishly, "it helps me relax."

Giving him a cheesy grin, she pulled back and tugged the sleeve of the gown, dragging it down his arm and pushing it across his torso. She leaned down and planted tiny kisses all over his pec, enjoying his bodily reaction to her touch and the groans that were emanating from deep within his chest. She smiled smugly against his skin; knowing it was _her _touch that made him tremble and that truth gave her a great deal of satisfaction.

Once she'd had her fill of feeling his skin beneath her lips, she snuggled against him and drank in his warmth. He sighed in contentment and pulled her close with his right arm. "I wish I could use my left arm, Bones; I'd wrap you in a Boothy cocoon for the night." He smiled against her hair and nuzzled his nose into her soft tresses. "Mmm… You feel so good, Bones…"

She looked up at him with a warm smile, "Do you want me to take off my shirt to, Booth?" Her tone was almost excited, giddy, even…

"Oh, _God_, I'd love you to… But _**no**_, Bones. We can't do that. It's one thing for me to lay here without a shirt – but if you take off your shirt and press against me, I think I'd spontaneously combust." He grinned and pulled her back down to the crook of his neck, giving her ass a firm squeeze before settling his wide hand against her hip once again. "Let's sleep, Bones…I'm beat."

She nodded against his shoulder, "I love you, Booth."

"Love you too, baby. Sleep well."

As sleep enveloped the pair, they drifted off into their respective dream-worlds. Brennan's was filled with visions of herself and Booth, usually performing mundane, every-day tasks; nothing spectacular, but they were happy as she looked on as an outsider would. A gentle smile tugged her lips while she slept and her head lulled back against his bicep as he held her protectively.

Booth's dreams, however, were of a completely different nature. His were nightmares in which he didn't reach his partner in time; he was too late arriving to her apartment during the Epps case; he was moments too late in finding the car in which she and Hodgins were buried – but Hodgins had survived; he was too late getting to her when a rogue FBI agent, whose face was in his dreams, obscured, held her captive in a warehouse, as she was hung up on a meat hook -he was unable to sign himself out of the hospital in time after he'd been blown up in her kitchen; in other nightmarish snippets, he was discovered as he staked out the old cook-house in which she was most recently held captive – resulting in her immediate assassination.

In Booth's drugged condition, he struggled to wake himself after each terrifying episode. But when he did manage to open his eyes, he would look down at her peacefully sleeping form draped partway over his body. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her 'Bonsey' scent, reminding himself that she was safe in his arms – in his _arm-singular_ – that he _had_ reached her early enough in each drastic situation – _each and every time he'd found her and he'd saved her_.

On the last bodily jerk bringing him out of his dread-filled dreams, she stirred, sensing his sleeping form tense beneath her. She pried her eyes open, forcing herself to look up at his face, hoping that he was still sleeping soundly, but raised her eyes to greet his dark brown ones looking down at her.

"Booth? Are you alright?" Her voice was thick with sleepiness.

"You're here," he whispered hoarsely, relief obvious in his tone. "You're here. And you're safe, Bones." He pulled her close, tucking his chin and brushing her cheek with his. "Oh, God, Bones…you're right here…with me…"

He was kissing her gently before she realized what was happening, and she felt the wetness of his tears brushing against her skin. When he pulled back to look at her, she searched his eyes, finding happiness and relief mixed with remorse and desperation.

"Booth…I'm here; you're here; we're OK." She reached and cupped his cheeks in her warm hands, her tiny fingers splayed wide to cover as much of his skin as possible.

"Bones, I'm so sorry you've been hurt so often. I am so sorry that I didn't protect you better…I'm so sorry…" Booth was reliving his nightmares in his memory, seeing Bones injured and vulnerable; the visions were so vivid, so real…

"SShh… Booth, I'm fine. You do protect me, _you do_. You saved my life, Booth…" Her words shuddered as she realized how clear Booth's memories must be while he was on the pain medication. "I'm here for you, Booth. I'm here _because _of you. You've always protected me, Booth…" As she looked deep into his tormented eyes, she began to see his starting to focus in return. "Are you back with me, Booth?" her quiet words reached his ears and he heard her concern.

"Yeah, Bones…I'm umm… I'm here… Sorry" He inhaled sharply, "My dreams – nightmares – have been so…intense and graphic tonight…" He swallowed slowly, regaining his composure. "I saw you, Bones…injured, broken…and…worse." He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. "Sorry to wake you, Bones."

"Don't be sorry, Booth. I'd rather you woke me so we can talk about it, rather than you lay there, wallowing through it on your own."

He smiled against her and brushed his lips against hers, "thanks, Baby. I love you. Go back to sleep."

She nuzzled back against him, grateful when she felt his posture relax beneath her touch once again. "Love you too, Booth. Get some rest."

"I wanna go home, Bones." He mumbled into her hair, "I don't want to stay here…"

She smiled against his neck, finding his child-like pout to be oddly charming. "Soon, Booth...I know you want to be at home. Just a little while longer, then we can go."

He allowed himself to fall into slumber, listening to her voice, smelling her hair, feeling her body against his…And finally he slept, enjoying the feel of her fingertips dancing across his chest and stomach. And his sleep was peaceful, no longer plagued by horrific visions of the love of his life being tortured or taken from his arms.

And she, too, found herself falling into the comfort provided to her by the strong arm that was wrapped around her. The warmth that surrounded her lulled her into blissful unconsciousness and together they slept until the light of dawn slipped in through the crack of the closed curtains.

B/B/B/B

Dr. Schuller was, to say the least, surprised when he entered his patient's room the next morning. The nurses had informed him that Tempe had been staying with Booth pretty much 24 hours a day, but they neglected to inform him that she was actually sleeping _in_ the hospital bed _with_ him. He had assumed she'd been making use of the sleeper couch that he ensured was in the room for her when he was arranging the room assignment. Instead, his stomach clenched in lost yearning when he saw the way his breath-taking former colleague was snuggled tight against her partner. He had, for so long in prior years, dreamt of having her pressed against _his_ body in the very same way that she was currently wrapped around the strong FBI Agent.

Awkwardly, he made noise as he accessed the computer files, stirring the partners from their shared slumber. Brennan groggily raised her head from the crook of Booth's neck and blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she looked around. She was startled to see her old friend looking down at her from his stance beside Booth's left side. At her movement, Booth started to emerge slowly from his drug-induced sleep, tightening his arm around her waist, driven purely by natural instinct, pulling her closer to him as he hummed in appreciation.

Brennan didn't pull away from her partner, although she could see the disapproval in Barry's eyes. She raised her big blue eyes from Booth's partially sleeping face and looked at Barry. "Good morning," she spoke quietly, her voice rough with sleep.

"Tempe," Barry addressed her, "What are you _doing_? Why aren't you using the sleeper couch? You two can't possibly be comfortable like that."

She smiled shyly and let her head drop to Booth's right shoulder, "Actually, it's quite nice. We both sleep better like this; we tried the other way and it didn't turn out too well."

Unbeknownst to Barry, but crystal clear to Tempe, Booth was awake by this point, but kept his eyes closed.

Knowing the timing was inappropriate, Barry questioned his friend, because he couldn't help himself; he had to ask his former focus-of-lust something very important. "Tempe," Barry spoke quietly, "I know it's been a long time since we saw each other, but I need to know, are you _truly_ happy? With your partner, are you well-cared-for and contented? I don't mean to pry, but I am concerned about you – about your _condition_, if you'll forgive me."

She formed the most satisfied smile he'd ever seen grace a woman's lips. "I am very, _very,_ well-cared-for, Barry. And…I have _never_ been happier in my life…" she lowered her eyes to look at Booth's feigning-sleeping face, "Booth is a passionate, dedicated, loving, and giving man… and much more…" her grin spread wider, "so _very_ much more, but if I continue to praise him, his head will swell."

At her comment, Booth's face broke into a cocky smile and he slowly opened his eyes, one at a time, to meet her clear blues as they stared back at him.

"Don't look so satisfied with yourself, Booth. No one likes cockiness…" she smiled at him as she nudged up to place a chaste kiss against his cheek. "Good morning, sleepy cranium. Your doctor is here to see you. I'm going to use the restroom." She quickly pulled herself back from his grasp and chuckled when he groaned at the loss of her heat. She then looked up at the patiently waiting doctor, "He's all yours, Barry."

"Sleepy _head,_ Bones…not cranium," Booth's voice was groggy as his eyes followed his sexy partner, as she slowly padded over towards the restroom door, using her crutches, and closed herself inside. Then he pulled his gaze up to the doctor who was waiting to examine his shoulder. "Mornin' Doc." He locked eyes with the now-quiet man. "So, whatcha think?" He smirked, but held the man's gaze sternly, knowing that the doctor knew that _he knew_ Barry's interest in Bones.

Avoiding the social issue, Barry lowered his eye to the Agent's bare shoulder, taking mental note that the hospital gown was pretty much removed. "Well, Agent, let's take a look, hmm?" Schuller started to remove the bandages from the incision area, "I think I want to have another x-ray done today, Agent Booth, just so I can have a look at the bone reconstruction that we did. The bone repair itself was a pretty minor repair, in the big scheme, but I want to make sure all looks good." He remained silent as he cleansed some dried blood, revealing the staples. "Mm-hmm…that looks good. How's that feel?"

Booth raised an eye brow, "Like I was shot; what is it supposed to feel like?"

"I just meant, outside of average post-surgery discomfort, how does it feel? Are you in great discomfort?"

"Naw; it's no worse than when I was blown up in Bones' kitchen."

The doctor stammered, "uh - -blown up? Like _**BOOM**_ blown-up?" The doctor raised his hands in a blowing-up gesture as he spoke.

Booth nodded slowly, "Yeah, someone had planted a bomb in her fridge, intending to blow _her_ up; I will forever be grateful that _**I**_was the one who opened it, in search of beer. If that had happened to her – I don't know – I would have died if something had happened to Bones."

Dr. Schuller could see the Agent's emotion at the mere thought of someone or something harming his partner. He wondered about Tempe's current situation, as he hadn't had a chance to speak with her since the surgery.

"Agent Booth," his doctor's voice was serious, but different than that of a patient/doctor dialect. "What happened to Tempe? Why's she using the crutches and the wheel chair? Who hurt her?"

Booth inhaled slowly. He didn't like talking about Bones' business; it wasn't his tale to tell, it was hers, and if she wanted him to know, she would have told him already. Booth silently struggled with himself, deciding if he should or shouldn't reveal the circumstances surrounding Bones' current health matters. She saved him, because he didn't know she'd already opened the bathroom door and started to re-enter the main of the room.

"It's OK, Booth. You can tell him." She knew him so well that she knew he wouldn't talk about her without permission first. "I am going to go down and get some decent coffee from the café." She made her way to the wheel chair and propped her crutches up against the wall. "Do you want anything besides coffee? Pie maybe?"

She knew she'd made the right assumption when his smile spread wide across his handsome face. "That'd be great Bones. Really good." He smiled as she made her exit from the room, and he grinned arrogantly at the fact that she had donned one of _his_ clean FBI T-shirts along with a pair of _his _own sweat-shorts. And she looked far better in them than he did; he could really get used to seeing her in his clothes… _That is so wrong; she is her own person, should wear her own clothes, but God, she looks hot in my stuff_, he smugly thought to himself.

He turned back to his surgeon, "Gimme a minute. I'm going to use the bathroom, then we'll talk." Booth slowly sat up from his laying position, waving off the offered help from Barry. "I'm good, thanks, though."

Once Booth reappeared back into the room, he found Barry sitting in the lounge seat to the side of the bed. Once he was settled back in bed, he silently observed his partner's former co-worker. "You're wondering how I could have let that happen to her, yes? How could I not protect her from being injured…It's OK, you don't need to answer, I can see it in your eyes and I could hear it in your voice when you spoke to her." His deep brown eyes honed in on the doctor's hazel stare.

"Bones was a victim of an abduction and subsequent torture. She was forcibly taken from her home late one night and taken to a remote location, where she was tortured. He, her captor, expected to have demands met by sending vague and cryptic codes to me via texts and emails; but our team zeroed in on her location and I went in to get her." He looked at Barry and saw the man's eyes pale. "We weren't officially together then, so I wasn't there with her when she was taken. Otherwise it _never_ would have happened. It won't happen again...Ever." Booth lowered his eyes, looking at his own shoulder for a moment. "She was stripped, tethered to a wall, face down on a shit-piece mattress, and beaten and whipped. They cut her hair, ripped her earring out, cut up her feet to stop her from running, mentally tormented her…Told her she was officially abandoned; told her she was unloved and he left her laying there in that…_filth_…letting her believe that no one cared. She started to buy in to the idea that we _weren't_ looking for her. Her fear of abandonment started to override her sense of logic." He swallowed visibly, remembering the conversation he'd heard as he stood just inside the doorway of the cookhouse. "He told her to start to pray to a God she didn't believe in, because he was going to kill her."

"Oh my God, Agent Booth…What happened? How did your team save her?"

He met the doctor's eyes. "I was the only one there at that point. I was there as a sniper, targeting an enemy, and as hard as it was, I had to ignore my raging ire and my over-protectiveness of her as my partner, so I didn't screw it up. I had to remain silent and get him in my crosshairs." His brown eyes darkened to ebony and his jaw set firmly, "Once I had him there, I killed the son-of-a-bitch. After what he did to Bones, I wasn't about to let him live…"

"You – you killed him... Just like that, you killed him?" In one aspect, the doctor could understand the Agent's actions, but in another way, he struggled with it, so he spoke up. "Why didn't you take him alive and make him answer for what he did? Aren't you supposed to take people like that alive, and make them face the courts? To seek justice?"

"He beat her; he whipped her; he tortured my partner…the woman I love…He was ready to kill her and if I hadn't gotten there when I did, I have no doubt that he would have succeeded in his quest to end her life. I don't take it lightly when I have to kill, but I have no remorse for doing so in this situation. I would do it again, no questions asked, if anyone hurt her again. If anyone tried to hurt her, it would be the last thing they ever tried…"

The hardness of the Agent's stare brought shivers down Schuller's spine. "You really do love her, don't you?" It was a rhetorical question, recognized by Booth, but answered nonetheless.

"More than life itself. I would die for her, I would kill for her, _have_ killed, obviously. Alongside my son, she's the most important person in my life; in my whole world." Booth's eyes were deadpanned and intense, leaving no room for doubt.

The doctor nodded in understanding, and was amazed when he saw the visual change in his patient's bodily demeanor when Tempe opened the door and re-entered the room. Booth's eyes softened; his face brightened; his smile spread wide; his chest puffed out as her smile greeted his with equal adoration.

She addressed him with a sing-song voice, "They had hot apple pie…and when I told the lady it was for _you_, she threw in some vanilla ice cream...it makes me wonder exactly how many women around here know you, Booth…" She chuckled, knowing that her partner's charm was well known throughout the hospital, as well as his love of pudding and ice cream.

"Wow, pie _and_ ice cream for breakfast? You really do love me, Bones, don't you?" He was enamored with his partner and she just became more adorable to him as she wheeled forward, bearing gifts of 'dessert for breakfast' and real coffee.

Dr. Schuller knew his discussion with Booth had come to a close, and took the longing looks between the couple as his clue to leave. "Well, Agent Booth, I will order further x-rays, so an orderly will be along to take you upstairs soon." He rose to leave, nodding at them both.

"Then can I go home?" Booth asked in between swallowing a mouthful of hot pie, and washing it down with his fresh coffee.

Schuller raised an eyebrow, "Agent, it's a little soon for that, you are still going to need observation."

Bones spoke up immediately, "I can observe him, Barry." Then she leaned forward and whispered to Barry, loud enough for Booth to hear, "Booth's not exactly a _patient_ patient, if you know what I mean. Often his _impatience_ gets him in trouble around here."

Booth just smiled innocently and nodded in agreement.

"Um, well, we will have to decide the next course of action once his x-rays are returned, so I'm not promising anything; but I will try to ensure that you are not here any longer than necessary."

To that, both partners seemed satisfied and he continued his leave, promising that he would order the tests right away.

They sat in comfortable companionship simply enjoying the morning coffee shared. A quiet knock interrupted them and the FBI agent assigned to the corridor popped his head in once acknowledged. "Sorry for the interruption, but there's someone out here insisting to see you, Agent Booth."

Booth raised his eyebrow, "Who is it, Schmidt?"

"Hannah Burley, sir." The younger agent almost flinched when he had to announce the visitor, and the temperature in the room dropped, metaphorically speaking, about 10 degrees.

Booth looked to Bones and dropped his head back to his pillow. "Ah, shit… she found me…"

Bones was disturbed by Hannah's appearance, but humored by Booth's childish answer. "Booth – you might as well see her. She obviously has something she wants to speak to you about, and if she's going to this extent to find you, the sooner you see her, the sooner you'll be done."

"This coming from the woman who freaked out that she called me?" Booth looked at his girl in astonishment.

Schmidt shifted from one foot to the next, "Um, Sir? Should I send her away?"

Booth hesitated, so Bones spoke up, "No, agent, please show her in." Her voice was determined and serious as her eyes looked to Booth's.

As Schmidt backed out, she continued to Booth, "I was freaked out because I was afraid, but you have assured me that you are not interested in her any longer, Booth. So I am no longer threatened by her presence." She smiled when she knew she'd said the right thing, as his lips turned upward into a grin. She asked him, honestly not knowing what he would want, "Do you want me to go?"

"No, Bones. You stay; anything she can say to me, she can say to you, Baby." She nodded at his confident answer and despite her vocalization of her comfort in Hannah's visit, she was once again put at ease that Booth didn't want to keep any secrets from her.

The door cracked open and Hannah entered cautiously, at once zeroing in on Booth's semi-reclined position in the hospital bed. She noticed how he was covering his chest with his open hospital gown, shielding his body from her eyes. She rushed forward, still not seeing Temperance in the room.

"Oh my Goodness, Seeley. Are you alright?" Her hurried steps stopped at his bedside and she bent over to kiss his cheek, but he pulled away, obviously not interested in her concern.

"Hi Hannah," he coolly greeted her. "What can we do for you?" He ignored her query and made sure his question to her included Bones in the conversation.

Hannah seemed startled at his aloofness and stood ram-rod straight again. "Seeley, there's no need for hostility."

"I'm not hostile, Hannah, I just am not in the mood for chatting. In case you didn't notice I was recently shot and my partner here is in a wheelchair after being tortured by some asshole; all of which is very upsetting to me. So I ask again, what can we do for you?"

It was then that Hannah realized they were not alone in the large hospital room. She turned and saw Temperance seated on the couch opposite the side on which she currently stood. "Oh, Temperance, how are you? I was so sorry to hear about what happened."

Tempe eyed the other woman with a carefully guarded expression. "Hhmmm… We heard about your 'concern' when you stopped by Booth's apartment. Normally, I would thank anyone who showed any sort of true concern, but as I understand it, you were looking for a way to have our partnership severed. If that's how you show worry, I'd hate how to see how you would handle any sort of… animosity…"

Booth smiled at his girl, _she doesn't pull any punches…she's got more balls then most men when it comes to confrontation_… He looked back to see Hannah's complexion pale.

She looked from Tempe to Seeley and back, "look, I am sorry about what happened that night," she looked back to Booth, "and about what happened between the two of us, Seeley. I am truly sorry that I was not able to handle my emotions better. I am – trying – to get help to learn how to better handle my anger issues and my inability to accept the things that I cannot control." She lowered her eyes as embarrassment flushed her cheeks. "I hope you can forgive me; both of you. I was wrong to try to get you two separated… And, Seeley, I was out of line when I tried to interfere with your family." She raised her large eyes to her ex, silently pleading for the forgiveness that Booth was not ready to grant.

Seeing that her partner was not going to reply to the journalist, Bones once again spoke up. "Hannah, Booth is very tired, perhaps you can tell us what it is that has compelled you to continue contacting him? He has further medical tests for which he needs to prepare, so your visit will be limited." Bones left no room for discussion – get to the point and get to it _now_…

Hannah shuffled her feet, "well, Seeley, I was hoping to speak to you _in private_?"

"Not a chance, Hannah. Whatever you can say to me, you can say to Bones. I will tell her everything anyway, so save me the aggravation of having to think about this conversation twice, huh? Just tell us what you want."

She huffed in acceptance. "OK, can I sit?" she motioned to the couch, next to Temperance.

Instead, Booth pointed to the chair on the other side of the couch, to which Hannah moved.

"OK, well, I don't know where to begin, really, but I think I may know something about what happened. But it didn't dawn on me that anything was wrong until after Temperance had already been taken and found." She began hesitantly.

Booth tried to sit up straighter and Brennan locked her eyes on the blond woman sitting opposite her. "You know something about Bones' kidnapping? You know something that you're _just now_ sharing?" Booth's voice was angry.

"Seeley, I tried to share with you before, but you shut me out." She looked at him apologetically, "in fact, I didn't even put two and two together until that day when I tried to see you at the Hoover, but no one would let me in to see you." She moved her eyes to the scientist sitting primly on the couch, then back to Seeley. "Look, I received a call one day, a few months ago, from a woman who introduced herself as a journalist from the 'Burtonsville HomeTown Sampler' Newspaper. She wanted to meet, because they were running a story on Temperance, since she was a local hero, being involved with the FBI, rescuing people, putting away murderers, etc."

"Burtonsville, as in _my Burtonsville_?" Bones interjected, drawing Hannah's eyes towards hers, receiving a nod in the affirmative from her boyfriend's ex.

Hannah continued, turning back to Booth, not really wanting to face the woman who'd essentially come between herself and Seeley. "She said that it was meant to be a surprise article, and she was trying to gather additional information, personal information, to make the story more 'human,' something that the public could identify with. And she wanted to get some information on Temperance's FBI partner, your interactions with each other, anything that would offer insight on why and how the two of you are so successful at your jobs."

Booth's eyes darkened in anger. Number one, he hated it when someone indicated that his partner needed help to appear 'human' to others. Number two, his ex-girlfriend had obviously disclosed some information that she now knew was wrong. "_Dammit_, Hannah, you know you're not supposed to disclose information about us. _You know that_. How much did you tell her? What was her name?"

"Well," Hannah gulped, "I didn't realize, Seeley. I was trying to be accommodating, you know, from a journalistic courtesy point-of-view. I thought it would have been a nice surprise for your _partner_, to know that her home town was celebrating her successes. How was I to know that it may have led to her being hurt! I often call on other journalists and news broadcasters to gain additional information and insight for stories; it's not an action that is out-of-the-ordinary." She once again lowered her eyes to her fingers, as they twisted against themselves in her lap.

Booth spoke through clenched teeth. "What did you tell her, Hannah?"

"Well, we spoke on the phone only briefly, and I was on the trail of another story, so, knowing that you were going to be working late one evening, I invited her over to the apartment. Her name was Becky Coyle"

Both Bones and Booth exclaimed simultaneously, "You invited her to the apartment!" "What the hell were you thinking?"

Her gaze bounced between the two of them, and settled back on Booth. "I didn't realize I was doing anything wrong, Seeley. She met me one evening and we had some tea and cake, and she asked some generic sounding questions, which led to more personal questions regarding your partnered past, your relationship with each other, _which to my knowledge at that point was platonic_, but very close to one another. She asked about any little traditions you might share, in order, again, to gain some humanity into the story, and so, I told her about Founding Fathers and the diner. I told her a little about how the two of you banter back and forth. And I told her that you were very protective of her because of her troubled past."

"God_dammit_, Hannah. You did everything I ever asked you _not _to do. I specifically told you to never disclose personal information about me or Bones. Our jobs are dangerous and your irresponsibility could have led to Bones' kidnapping!" Booth was furious, his neck strained and his face was ablaze with ire. "Dammit to hell, Hannah! _Fuck_!"

Brennan interjected, "wait a minute, Hannah, you said Becky Coyle? Do you mean _Julie _Coyle?"

"No, I remember specifically she introduced herself as Becky. I remember because I thought of the irony that a woman with the same name as Seeley's ex was asking me, his current girlfriend, about him and his partner. It was definitely Becky – but there's more…" She turned her eyes guiltily back to Booth, as she sucked in a deep breath. "I excused myself to use the bathroom, and when I came back, I found her looking around in the living room, looking at photographs and your trinkets and books… everything. She was observing, just like a true journalist would. She asked about the photo of you and Parker – the one that you have on the shelf of you two at the county fair. I told her about Parker and about how he adores you and idolizes your partner. I didn't think I was doing any harm; she appeared to look at him as if she was missing her own child, or lost in thought of a family member, so I indulged her questions. I showed her around, the photos in the hallway, the hand-made cards from him that you keep in the bedroom on your dresser; I gave her a tour of the place."

"Fucking-A! _You're_ the reason she knew the layout of my place. Was she out of your sight, Hannah? Is this when she planted the bugs? There were nearly 20 bugs found in my house, Hannah, and you gave her the freedom to do it!"

"No, the only time she was out of my sight, my phone rang, and I was escorting her back out of our room and she asked to use the restroom, so I let her. She used our bathroom and I waited for her back in the hallway, near Parker's room, while I took my call. Once she was done in the bathroom, and she met me in the hallway, I indicated to her that she could wait for me in the living room or dining room, because I was going to be a few minutes, since it was my boss, with a hot lead. She totally understood my reluctance to end the call, since it was work related."

She glanced back and forth, once again, between her ex and his partner, both of whom were staring at her in disbelief. She messed up and she knew it… "My lead was a hot one, so I had to cut our visit short; I asked her to leave when I did, and that was the last time we spoke. She thanked me, told me I had given her invaluable information; and I really thought that I had helped her put together a story to make Temperance proud to be recognized by her home town." She turned to Brennan, hoping to gain an understanding from her, but she was greeted with only an ice-cold stare.

"But, after the kidnapping, I tried to reach Becky; I wanted to let her know what had happened, in case she wanted to include any of it in her story – you know, how Temperance had been kidnapped and you and her team of scientists were able to locate her and save her, but when I called Burtonsville HomeTown Sampler, I was advised that no one by that name worked here, no one by that name had _ever_ worked there, and no one in the place even knew anyone named Becky Coyle. There's a Coyle family in town, but none were named Becky…. That's when I started to panic and frantically tried to reach you."

Tears were shining in her eyes - true and honest tears. She had been so angry with Seeley when he dumped her, angry at Temperance for being the catalyst of their relationship, angry at Parker for loving the other woman more than he would ever love her. But she never wished harm on any of them. She never intended for anything she shared to have been part of what led to Brennan's kidnapping and ultimately, to Seeley's near-death-shooting. "I never meant for this to happen, Seeley, Temperance, please believe me. Yes, I wanted to get the two of you separated, because I was so angry at how our relationship fell apart, Seeley. I wanted to get revenge and make you hurt as badly as I hurt. I wanted to make your partner hurt the way I hurt. But not like this… _not this kind of hurt_…"

Clearing her throat, Bones reached for her purse and pulled out Booth's phone, which she'd pocketed since taking it from Angela. She flipped to his media file and found Julie's photo, "This is the woman you met, right? This is 'Becky Coyle' the journalist?"

Hannah took the extended phone and knitted her brow, "No. That's not her. This woman is much prettier than the woman I met. The woman I met was, I don't know, bigger – not fatter, but bigger-boned, stronger looking. Reddish-blonde hair, lighter eyes. Attractive in a 'gruff' sort of way."

Booth sat up straighter. "Are you absolutely certain that isn't the woman, Hannah? We need to make absolutely sure."

Hannah met his eyes, "Seeley, I am certain. There is no way, if this is a current photo of this woman, that it's the same one that was at our home."

"My home. She was at _MY_ home, Hannah. By invitation from you." His stare was hard before he turned to look at Bones after hearing her groan, 'Oh-My-God'. "What are you thinking, Bones?"

His partner was already opening her laptop, intent to log online when the door to Booth's room burst open.

"King of the lab!" Hodgins entered the room with his arms raised triumphantly.

"A-hem" Angela cleared her throat from behind her husband.

"Uh, King _and Queen_ of the lab, that is." He leaned forward to capture the artists lips with his own, "Sorry, Babe, you're awesome. You're the best. You're the Queen." Then he turned back to see their friends, and was shocked to see the blonde also sitting in the room. "Uh – are we interrupting anything? Like a pending ass-whooping?" He glared at Hannah with disgust.

Booth ignored the last comment and brought Hodgins' attention back to the issue that brought him and Angela to the hospital. "Why are you two the Resident Lab Royalty?"

"Uh, we got test results back from the _additional_ dyed hair samples and they correlate with what Angela learned about through the prison computer systems and the last person in the puzzle that we're searching for is-"

"Officer Becky Conway, Burtonsville Sheriff."

Hodgins' excitement was immediately crushed as Dr. Brennan spoke stoically from her seat on the couch. "Now, how did _you_ find out? You haven't left Booth's bedside _for days_!"

Brennan turned her computer screen to show Hannah, and immediately, the woman gasped. "That's her. Her hair is lighter now than it was there in that photo; but that's the woman I met." She met Temperance's eyes then turned to Seeley's. "That's the woman that was in our apartment."

"My apartment, Hannah. _MINE_." Booth looked back to Bones, then to their friends. "How did you guys come to the determination that it was Becky?" Booth needed the details.

Hodgins went on to explain the DNA samples that came back precise; since Becky was in the law enforcement data base, it was an indisputable piece of evidence. It took a bit longer, because they hadn't initially searched out-of-state law enforcement data bases; they were focusing on criminal searches. But once Angela had recreated the access codes and user ID's used to access Julie's prison records, they altered their focus and hit a home-run. There was no doubt: Julie's records were altered to change her release date – and that alteration was performed using Becky Conway's user ID access.

Angela also found evidence, following the path's taken on Becky's terminal, that she had performed several searches involving Booth's successes in closed cases and incarcerated criminals. Angela found further proof that Becky had contacted Baker's former warden and had received information on his previous three cell mates; including the most recent one – the one who shared a tiny cell with Baker when he was supposedly killed in a prison riot. They had to assume that she was searching for anyone who had a vendetta against Booth, either on his own, or against the partners together.

"It would have to be dumb luck that Becky would have actually stumbled onto someone who knew that Baker had escaped the previous year, rather than being killed as it had been reported." Booth was motioning for Bones to pass him her laptop, which she immediately did.

He sent an email to Cullen, with the details of this meeting, and then he turned to Hodgins. "I need you to get all of your reports over to Charlie and Shaw; can you do that now?"

"You bet, G-man, we'll head over there right now." He stood from the arm of the couch where he'd perched himself while recounting their research and moved towards the door. Angela kissed Brennan on the cheek, and quietly asked her if she was alright, knowing that the presence of Hannah would not be easy on the anthropologist.

Brennan met her friends eyes with a smile, and spoke aloud, not afraid of anyone hearing, "I'm fine Angela, thank you for asking. Booth has made it perfectly clear that he is not interested in rekindling anything with Hannah now that he and I have entered into a monogamous, mutually gratifying relationship with each other. He loves me and I love him. Completely and wholly."

Angela smiled widely at her friend's admission and boldness, knowing that now that Hannah heard it out loud, it would leave no room for doubt in the journalist's mind…there was _no_ way she was going to win Booth's heart back. When Angela turned to leave, she eyed the blonde that she disliked so much, "Goodbye, Hannah; I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but frankly, if I said that we'd both know I was lying." Her smile fell from her face immediately. "But I will say this, if I find out that you are still trying to separate these two, I can promise you that you won't do business in this town again. Ever. You may even lose your career as a journalist completely." Her brown eyes burned into the seated woman. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hannah tried to steady her nervous stomach, amazed at the closeness that her ex and his partner shared with these people – _these squints_… "I don't plan on pursuing any such action, Angela. But your loyalty to them is admirable. I know now, that I never stood a chance with any of you." She stood to leave and nodded towards Temperance then to Seeley.

"Seeley, truly, I am sorry for what I did to put you and Temperance at risk. It was never my intention. At the time, I thought the two of you were simply very close partners and I thought I was doing something that you would approve of – providing information that would make Temperance a hero in the eyes of her home town."

"Bones doesn't need to be viewed as a hero to anyone. Her hometown doesn't owe her a thing and she doesn't owe them a damn story. But you not only put the two of us in danger, but you endangered the safety of my son, and potentially his mother as well. That is inexcusable. You didn't perform your due-diligence of research before revealing personal details of my life that that of my family's. Now, get out of my sight, I don't want to see you again. I don't want to hear from you again. You've burned any possible bridge you had with me, and I'm through with thinking of you."

"Seeley, please forgive me, truly, I didn't mean any harm…" She begged, hoping that her plea for forgiveness would hit a nerve with his Catholic conscious.

"No, I will not forgive you. You are a selfish woman; and an inconsiderate one to boot. You only ask my forgiveness to ease your own guilt, and I am not ready to give you that freedom. Bones could have died; _she almost died, Hannah_! My son's life would have been next to being taken from me. All because you couldn't control your own need to connect with another 'journalist' that you would have, no doubt, used for your own gain at some point down the road. You _never_ give anything without expecting something in return." He swallowed his anger further. "You need more than just Anger Management help; you need help with your damn manipulative tendencies." He started to speak again, but felt Bones' hand on his forearm. He turned to find that she'd maneuvered her way over to his side, where she rested on the edge of his mattress.

"Let it go, Booth. Let's move forward and focus on finding Becky. Let your anger go…" she spoke quietly as she stroked his smooth skin with her fingertips, knowing her touch helped to calm him.

He nodded and moved his hand to grasp hers, then turned back to Hannah. "Bones is right. We have to move forward. And my forward doesn't include you, Hannah, so, goodbye." He didn't hold his ex's eyes, instead, he turned back to look deep into his true love's gaze as he silently thanked her for grounding him. They heard the door close quietly behind the retreating woman as she left and they heard a snicker come from the edge of the room, where Hodgins and Angela stood, unnoticed as they had not yet left the room.

"That was sweet, dude. Nice job." Hodgins smiled as he and Angela made their move. "We'll give you guy a call later on, and let you know what else we learn." The couple left just as a nurse and orderly entered with the intention to take the patient for his prescribed x-rays.

"Agent Booth? Dr. Schuller has ordered a new set of x-rays of your shoulder." The nurse turned her attention to the woman sitting on the edge of the bed, "Ma'am, we shouldn't be much longer than a half hour, _and _before you say anything, we are under orders that you _cannot _accompany us. Dr. Schuller said you would want to come, but he insists that you are to wait here or the café, but you cannot come to X-ray." The nurse was no-nonsense and did not waver in her orders.

Booth smiled at his partner, "wow, Bones… Your reputation really precedes you. They don't want you bossing the techs around with how they should and shouldn't do their jobs." He gave her a cheeky grin as she pouted like an impudent child. He hooked his finger under her chin and drew her lips to his, where he kissed away the frown. "Why don't you get something real to eat, huh? Send Schmidt or Tony down for something. I don't want you going hungry."

"Booth, I don't need you telling me when to eat," she fought back with a scowl.

"Aww, baby, you know that I feel better knowing that you eat right… you even told Hacker as much." It was his turn to pout at her, and when she cracked a smile, he knew he'd won.

"Booth, stop calling me 'baby,' I told you I'm not an infant." She smiled, but ignored the order to eat. But as his eyes got big and pleading, she burst out laughing. "Booth! You can be such a pain in the ass! OK, OK, I'll ask one of the guys to get me something to eat…Do you want them to bring you anything?" She met his smile with a bright one of her own. "But no more pie and ice cream; you have to have something nutritious if you're making me eat…"

"Whatever you say, Bones. I just know that the room service in this place sucks… I wanna check out and go home…I don't want to stay in this hotel anymore. And I am going to complain to the management about the quality of the food they expect me to eat…"

The nurse and orderly indicated to Booth to move into the wheelchair so they could transport him as needed. The nurse rolled her eyes and smiled at Dr. Brennan, "Is he always like this?"

"Oh, he's usually worse… I think he's still under the influence of some residual medication; you're lucky."

As they wheeled Booth out of the room, he tried to crane his neck to see his partner, "What? What are you talking about, Bones? I'm so easy to care for and easy to get along with… the people here love me…" As they passed the grinning Agents in the hall, Booth looked to Schmidt, "Hey, buddy, make sure you get something for my partner to eat, huh? Something vegetarian and tasty. And not a damn salad… I hate when people only offer her a salad; the woman needs something of substance."

As Brennan sat in the room, suddenly surrounded with silence, her brain was flooded with a thousand thoughts at once – well metaphorically speaking…

~~She was floored that Booth was still so concerned with her eating healthy, and she was touched that he wanted more for her than just a salad.

~~She was happy that she had been brave enough to say out loud in front of Hannah that she and Booth loved each other.

~~She was troubled that Becky was involved with this whole crazy scheme and she wondered why…_Why was Becky involved_?

~~She hoped that Booth would soon be released and they could work again.

~~She was getting stronger; the past couple of days had shown a marked improvement. Her back was feeling almost normal; the bottoms of her feet were almost healed. Only her ankle really gave her any pain, and she could handle that pain – compared to what she'd felt a week ago, she felt fantastic.

~~She was anxious to get this case solved so they could move forward.

~~She desperately wanted to hear from Caroline, hoping for the loophole that Cullen could not risk finding and providing himself, for fear that he would be viewed of and accused of anything unethical.

~~She wanted to move on with her life. _Their life_. Their life as a couple.

**Postscript A/N**

**There it is! It's Becky the Officer that was making eyes at Booth when they were in town! That hussy! But what does she want and why is she involved? WTH! **

**Please review! My MUSE needs the fuel of reviews to keep her going! she's fading fast…as people read and leave… Her only saving grace is reviews Please take a moment and humor her neediness!**

**Love and Peace to you all, my friends. **

**~jazzyproz**


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N **

**Hello and welcome back! This chapter will move us forward a little bit, getting us to the next level. There's a little bit of smut here, just enough to wet your whistle, but nothing too bad…. I don't think… **

**Can I say, once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH, for all of your support! I am continually blown away by your comments and encouragement! I truly could not have kept writing if it wasn't for the responses I've received, they are the fuel my Muse needs. So, my sincere, heartfelt THANKS to you all. KISSES Now… do you think we can break the 600-mark for reviews? I'm reeeaaaalllllyyyy close…. Pretty Please, take a moment to review when you're done…? **

**Y'all are AWESOME. **

**Disclaimer….NO…I still do not own anything of true value. But you all own my heart! 3 **

"Hey, Bones," Booth's voice was chipper as he was wheeled back into his hospital room by the quiet orderly.

She smiled and looked up from her seat on the couch, where she was working on her laptop. "Hi. How'd your x-rays turn out?" She scooted aside when she noticed he was slowly walking in her direction after getting out of the wheelchair, rather than heading back to the bed.

Booth shrugged his good shoulder and cocked his head sideways, "dunno…Schuller's going to come up here and let us know. I told them that I didn't want to hear unless you were with me. You're the one who knows x-rays…not me." He settled into the cushion next to her and pulled her close with his right arm. "Mmm…" he placed a kiss on the top of her head when she immediately, and without hesitation, dropped it to the crook of his neck. "You smell great, Bones."

She smiled and felt her face blush at his random compliment. "I took a shower while you were gone. I asked the nurse to bring in some waterproof dressings for you, and if you want, you can take a quick shower, too." She gave him a sly grin, "I can even help you if you think you are in need of assistance."

Booth chuckled huskily, "are you telling me I stink, Bones?"

"NO, no. Nothing like that. I just thought that you would feel better. You don't have to-"

He cut her off, by leaning in for a kiss. "It's OK, Bones. I'm just teasing. I think I probably would feel better after a shower, as a matter of fact." He shuffled forward in his seat, preparing to make his move towards the bathroom.

"Do you, ya'know, want my help, Booth?" The heated look she cast in his direction set Booth's blood boiling instantaneously.

"Oh, Baby, I'd _love_ your help, but if I take you up on that offer, I may never get _out _of the shower…"

She smiled demurely and watched as he pulled back and stood slowly from the couch. "Well, call me if you need anything, I'm going to work on my chapter for a bit. Angela texted, they will stop by between 5:30 to 6:00 tonight."

"m'K, that sounds fine," Booth mumbled as he made his way to the restroom, intent to wash away the frustrations and tension of the past few days..the past few weeks, really. He allowed his mind to wonder back to the case as he carefully bandaged his shoulder and cleansed himself.

_What is Becky's motive? _

_Why is she involved? _

He was thinking and grumbling to himself.

_It makes sense that she had access to the computer systems for the prison, but she must have hacked into something in order to lessen Julie's sentencing. And why would she help Julie? She's __law__enforcement__, for Christ's sake! _

_And where did Baker fit into all this? _

_When we were in Burtonsville, Becky didn't seem especially close to Julie. She didn't seem to have any remorse over the loss of Evelyn either… _

He wrinkled his brow, t_he one Julie killed, her name was Evelyn, right?… yeah, it was Evelyn… _

The more he thought about the Officer, the angrier he grew at the memories of how she treated his Partner. _She had absolutely no respect for Bones. She reminded Bones of the names they called her in school…She brought back all those hurtful memories that Bones had fought to keep at bay…Remembered only the negative things about Bones. _

_She eye-balled me like I was fresh meat…Maybe in that town, I was; but I didn't like it. _Then a smug grin crossed his concentrating features, _I don't think Bones liked it that Becky paid attention to me either…Shame we didn't do anything about it back then…_

_But I __**really**__ hated how she treated Bones- completely uncalled for. _

He tipped his head back into the stream of warm water, so he could rinse the suds down the drain.

_Think, Seeley, think…_

_OK, we need to make a timeline of when she was accessing all these computer files; when was she reaching out to Baker's contacts; when was she altering Julie's sentence time. _

_When was she in town with Hannah? We can verify with the Sheriff's office any time she spent away from work. _

_If she was the one who planted the bugs in my place, did she also plant all of the cameras over at Bones' apartment? Was she the one orchestrating all of the communications, or was that collaboration of Baker, Julie and herself? _

_As law enforcement, she knows the lingo and she could essentially blend in with other officers, regardless of jurisdiction. Was she the one who dropped off the photo to Cullen's office? Was she the one to took the photo of Parker, Bones and me as we entered her apartment building? Was she the one who left the flowers by the front door, or was it Julie? _

He shook his head gently, careful not to pull the muscles in his shoulder,

_Shit, we have our work cut out for us – waaay more questions than answers…_

He turned off the water and carefully stepped out onto the mat, grabbing the fresh towel Bones had left out for him. He smiled, it was definitely not a hospital towel and he wondered how she'd managed to get it here. He knew she hadn't driven herself anyplace while he'd been here for the past few days. _Maybe Angela brought it over? Maybe Bones bought it in the store downstairs? Who cares, really…? It's better than the damn little paper-thin towels the hospital provides…_

He smiled wider when he realized she'd actually laid out clothes for him… she left a pair of shorts sitting on the counter top, along with a pair of clean socks. One of his favorite stripy pairs. These, he _knew_, were from his emergency clothes bag that he kept in her office at the lab, so Angela must have brought them here when she and Hodgins stopped by with the wheelchair. He felt a rush of warmth spread through his chest, knowing that Bones had not only asked Angela to bring something for herself, but she thought to request some clothing for him as well, and remembered he kept the bag at the lab. Deciding against draping another hospital gown over his shoulders, _she likes my bare chest…she thinks I'm hot_…he conceitedly spoke to himself in his head while smiling at his handsome reflection in the mirror, he then exited the bathroom, wearing just his shorts, socks and a big toothy grin.

When her eyes drifted from her laptop monitor to her partner, she felt her mouth go dry. His tight physique never failed to render her speechless, and the way he was wearing his shorts, slung low on his hips, as he swaggered in her direction, albeit a slow swagger, she knew that _he knew_ she would be drawn to his bare chest and abdomen. He _knew_ what his body did to her…

She raised an eye brow in his direction, "You'll pay for that, Booth." She had to **force** her eyes back to her computer in order to regain her momentary loss of composure, and she faked concentration on the word document before her eyes.

He took in the way her eyes had dilated at his entrance, the way her cheeks and neck turned that beautiful, irresistible rosy color, the slight dropping of her jaw that caused her lips to part ever so faintly before she consciously clamped them closed again, but not before the tip of her silky pink tongue peeked out and licked her lower lip. He painted on a look of innocence, "What, Bones? What did I do?"

Raising her eyes once again, she squinted and tightened her jaw in order to stop the smile that was threatening to pull at the corners of her lips. "Don't try that innocent look with me, Booth. I know you too well. And _you_ know perfectly well what _I'm_ talking about."

She let her eyes follow his movements as he came to sit beside her again, grabbing the TV remote as he moved across the room. She purposely resisted the urge her body was demanding to lean his way and kiss his smugness away with a slow, deep, wet kiss, before moving her way down his strong, muscular neck and over his sculptured chest. She wanted to taste his skin, to feel the play of his muscles beneath her mouth and fingers. But they couldn't do that just yet…they were in a hospital room and he was injured…And they could be interrupted at any point if they _were_ to do _that_...

Before she could continue, and as if in direct reply to her thoughts, there was a quick knock at the door just before it swung open. Dr. Schuller entered the room and was slightly surprised to see Booth sitting on the couch, obviously recently showered, and he cocked an eyebrow at the pair, who seemed locked in a dead-heated-tie staring contest.

"Agent Booth? You should be resting on the bed, so you can lay back and take some pressure off your shoulder."

Booth just smiled, being the first to break eye contact with Bones, and he shook his head slightly, "Doc, I have an alarmingly high pain threshold; I'm feeling alright for now. Believe me - I am better off moving around than sitting in one position for too long…I get grumpy if I don't move."

When he turned and saw his partner agreeing a little too enthusiastically to his grumpy comment, he reached over and pinched her thigh lightly. "You haven't even seen 'grumpy' yet, there, Bones… So _you_ behave yourself." He grinned and his eyes danced with playfulness.

"A-hem," Schuller interrupted their interaction, "I took a look at your x-rays, Agent Booth." He moved over and sat on the chair opposite his patient. "It looks like everything is as clean as it can get. The swelling has gone down nicely, so we got a nice view." He handed the x-ray to Brennan, who held it up so she could utilize the ceiling lights to study the negative.

Booth looked to Bones for her opinion; it wasn't that he didn't trust the doctor, but he trusted his partner unequivocally. When he saw the crease on her forehead smooth out as she nodded in agreement with Schuller, Booth knew that he was going to be fine. He met her eyes after she lowered the photo, and then looked back to the doctor.

"So, Doc… that means I can leave, right? We can go home now?" Booth's eagerness to get the hell out of the hospital was palpable.

"Agent Booth, I am going to advise that you spend tonight here; if, by tomorrow morning, there haven't been any setbacks or complications, then I am confident that you will be able to sleep in your own bed tomorrow night."

The look that passed between the partners was not lost on Schuller. They were eager to leave, that much was obvious, but there was something more. Something that the doctor couldn't quite name…so, he continued gingerly, "Now, I don't know your actual…situation…here, and I don't want to presume anything, but I need to further advise you, that you will need to have someone with you once you leave. You shouldn't be alone for at least a few days, Booth."

The agent didn't have a chance to reply, his partner spoke up instead, "Barry, he won't be alone." She didn't expand; she left it simple and honest.

Barry nodded in semi-understanding. He didn't know if they actually _lived_ together or if they were simply agreeing that they would be _staying_ together. They both have vocalized their feelings for each other, but knowing as much as he once had about Tempe, he would have been shocked to think that the two were actually occupying the same dwelling…

As if reading his mind, Booth spoke to Schuller, "Bones has been staying with me while she's been recuperating. Just because my shoulder is injured, I don't see a reason why we couldn't continue that arrangement; my temporary disability doesn't hinder my ability to move about." He looked from Schuller to Bones, and found that she was agreeing with his logic.

"I agree, Booth. There's no reason that I can't continue to stay with you." She was quick to answer, barely containing her enthusiasm at the idea of being with him at his apartment once again. She tried to school her smile, rein it in, but she failed miserably.

Booth leaned close with a grin, "Jeez, Bones, one might think that _you're_ the hospitalized patient, rather than me."

"Well, Booth, when you are in the hospital, basically, I am, too…I don't want to leave you here…" She grew serious and lowered her eyes to her twisting fingers, which rested on her lap, "Especially…after you died… when Pam Noonan shot you…" she raised glistening eyes to her partner, desperately fighting back the tears that were threatening, "I don't like letting you out of my sight for very long…ever, Booth; but _especially_ when we're at the hospital."

Ignoring the doctor's interjected question, "Booth _died_?", Booth stretched his good arm over to his partner and pulled her against his body once more, tucking her head snugly beneath his chin.

"Ah, Bones…" he whispered into her hair while planting tiny kisses amid the mess of unruly waves, a result of her allowing it to air dry after her shower. "I know, baby…I know it was hard; and I will _never_ forgive them for what they did, I swear, Bones. I'm so sorry…I thought you knew… you were on the list to be told…" He was embracing her closely, trying to hold at bay his own tears, wanting, _needing_, to remain strong for her. Silently he cursed his colleagues who knew the truth and never told his partner that he was alive. They let her suffer for 2 weeks; they let her struggle with believing he was dead after taking a bullet that was meant for her. They let her mourn in silence, deal with her guilt on her own, never revealing the fact that he was actually safe. Even after he had given specific instructions that, besides telling Parker and Rebecca the truth, they were to inform Bones of his true fate, they ignored his request. He knew she'd take it hard, and it wasn't until after she'd barged in on him while he was bathing that he realized just how hard it had been for her. His government failed him…Sweets, especially, had failed him; and although he grew to eventually like the kid, he still hated him for doing that.

Bones wrapped her arms tightly around her lover's waist, pulling herself further into his safety, allowing her head to fall to the juncture of his neck and shoulder, that place she'd claimed as hers. She felt his light kisses; she felt his warm breath on her scalp; slowly, she inhaled his earthy, Boothy scent; she pressed against his pulse point to feel his heartbeat. She simply _experienced_ being here with him – in the 'here and now' as Angela often said. And she loved him a little more in that moment, she loved everything about him.

Booth's concerned eyes locked with Schuller's, and the doctor understood that it was time he left. He had, after all, delivered the important part of his examination findings: Booth will stay tonight and likely go home tomorrow; he needed someone to be with him and Tempe would be that person. The doctor nodded his consent at the Special Agent, rose silently from the chair and made his exit quietly, closing the door behind him, leaving the couple to work through their torrent of emotions. Unbeknownst to the couple, he gave instructions to the nurses to not bother the partners unless called on; he knew that his former colleague and her boyfriend had a lot to discuss. Silently, he wondered about the comment that Booth had died…

Booth lessened his hold once he thought Bones had regained her composure. She started to sit up, pausing only momentarily to plant small pecks and kisses on his neck and jawline. She sat up and looked at him gratefully, knowing that he understood her anxiety and her needs; she needed the closeness that he provided for her, needed to feel him beneath her fingers, beneath her palms, beneath her lips…needed to feel his heartbeat and his warmth…and he didn't deny her any of it.

He cupped her cheek in his large hand, and spoke softly to her, "Bones…it's alright…we're going to be fine, baby." He trailed his thumb along her cheek, drying the trail of moisture that had escaped from her eyelids. He pulled her face to his and placed a gentle kiss on her lips; it was a kiss of love, but not of passion; it was a kiss of ultimate trust and devotion, and she sank into him once more, less desperate than minutes before, but with no less affection. For several moments, they simply sat together: she absorbed his strength by leaning on his shoulder and chest; he allowed his fingertips to trail paths of circles and swirls along the length of her arm as he held her.

"Sorry, Booth…it just all came rushing back into my memory. Like a flood…" She spoke quietly, needing to justify her emotional mini-meltdown, not wanting to talk too loud and break their comforting solace.

"You don't ever need to apologize for your emotions, Bones." He kissed her forehead, "never, Sweetheart…Never."

"I think we must have scared your doctor away, Booth…" she looked up at his shining brown eyes, "he must think we're a mess…listening to me talk about how you died…"

He huffed a small laugh, "and earlier, I told him about when I was blown up in your kitchen. And about how you were kidnapped. And about how we were both, at different times, locked away by the Grave Digger. If we're not careful, he may try to institutionalize us, Bones…" He smiled down at her…

"We've really been through a lot, haven't we, Booth?" Her crystal clear eyes were thoughtful as she stared off into space. "We've really had our share of pain…"

He spoke against her ear, where he decided he 'needed' to nuzzle…. "Yeah, Bones. We have had more than our fair share. But let's not focus on that just now, huh? Let's just focus on the good…" He sighed as he got lost in a memory, "I remember the first time I tasted your kisses… even tainted with tequila, yours were the sweetest, most intoxicating kisses I'd ever experienced. And although I hated to admit it for years, you ruined me for any other woman, Bones. No one could _ever_ compare to you…to your kiss, to your lips, to your taste…" He took her earlobe into his mouth and suckled it gently.

She groaned in appreciation. "Mmm… Booth…" She caught her breath when his tongue darted out and licked the outer rim of her ear. "The kiss…under the mistletoe when Caroline blackmailed us…" she was having trouble concentrating while his mouth travelled over that special place just behind her ear. "oohhh… yeah, right there…"

Booth smiled against her soft skin, "you were saying, Bones?"

"Huh?...Oh…yeah… that kiss. When I said it was like kissing my brother, I lied, you know… You made my knees weak and I couldn't stop replaying it in my mind. For years, Booth… Sometimes, even recently, I still think about it when I'm lonely. I thought about it when I was strapped to that mattress last week. I thought about how strong your lips felt beneath mine: strong and soft at the same time…and I let myself get lost in that memory…I think it helped me hang on…"

While he continued to place wet kisses along her neck and hairline, she let her hand wonder over to his chest, where she appreciatively outlined the contours of his muscles. She smiled when she felt, rather than heard, his deep growl at her touch.

Continuing down erotic-memory-lane, Booth confessed, "Bones…that night, at the museum, when you had your award-thingy, and you invited me rather than Hacker? When you said 'what's ours was ours,'… do you remember that night?" She nodded silently, and he continued, "I wanted to kiss you so bad that night; and I think if the squints hadn't interrupted us, I was going to. You looked…OhMyGod…that black dress…and you smelled…MMmmgggrrrmmm…" another deep growl, "you smelled like nothing I'd ever experienced before in my life. I wanted to just lock my lips onto your neck, just like this," he demonstrated on her flesh in that moment, gleefully happy when she exposed more of her neck to his clasp, "and I wanted to drown in your scent. I wanted to take you home with me; I wanted to show you how good we could have been together; I wanted to slowly peel that sexy black dress down your sinfully curvaceous body and expose your perfect skin to my eyes…and I wanted to stop anyone else from ever looking at you…ever again…"

She turned and met his lips with her own eager kiss, invading his mouth, plundering it with her tongue, tasting him completely, battling for dominance in a dance, a game, as old as time itself. Her moans were swallowed by his throat and her hand drifted lower on his abdomen, skipping across his 'metaphorical' six-pack, drawing delicious sounds from his own chest, which she absorbed into her own being.

She could feel moist heat pooling at her core; listening to those words, spoken in his voice…recounting their shared memories…feeling his breath against her skin was exhilarating…provocative and exciting…

"When I had to undress you, after Santa blew up, I dreamt about that for months, Booth." She mumbled as she let her head fall back further against his bicep, allowing him better access to her throat; she knew he loved it when she bared her throat to him. She smiled softly when he felt him moan against her. If she had been a superstitious person, or one who believed in myths, she might think him a vampire, an immortal needing to supplement his own nourishment by drinking from her. But as it was, she just understood that he has a desire to clamp his lips onto her skin, so she allowed it, encouraged it, even. "I remembered the way your body looked and reacted as I unwrapped you from your suit. When I removed your Cocky belt buckle…and you were reciting saints and bible passages…I could see the evidence of what I was doing to you – that I was affecting you – arousing you… And many nights, I would replay that in my mind…I remembered the way you looked, the way you smelled, the sound of your increased breathing reaching my ears…" It was her turn to moan as he bit gently then soothed the sting with a soft kiss. "It took a lot of will power, Booth, not to touch you the way I wanted to…the way I know you wanted me to…"

He brought his lips back to hers and captured them. In between nibbles and suckles, he mumbled to her, his voice was heavy with want. "You can touch me any way you want to now…_whenever_ you want, _wherever_ you want…however you want…" His large hand was lowered, massaging her soft, curvy ass. She let her hand roam over his toned body – over his chest, over his stomach, down his thigh and back up it again…settling so very close…_so close_… to where he wanted her hand.

With lightning fast movements, she maneuvered around, and straddled him as he sat on the couch, never breaking their kiss; the transfer was as smooth as if they'd been doing this for years rather than days. They were so in sync with one another that he had been able to anticipate her intent to move over him before she even did so. He cursed his impotent left arm, pissed that he couldn't hold her with both hands. But he made good use of his right hand as it caressed her body, cupping her hip, reaching back to squeeze her ass once again, dragging under her shirt to feel the soft skin of the small of her back. His favorite spot… He'd claimed the small of her back as his own personal Bones-real-estate years ago, understanding that, at the time, it was the only place he could lay his hand on her on a daily basis and not end up getting a swift kick in the ass or a knee to the groin. But now…_Now I can touch her, she and I belong together_, he happily thought to himself.

She was rotating her hips, grinding down on his obvious excitement. On each swirl of her rotation, she felt his body press against her prize bundle, sending shivers upwards through her core. It felt good to her, so she kept doing it…over and over and over…fast, fast, slow, fast, fast, slow... She plundered his mouth and let him do the same, as their tongues battled one another in a frantic duel. He was thrusting his hips to meet hers, taking his cue from her movements for the tempo.

She leaned back gently, trusting his strong hand to brace her as she arched her body slightly, so he could move his mouth down towards her eager breasts. He growled in appreciation when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra beneath the FBI t-shirt she'd confiscated from his bag. He bit at her nipples through the thin cotton material and he inwardly congratulated himself when he felt how hard they'd become, knowing he was the one who did that to her. _It's only fair_, he thought to himself, _look how hard she's making me_…

"MMmmm… so good, Bones…you feel so good…smell so good…" He was mumbling against the valley of her breasts, the heat from his breath seeping through the t-shirt caused shivers to wrack her body. "You wanna know when I had to use _incredible_ will power to not touch you?" He moved his lips up to the collar of the shirt as he pulled her to sit further upright. He used his chin to push the opening down a bit, just enough that his lips could grasp onto a fresh piece of ivory flesh.

"Hmm?" Brennan couldn't form an actual word, much less a sentence at that particular moment, but wanted to know about the time Booth had difficulty controlling his masculine urges.

"Halloween…Bones…Wonder Woman…" He spoke between suckles… "… Fucking-a, Bones…the naughty things I wanted to do to you while you were wearing that costume ….and the _activities_ I would use your Wonder Woman 'Lasso of Truth' for… You were the reason I had to spend several Sunday's sitting in confessional, Bones. Some Saturday's even…when I thought I shouldn't wait as long as Sunday…And when you jumped on my back when you were dressed like that…With your body pressed hard against mine…" Ugh…he moaned against her silkiness.

She was the one smiling arrogantly by this point, knowing what she was about to reveal would metaphorically bring him to his knees. "Booth? That night…after you took me home…I stayed dressed in my Wonder Woman outfit, I stretched out on my bed and I touched myself…I imagined it was your fingers sneaking beneath my spandex bottoms…I moaned your name and fingered my clit until I came so hard I nearly passed out. I could smell you on my clothes, from when I wrapped myself around your body and you carried me out of that basement… I could smell _you,_ and your scent helped bring me to orgasm faster than usual…so I did it a second time." She could tell he was struggling with control while listening to her regaling her Halloween masturbatory adventures. "I stayed dressed up for the second one as well, because I knew you liked my outfit. I pulled my tits out of my corset just enough to get my nipples over the edge; so I could pinch them and squeeze them. Then, with my other hand, I plunged my fingers deep inside and pumped myself silly. I think that was the night the people downstairs may have learned your name, Booth. I'm just sorry you weren't there to enjoy it, too."

She opened her eyes and saw the predatory look in his eyes as he stared at her in disbelief. "Temperance Brennan…you vixen. You sexy, smutty, insatiable woman… I hope your Wonder Woman costume still fits, because I expect a private fashion show, in which you are the only model and I am the only observer." He pulled her tight to his chest and claimed her lips once again. "I want you so bad, Bones. I want to feel you surrounding me. ."

Not even sure how she did it, suddenly, Booth found himself with his shorts pulled down below his ass while his raging hard-on stood proudly at full attention. Bones had somehow managed to wiggle her fingers under his waistband and shove them down, using the slickness of the plastic/leather of the couch below to their advantage. Then, before he could stop her, she pulled her knees up to rest between their chests, ever so careful to not hit his left shoulder. She pulled her own shorts to her knees, where they were brought together between his pecs, and she amazingly slid forward in one swift move and sheathed him within her heat. They both moaned mutual pleasure at their joining.

Booth's right hand cupped her ass tightly and she braced herself by leaning backwards and gripping his bent knees while keeping her elbows locked straight. As she ground against him soft cries were drawn from deep in her chest. The tactile effects that the position created were mind-boggling; her legs were unable to open as wide as they normally would, since her shorts were lodged at her bent knees; and the angle at which he was penetrating her, given their seated position, only brought more pleasure to the activity, as it caused her core to also close tighter around his rock-hard pulsing member.

"Booth-" she tried to keep her voice quiet, knowing their interlude could be interrupted any minute, but especially if strange sounds were heard coming from within the boundary of the room. "I'm – I'm not going to last long…" She gasped when one of his matching thrusts hit a particularly pleasurable area deep inside. "Too much talk…too much memory-driven-vocal-stimulation…." She let a sigh escape her lips and Booth was attacked by a mix of emotions.

The first thought that entered his sex-fogged brain was the sound of her sigh…With a cocky grin plastered across his mouth, he thought, _I have to hear that again...Jiminy Christmas, she needs to make that sound again…I __**will**__ get her to make that sound again…_ Then, almost simultaneously, he raised a comical brow, _did she just call our little foreplay conversation 'memory-driven-vocal-stimulation'?_

He massaged the roundness of her rump as he continued to meet her thrust for thrust. When he started to feel her insides squeezing, the tell-tale sign of her impending explosion, he withdrew his hand from her ass and quickly brought his thumb to the little bundle of sensitive nerves, and he made tiny circles around it. He knew that he would get her off if he played with her clit and he wasn't disappointed; almost as soon as he tweaked it, he felt her inner muscles clamp down on his engorged cock as she shattered at his touch. Her little fingers dug into the flesh just above his knees, where she was still stabilizing herself as she rode out her climax.

"Yeah…Booth…don't stop…" she was breathless but elated. "Right there…yessss." As the intensity eased to a steady pulse, her orgasm attempted to fade, and she raised her head to look at him. He was still stroking her, pumping in and out of her heat; his eyes were ebony with predatory desire.

"Again, Bones…You're gunna cum for me again." His voice was low and throaty; he was about to lose control but to him, nothing was sexier than watching this woman orgasm while he pounded his cock into her tight little sweetness, and he wasn't ready to end this little show just yet. "_Now_, Bones….concentrate baby…I wanna watch you again…" He thrust upwards, harder and faster, never stilling his fingers on her clit as his dick grew harder with each pass.

"Booth - - I don't think I can do tha - - OhMyGod Booth, yeeeaaaaaahhhhhh…" Her pessimistic response to his sexual order was cut off as he reached something inside that no man had ever done before. She threw herself forward against his chest, which caused her thighs to be trapped between their bodies, given her seated orientation. As she muffled her cry against his neck, attempting to avoid getting caught, the movement of her body changed the angle into which he was entering her. That change of direction was his immediate undoing; his own orgasm joined hers as he locked his lips onto her neck to stifle his cry of her name.

His injured shoulder was burning in pain; his left arm had been bumped (_big surprise there_) during his partner's calisthenics, as she jumped him for their impromptu sex session. But he didn't really care about his shoulder at that particular moment. His partner was shivering against his body in a post-double-orgasm stupor; he was gasping for oxygen, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. They were both sighing in contentment from their mutual release of pent up sexual tension.

"That was…" he couldn't even think of a word to describe it.

"Yeah, I've never been…" neither could she.

"Mmm… yeah, me neither, Bones…" he was happy he wasn't the only one whose brain decided it would be alright to take a momentary vacation. He smiled against her temple, marveling at the softness of her skin. "Baby? I don't know what the hell just brought on that level of enthusiasm, but what d'ya say we try that again sometime?"

He welcomed her deep throaty chuckle as she started to dislodge herself from his lap. "Mmm… I think I find that suggestion acceptable, Booth. I know you like to take things slow and all, but I think this was just what we needed, here and now. A nice fastie was just what the doctor ordered." She sniggered at her own joke that alluded to a 'doctor's order', then smiled shyly, which only caused him to love her even more. His girl was never shy about sex, but he'd been seeing a new side to her over the past week or so.

"Hey, now…" he grinned ear to ear, "I admit I _do_ love to make slow, sensual, passionate love to you; but I am not beyond the occasional frantic, partially-dressed _**quickie**_ whenever you'll give it to me…" He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on her neck as she slid sideways off his lap, forcing his member to slip from its warm home inside her.

He reached and grabbed his shorts, yanking them back into place, as she pulled hers up as well. He wanted to get completely naked and slip into bed with her, so he could feel her body pressed against his, but he knew they were damn lucky to have gotten away with what they just did, and he knew if he pushed his luck, they would surely be banned from each other's rooms for the foreseeable future, regardless of how much money Bones donated to the hospital. The look on her face seemed to say that she was thinking the same exact thing, and they both burst out in laughter, he pulled her to him and planted kisses atop her silky hair once more.

"Quickie, Bones… quickie…" He laughed and he closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent once more.

"Yeah, I heard you, Booth…you don't need to rub it in… I'll get these sayings eventually." She smiled at his gentle joke and drew her fingers across his abdomen. When she opened her eyes, it was then that she saw fresh blood seeping through his shoulder dressing. "Oh no, Booth, your shoulder!"

She sat up and immediately reached across his expansive chest, tugging at the gauze tape holding the bandage in place.

"It's OK, Bones… I don't think it's bad." He winced as she ripped a piece of tape off. "Ouch! Hey, take it easy, Bones!" He scowled and pouted like a little boy.

"Oh, Booth, don't be an infant. It doesn't hurt _that_ bad to have tape removed." She rolled her eyes and he knew he was not about to get any sympathy from his now-scientist-girlfriend.

He jutted his lower lip out and mumbled, "well, let me slap some tape on you for a while then rip it off… we'll see how you like it…"

She looked at him out the corner of her eye and smiled easily. "I'd bet that Parker is a better patient than you are, Booth. Now stop, and let me look at this." She had removed the dressing and used it to wipe around the incision. She made a crooked motion with her lips; not a smile, but a squinty analysis that caused the corners of her mouth turn up. "hhmmm… Barry's not going to be very happy with you, Booth." She spoke matter-of-factly as she sat back. "You pulled some stitches."

"He won't be happy with _me_? _With me!_ Hello, Dr. Brennan…? You're the one who jumped my bones here; you threw yourself onto my lap and _made_ me do things I wasn't supposed to do… This is _your_ fault… totally…So Schuller is not going to be happy with _you_, missy-miss." He fought to hide the grin at their banter.

"Well, Booth." She was in her clinical, scientist-mode, "I never said you had to _do_ anything. You could have just sat there, so you didn't hurt yourself. I could have taken care of everything myself." She knew she was egging him on, and she loved their sparring.

His eyes danced at her playfulness. "Oh yeah, like I'm gunna be able to 'just sit here' while you impale yourself on my cock and rub one off all by yourself? With no participation by me at all? You're on drugs, aren't you Bones?" He laughed, and then thought again, "Oh wait, no, you're _not_ on drugs at all, and maybe _that's_ the problem…"

She playfully slapped his good shoulder…"OK, OK, so maybe I had a part in your shoulder's demise…but it is not 'totally' my fault." She batted her eyelashes at him, knowing that he couldn't resist her when she was like that. And she was right.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Bones, c'mere." He pulled her back to him so they could kiss gently before she reached for the Call Button, summoning a nurse to come to the room.

Booth donned his best charm smile when he saw that Debbie was on duty and answering their request for a nurse. "Hey Debs, how ya been?"

"Good afternoon, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan." She nodded at each with a smile before turning back to Booth, at which time she gave him a stern look, letting the smile fall from her lips. "What did you do, Agent Booth? Why are you bleeding?" She made her way over to where he was still seated on the couch, pulling on gloves as she moved.

They should have worked on their stories _before_ inviting a nurse into the room, because each of the partners came up with a different explanation, and unfortunately, they blurted them out simultaneously.

"He had a coughing fit, couldn't stop. I think when his body was shaking, he must have pulled his stitches. I tried to get him to drink some water, but you know how stubborn he is…"

"You know Debs, I think I am allergic to something in here, because I started sneezing and just couldn't stop. Maybe it's the dust in this place, I mean how often do they dust these windowsills? I know I suffer from allergies, because I am allergic to Johnson Grass, so maybe I have developed an allergy to dust mites…"

The partners looked at each other, wide-eyed and guilty, then turned back to see Debbie looking between the two of them, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I was coughing…"

"He was sneezing…"

They locked gazes again and Booth flared his eyes at her, silently telling her to _stop talking_. When he turned back to Debbie, furiously trying to think about how he was going to get out of this one, she gave him a Free Pass...

"Never mind…forget it… I don't think I _want_ to know how you did it…the How is not important anyway…" She locked laughing eyes with each one in turn, and then pointedly looked at Booth. "Next time, you will not pass go, you will not collect $200." She smiled, knowing he understood the implication. "I'll be right back. Get up on the bed, Agent Booth…"

As Debbie retreated from the room, Bones leaned in and whispered to Booth.

"I don't know what she means…where would you get $200?"

Booth burst out laughing and pulled himself from the couch, but not without a wince of pain as he moved. "Monopoly, Bones. You know, 'Go Directly to Jail; Do Not pass Go; Do not Collect $200'?" He was met with a blank stare. "Oh, baby…_Bones_, don't tell me you never played Monopoly."

"Booth, monopolies are not good for the economy. I don't believe in monopolies. You should know that by now."

He cupped her cheek and looked down at her, as she remained sitting and he stood in front of her, "I love you, Bones. More and more every day…But _cheese-n-rice_, we need to play more board games…" He flopped into his bed just as Debbie was re-entering the room. Brennan decided to let the $200 comment pass for now, but made a mental note to ask him about it again later. That and his sudden urge for cheese and rice…

Once Debbie was done re-stitching the agent's shoulder, she looked at the pair, each in turn, with the look of a teacher reprimanding her students. "Now, I'm sure I don't really need to tell you two about the fragility of a stitched wound. I am sure that you will both show the good sense to not do anything that would cause undue stress on this particular area of Agent Booth's body…"

Brennan tried to interrupt her, "But, Debbie, we weren't actually doing anything directly _involving _Booth's shoulder, it just-"

Debbie raised her forefinger, silencing her patient's counterpart. "No, no, I don't want to _know_ what caused it… I just want to impress upon you both that you need to proceed with caution…"

The pair looked at each other sheepishly, each blushing an individual radiant shade of red, and then turned their eyes back to their long-time attending nurse. The looks they gave her resembled those of reprimanded children, waiting to be dealt their punishment…and they both nodded silently at Debbie's lecture.

"Good. I think we have an understanding, then?" The entertained nurse had to fight back her own grin.

"Uh-huh." Brown eyes were lowered, focused on his hands as he picked at invisible threads on his shorts.…

"Yes." Blue eyes, as big as saucers, were peeking sideways at Booth, looking for an indication of what to do next…

"Alrighty, then. You're all set. Sit still for a while." Finally the smile she was fighting broke free. "And _behave_…Lunch will be along shortly." She walked to the door then turned back to see the couple smiling at each other, sharing a silent secret. "A-hem…" she got their attention, each jumping slightly, like being caught with their hands in the cookie jar… "I'm, um, going to be leaving the door open, guys." She shook her head side to side as she continued out the door and back to her station, where she needed to complete the paperwork she was working on before being beckoned in to repair the damage that was caused by 'young love.'

B/B/B/B

The afternoon passed slowly and Booth was going stir crazy, thus causing his partner to become irritable at trying to keep him occupied. They didn't find anything interesting on TV to watch. The storm that had moved in messed with the WiFi connection, so they couldn't get a dependable connection to the lab to download any files to work on. Lunch pretty much sucked for both of them, causing Bones to go to the cafeteria to buy something edible. Finally 5:50 arrived and they were visited by Angela and Jack, and with them, they brought news of their day at the lab and files for the partners to review.

"Hey guys."

"Hi sweetie, Hi studly."

"Oh thank _God_; Look, Bones, company…!"

"Hi Angela, Hi Jack."

The four exchanged pleasantries, during which Angela sensed that something had happened between the partners; her questions, however, were ignored with vigor, which gave away more than the pair realized, and their rebuttals were met with a raised eyebrow and a knowing look.

(_How does she __always__ know when we've had sex!_ Booth wondered… _We've only been doing it for a week…_)

Jack brought the conversation back around, "OK, so, we think we've figured out what happened; well, at least we think we've figured out the link between Baker, Julie and Becky… and it seems to be pretty twisted, how they all came together, so if you're on meds, Booth, you might not follow, dude."

"Naw, I'm fine Hodgins. My last dose was just before lunch when I had my stitches re-done, so I'm good."

"Huh? Why did you have to have your stitches 're-done'?" Angela inquired with a smile.

Booth and Brennan stumbled over their words, neither remembering which story they decided to go with, so Booth interjected louder, and went with both. "Well, I think I'm allergic to something in here, and I started coughing and then I got into this crazy sneezing fit that I couldn't stop and I tore out a few stitches and the nurse came back in and patched me up." The fact that he was talking a mile a minute definitely lent to an air suspicion, which was not missed by either of his visitors, but he ignored their accusing stares… "So, anyway, the connection between Baker, Becky and Julie? What was it you were saying?"

Angela wagged her hand in the air, "NoNoNoNoNo…Uh-uh…Nope…Not going there until I know the truth…" She dropped her chin and stared at the pair through lowered eyes. "Boooooth?" Her sing-song voice was saccharine sweet, "Breeeennnn?" Neither partner was meeting her eyes… "Who's gonna share the truth with me?"

It was Brennan who broke the silence. "Angela, the important thing here is that Booth is alright. The nurse, Debbie, you remember her right?" Seeing the opportunity to take the conversation in a different direction, Brennan seized the chance and launched with a smile. "Angela, do you remember the first time I was hospitalized and Booth threatened to shoot an orderly for, what he perceived as, inappropriately touching me? Well, Debbie was the nurse who-"

"Brennan!" Angela leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Don't try to change the subject. Of _course _I remember Debbie – she's been with you guys for each of your _many_ cumulative hospital stays. But we're not here to talk about 'Debbie the nurse'…Unless of course, you are about to tell me that 'Debbie the nurse' walked in and found the two of you in an otherwise compromising position? Perhaps doing something not meant to be done in a hospital room, hhmmmm?" Angela raised her eyebrows in anticipation… Hoping to get some scoop that her best friend had finally gotten Booth to abandon some of his prudish ways…Angela was, of course, unaware of just how _un_-prudish the sexy Agent was when he was between the sheets…

Booth spoke up, seeing his girl's wall about to crumble in the face of her best friend's coaxing. "_No_, Angela, Debbie did _not_ walk in and find us in an inappropriate activity. She walked in to find us sitting on the couch where I was finally very comfortable, thank you very much, before my partner here decided to assault my shoulder and rip off the dressings to examine it. When Bones saw that my stitches were ripped, _from my allergic reactions_, she called the nurse…That is when Debbie came in and fixed me up."

"Mmm-hmm…" Angela nodded, not believing a single word that spewed from either of their mouths. _Brennan is agreeing too anxiously, nodding her head too much to Booth's explanations… Booth is talking too fast, and his eyes are darting around too shadily…_ The artist was about to speak up once again, basically just to give her friends some grief, when they were joined by none other than 'Debbie the nurse.'

Booth and Brennan groaned quietly at the appearance of their current topic of discussion.

"Debbie!" Angela got up and rushed forward, embracing the older nurse.

"Hello Angela, so nice to see you…" Debbie eyed the woman suspiciously.

"Yeah, Booth and Bren were just filling me in on how well you were able to patch ole Boothy here back up, when his stitches tore." Angie's eyebrow rose in silent question, and her grin was met with a similar one from the attending woman.

"OH, yeah, Angela…I came in and found that Agent Booth'd pulled several of his stitches…" Debbie smiled, knowing what their friend wanted… "So, tell me Angela, which story did they give you…? Was it the coughing fit or the sneeze attack from allergies?" Both women eyed the partners knowingly, painted with matching smiles.

Without taking her eyes off her friends, Angela spoke to Debbie, "What do you mean, '_which story_?' I thought it was both a coughing _**and**_ sneezing attack brought on my Booth's non-existent allergies?"

"What!" Booth spoke indignantly, "I do so have allergies! I've always had allergies! You don't know anything, Angela!" He turned to his best friend, "Tell 'em, Bones! Tell them I _do_ have allergies!"

"Well, Booth, in all honesty, I don't think you were really allergic to the grass that time. You said you were allergic to Johnson Grass, but we were standing in a field of St. Augustine grass. But I never said anything to you, because I didn't want to argue with you." She spoke clinically, locking eyes with his. She then leaned forward slightly and whispered, "I think we've been pointed at, Booth…I think they know…"

"Fingered, Bones… We've been fingered, not pointed at…" Booth blushed, knowing they were, in fact, discovered.

"Booooth…" Bones whined, "I thought you didn't want to discuss with anyone, what we do in the bedroom…If you can talk about fingering, then I should be allowed to tell Ange-"

"NO! No, Bones…" he clenched his teeth. "Not fingered _like that_…Fingered as in 'found out', 'discovered', 'the game is up'…shit like that… Not the sexy 'fingered'…Jeez…" He shook his head and swiped his wide hand across his face, "like what just happened… they know that I didn't have an allergy attack…so we've been fingered." He looked back at her…"Get it?"

Bones' eyes had the deer-in-headlights-look and she nodded slowly, her mouth silently telling him "ooohhhh…" She blanched in embarrassment, knowing they'd been '_fingered_', as Booth put it…

He smiled despite the situation and shook his head as he reached for her hand, "It's OK, Bones. I still think you're amazing…and I still love you…" The three people in the room burst out in laughter at the partners' _discussion_, and Debbie finally interjected.

"Listen, you two," she stepped forward, glancing over the bandage that covered Booth's shoulder. Seeing no fresh blood seeping, she looked back into their eyes. "I just wanted to let you know I was heading out for the night. If you're still here tomorrow, I'll see you in the mid-afternoon. But rumor has it, you'll be gone by then, so I guess this is probably 'goodbye', for now." She smiled, "I am glad to see you two finally got your heads outta your asses and got together…You're good for each other." Her expression softened as she glanced back and forth, observing and noting the rosy color that filled both partners' cheeks. "Now, it's not like I don't care for you two, but do me a favor, and stay the hell outta here, huh?" She reached out and shook Agent Booth's hand before reaching for Dr. Brennan's.

Debbie was surprised, however, when the other woman pulled her down into a warm hug. "Thank you," Brennan whispered, "thank you for taking such good care of us." Debbie rose up and smiled down, ready to reply, but was once again surprised. "It has dawned on me that I have never really verbally expressed to you my appreciation for the excellent attention you've always provided during our countless _stays_. A lot has happened to me, to us, lately…and I have realized…I have not always been…an easy person to be around…I have not always shared my gratitude with those people who most deserved it." Brennan swallowed, trying to organize her thoughts; she always felt awkward expressing feelings, but with the recent events, she finally understood just how fragile life was, and she knew that she needed to try to do better at speaking her thoughts, just like Angela and Booth always tried to get her to do. "So, Debbie, I just want you to know how much I value your excellent care." There… she said it…. As difficult as she thought it would be, she managed to get the words out in a semblance that seemed to make sense.

Debbie stood in awe of the young woman. It was true that when she first encountered the partners, she was taken aback by both, for different reasons:

Booth, she was startled by because he threatened to shoot anyone who did anything he didn't agree with, especially if that action was taken against his lady partner. His intensity was fierce, his loyalty evident, and even back then, she knew that he was in love with Dr. Brennan, even if he didn't admit it out loud. (Although, she _had_ heard many of Booth's drug-induced confessions regarding the blue-eyed beauty that rode at his side, in his SUV every day.)

Dr. Brennan, on the other hand, unnerved her for other reasons. The woman was insanely smart and could be so condescending that people would shrink in her presence. But Debbie had learned early on that Dr. Brennan used her science and solemnity to keep people at a distance because she was afraid of something…Debbie never knew what, but the nurse sensed that the young doctor didn't want people to grow too close to her. But seeing how they looked at each other through the years, she knew eventually the pair would end up a couple. And she was happy to see that it finally happened.

"Dr. Brennan," Deb spoke softly, "I never felt that you were ungrateful. You and Agent Booth have always been some of my favorite people; not that I see a lot of _repeat business_, if you will, but of the patients that I have grown to know, you two are in the top 10." She smiled warmly and squeezed Brennan's hand gently. "Now, I have to go; you take care of each other… I know you will." She winked at them each then bid goodbye to their visitors as she made her way out of the room.

Angela smiled, "Sweetie, I am so proud of you!" She scooped in and hugged her best friend. "You are really getting good at this 'talking emotions' stuff!" She kissed her on the cheek then stood back and looked to Booth, who was smiling and gazing at Brennan, completely and totally enamored with his partner. "So, Booth… You're getting out tomorrow?"

Booth raised his eyes and cleared his focus. "Yeah, as long as everything looks OK by morning, the doc said I can probably go home. _Finally_." They all laughed at his whine, knowing he was only there a few days, but also knowing that Seeley Booth did not do well sitting in a hospital room…

Hodgins spoke up, "Dude, Angie and I were talking - how about if you guys come stay with us for a few days? You can have the other half of the house; we won't be in your way. But then, if you need something, we'll be just an intercom call away…"

Booth shook his head, "No, that's ok, Jack. We can go back to my place, we'll be alright. The likelihood of getting shot through the window twice is not very high. I doubt she'll try that again."

Bones looked at him with a creased brow, "Booth, you _were_ shot twice. Once in the shoulder and once across your chest. Is your short term memory giving you problems?"

"No, Bones," he laughed, "that's not what I meant. Yes, I know I was shot twice, that same day; I mean the likelihood of her returning again to the same scene of the crime to shoot at me again, is unlikely." He rested his palm against her tummy, as she sat with her back to his hip, so she could face her friends as they sat on the couch.

"Well," Angela continued, "we figured, you know, the estate is very well guarded, no one is going to get in there…and you can have the freedom, of course, to come and go, but this way, it may be a bit more secure until we can find these chicks. I don't trust them… they're sneaky and savvy…" She looked to Hodgins, who agreed with his wife with a curt nod. "We'd feel a whole lot better if you'd stay…" Angie pleaded with her long-time friend, giving her a soulful look.

Brennan turned her head to look at Booth, and they shared a silent conversation (much to the dismay of their guests…other people hated the uncanny way the professionals could communicate…) When Bren turned back to Angela, she smiled. "OK, Ange. If we get out tomorrow, we'll come to the estate." She put her hand up as Angela started to squeal, "BUT only for a few days until Booth can be completely off any pain medication. And I would think, at the rate I am healing, that I will be able to get around on my own very soon as well. So…we will accept your offer. Thank you." She smiled at her two friends and felt a growing warmth spread through her at the idea that she had so many people around her that really did seem to care. She was very fortunate to be surrounded by such loyalty.

"Great, it's settled then," Hodgins continued. "I'll let the house keepers know to expect you. I'll have them prepare the Mulder Suite for you."

Booth raised his eyebrows comically, "_The Mulder Suite_? As in _Fox Mulder_? As in _Scully and Mulder_? For real?"

Hodgins grinned, "Man, hellooo? Conspiracy theorist here!" he pointed to himself animatedly, "would you expect anything less?"

Brennan frowned, her trademark confused look crossed her face, "I don't know what that means." She looked from Booth to Jack and back to Booth.

"C'mon, Bones. I thought you rented Season 1 of _X-Files_ to watch… like back during the first year of our partnership?" Booth looked at his girlfriend; _yes-'girlfriend' is starting to have a great ring to it_… and he was amazed that she was so oblivious.

"Well, I did, but no one would watch it with me. That was before you started coming over with late night Thai food and movies, so I returned it to the rental store un-watched."

Hodgins scooted forward, "oh, man… Dr. B, you are in for a treat! I have _every_ season on DVD! I'll leave it in the entertainment room on the wing of the house where you'll be. You've gotta watch it! You're going to love it…You and Booth are just like Scully and Mulder, only better."

Brennan frowned once more, "I think Booth told me that once, but I didn't understand it then, either."

"No worries, Bones. We'll have some time to sit and relax, between studying the case files, so we'll watch some episodes. If you like them, we'll keep watching them; if you don't, then we can stop, but I really think you'll like it." Booth smiled, anticipating some time alone in the kick-ass Hodgins Estate, with their very own private entertainment room… Yeah, it was great of Jack to offer up his place to them, and it did made Booth feel better, knowing that, in case he was sleeping on medication, Bones would still be safe as long as she was on the property. The idea of conking out at his apartment, with the risk of not hearing an intrusion, made his blood run cold.

She smiled back at Booth, "that sounds acceptable to me. I look forward to my XYZ File Education."

"_X-Files_, Bones. No YZ… just X, sweetheart." Booth smiled, sneaking in yet another moniker that he knew drove her crazy, but unable to resist.

"Oh, right. That's what I meant." She turned back to her friends, "so, anyway, what did you find out about Julie and Becky? Will you have anything for us to work on from the house tomorrow? Or anything to share tonight?"

"Yup, we'll have some stuff for you to weed through tomorrow. We'll tell you an overview tonight, but it will be easier to follow once you've got the case files in front of you…" Hodgins waited until he had their attention then began the tale of what they'd unearthed so far. It wasn't a whole helluva lot, but it was a start…

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so there it is… the end of chapter 46! (Thanks to TraciM for your suggestion!) There was simply TOO much to continue on with the breakdown of what the squints found, so that will have to wait til chapter 47. Please don't hate me. It's already partially written, so I hope to finish it quickly. That said… I am starting a new position with my company this next week, so I don't really know yet, what my schedule looks like; but I will work hard to write as often as possible! **

**Please R&R, I am so close to 600! Please help me reach that goal! Thanks as always. **

**Peace and love, my friends. **

**~Jazzy**


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N Ladies & Gents, my apologies for the longer-than-usual delay in posting! I started my new role at work, so I've been focusing all my energies to learning my new duties! I hope you forgive me, and I hope you like chapter 47! The chapter turned out ****totally**** different than my original outline, but I am pretty happy with the final result, and hope you are too! **

**Again, my apologies for not responding to everyone's reviews; my intention is to always reply, but I've been so overwhelmed with everything going on, that I just ran out of waking hours! But, PLEASE, don't stop leaving me reviews, I promise to do my very best to reply! Your comments and encouragement have been invaluable to me, AND MY MUSE, and I truly appreciate those of you who take the time to leave a message. **

**You are loved! You guys got my number up over 600! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Well, this hasn't changed since the previous 46 chapters… I don't own Bones or its original characters. I do own this story line and the few minor characters that come and go through the tale I've spun. **

_Reminder since it's been so long since my last posing!_

_Previously, Angela and Jack agree to share the little bit of information they've uncovered so far, but promised to provide more for B&B to review tomorrow. For now, we're still in the hospital, waiting to hear from Ange & Jack. _

Angela and Hodgins wanted to wait until their friends were settled before they began to debrief their findings. While Booth took his final dose of medication for the evening after a quick examination, Brennan utilized the restroom, Hodgins trotted down to the cafeteria to grab some edible food for the four of them, and Angela stepped out into the hall to take a phone call.

The friends knew that once Booth's pills kicked in, he would be pretty much useless to talk to; but he had insisted they talk about the case so he could 'sleep on it,' and think about their findings before being discharged the next morning. Booth hadn't wanted to take the medicine at all, and balked at the nurse, saying it was too early and besides he was not in a great deal of discomfort, just a little…But she had insisted that if he didn't cooperate, he ran the risk of not being released in the morning, as he hoped. So, reluctantly, he relented and swallowed his big-boy-pills, so to speak…

B/B/B/B

Booth raised the back of his hospital bed upright, so he could sit up comfortably, and Brennan scooted backwards from the edge of the bed, so she was sitting in the V formed by his parted thighs. She leaned back gingerly, mindful to avoid putting unwarranted pressure on her partner's shoulder, but Booth was eager to feel her curves against his body, so he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight, so her back was flush against his bare chest. Since the nurse removed the sling holding his arm against his body, he was anxious to wrap it around his partner. Playfully, he nuzzled into her neck, smiling against her skin when he felt the goose bumps rise on her smooth flesh.

"Hmmm…" He whispered, barely brushing his lips just below her earlobe, "I love you, Bones. I know I told you this already, but thank you, again, for being here with me, baby…" He eased his fingertips beneath the hem of the t-shirt she wore, and lightly tickled the porcelain silkiness he discovered on her tight tummy.

She ducked her chin and grinned as she turned her head, letting him pull her lobe between his firm lips. "Booth…" She admonished in good humor, "don't start getting all riled up again…Ange and Hodgins will be back in a few minutes." But she actually loved how tactile he had become, now that they both finally realized that their shared touches were mutually appreciated. She, herself, was surprised at how often she now wanted to reach out and make contact with her partner. She had never been the type of person to cuddle…until this change in her relationship with Booth. Now, she found herself actually _seeking_ physical connections with him, enjoying her new-found freedom and the ability to just reach out and touch his arm or cheek, _or whatever_, on a whim.

"Aw, Bones… c'mon….you know _you_ enjoy having my hands on you as much as_ I_ enjoy having my hands on you…" He kissed her neck, "and my lips on you…" He slipped just his fingertips below the elastic waistband of her shorts and ran them along the edge of the clothing, "and my skin against your skin…" He rotated his seated hips slightly, "and my body against yours…"

Bones hummed in gratitude, "Mmm, Booth, have no doubt, I _do_ enjoy all those things…" she lolled her head further, so his mouth could reach her neck, as she arched her back, causing her ass to wriggle against his crotch playfully. As he clamped his lips to her flawless surface, sucking gently, she pressed against him, increasing the sensations spreading through both of their bodies. Her voice was husky and sexy as she felt his growing erection press against the small of her back; she continued, "and I am very much looking forward to going home tomorrow…even if it's not our home…it will be our temporary home."

Booth's smile grew wider at hearing her say "our home." He refused to allow himself to fall into the illusion that their agreement to live together would be an easy task to actually accomplish. It was one thing to _talk_ about it, but when the time came for Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth to actually intertwine and co-mingle their current living quarters, their journey down that path would certainly be accompanied by some bumps (or mountains, as the case may be...). But he was eager, and more than willing, to face those bumps and hurdles that they would undoubtedly need to confront. He fanned out all ten of his strong fingers, allowing them to splay across her abdomen, partly under the waistband of her shorts, partly simply beneath the loose hem of her shirt. Rubbing his nose and lips just under her hairline at the nape of her neck, he sighed in contentment, letting his hot breath drift beneath the neckline of her t-shirt, instantly causing her nipples to stiffen and press against the thin material of his FBI t-shirt she'd commandeered. His cocky smile reached all the way up to his eyes as he peered over her shoulder at the silhouette of her inviting breasts.

His thoughts were once again flooded with the realization of exactly how lucky he was, to finally be with the woman he'd been dreaming about for just going on 8 years. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't dream about being with his partner – even when he was with Hannah, he still dreamt of Bones, much to Hannah's dismay; he couldn't imagine life without the woman currently in his arms; he couldn't recall ever feeling as complete as he did with her in his life.

"Oh, Baby…" he tightened his arms, "I don't think I will _ever _get enough of you…never enough of touching you…. never enough of smelling you…kissing you…just being with you…" He trembled at the feeling of butterflies that fluttered through his body as he dropped tiny kisses along her skin. "I love you…I love you more than you'll ever know…More than you will _ever _comprehend, Baby… I'd do anything for you…_Anything_. All you have to do is ask…Forever, Bones. I want to make you eternally happy. I want to be the man you turn to; I want to become the man you deserve. I want to be your 'everything', Bones…" He felt a flood of emotions build up in his chest, he mentally blamed his damn medicine... "_Please_, Bones, let me be that man…"

She turned slightly, so she could meet his heated gaze. Just the look of his darkened eyes caused her cheeks to flush with heat, and her lips to part as she stared at him in awe. "Oh, Booth…" she was breathless at his selfless confession of his desires. Sure, he had been professing his love for her a lot lately, often completely at random; but it wasn't until she listened to his words without actually looking at him while he spoke, that she really _heard_ the urgency, the sincerity and the ever-so-slight insecurity, in his husky, masculine voice. She reached back and over her turned shoulder, palming his cheek in her tiny hand, "Booth, I love you too…please don't ever doubt me; don't ever think that because I don't say it as often that I don't feel the same way. You are an unbelievable man; amazing and…I'm so…I…" she started to choke up, unexpectedly, she stammered, "and…and Booth…I don't _ever _want to go back to where we were… I never want to go back to being just partners. I can't imagine an existence without being with you _completely_…not again…" A single tear escaped and rolled slowly down her cheek, bringing forth her frustration at not understanding her recent roller-coaster of emotions. "I…well…Booth…" she huffed and clenched her jaw before regaining her composure so she could continue. "Booth, you already _are _my 'everything'. _You_ are the reason I'm here; you're the reason I _want_ to be here; Booth, you saved my life so I _could_ be here; you're the only man who has ever made me happy like this…_You_, Seeley Booth, are the one I want to be with…I don't believe in 'forever' the same way you do, but I want to be with you in '_your forever'_, Booth, if you'll help me learn, and understand, and if you'll be patient with me…I want to be _your_ 'everything', too, Booth…I want to be the one you turn to…always."

He cut off any further words, no longer able to resist her. He crushed her mouth with his own, nibbling and nipping at her temptingly plump lips, demanding entrance, and he plunged his tongue deep into her warmth as soon as she conceded. Together, they moaned at the velvety touches both experienced as they shared an intimacy that suddenly meant so much more than just sexual advances and encounters.

The door burst open and Angela and Hodgins walked in, carrying two trays overflowing with various foods. Their friends grinned at catching the partners in what was obviously a very hot make-out session, and Angela sashayed over and chuckled at the guilty looks she received from both Brennan and Booth.

"We leave you guys alone for 15 minutes and you can't control yourselves…" She shook her head playfully as Bren shifted once more, so she was leaning back flat against Booth's chest. Angela met her friend's gaze, "I'm so proud of you, Sweetie!" She laughed and placed their dinner on the rolling high tray and pulled it over next to the bed, so Booth could reach his food with his good arm…If he chose to remove his arm from its current position where it was wrapped around Bren's waist.

Hodgins stepped towards the couch, flashing a wide smile at the blushing Agent, "I gotta admit, G-man…it's taking a little bit of getting used to, seeing you guys together like this. Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome, and we _totally_ support you both; but it's still a little weird."

Booth smiled as their friend, as he rubbed the pads of his fingers along the waist-line of his girlfriend's shorts, "yeah, well, it still amazes me that we're finally together. After years if wanting and denying, then giving up, followed by regret…well…to _finally_ be able to hold her, to kiss her…" Booth grinned and shook his head gently, peeking out from the corner of his eye to find that Bones had turned her head to listen to what he was telling Hodgins. "I'm just…so happy; so elated that we can just be honest with each other." He tiled his head towards Bones, while still looking at Hodgins and Angela, "I just wish we could be open about it, you know, with everyone…But we've gotta wait until we get the clear from Cullen and Caroline. I don't want to risk being separated."

Bones covered his forearm with her own, as it was still snaked around her waist, and she intertwined their fingers. "Soon, Booth. We'll be able to tell people soon." She rested her head against his when he turned to look into her clear blue/green eyes.

"Yeah, I know, Baby. I know."

Angela interrupted, "OK, lovebirds, you wanna talk about the case or what? Because if you do, we should probably start talking before Booth goes all goofy from his drugs…God know what he'll do once they kick in…" She smiled; she enjoyed giving her friends a hard time every now and then.

A resounding "yes" echoed from both the partners as they grinned at Angela's good humored ribbing. Booth grabbed his sandwich and started eating, while Bones remained seated comfortably between his thighs, nibbling on the fruit salad that Angela bought for her. They looked at their friends expectantly as Hodgins pulled out his laptop.

"OK guys, well, we have a lot of preliminary and rough ideas, here," Jack started, "I don't know if what we have is going to be much help to you _yet_, or if it's going to turn out to be just space fillers…that's your job, Booth, to figure it all out; after all, I'm just the Bug & Slime Guy here..." He grinned at the Agent as Booth rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah yeah, Hodgins, just talk, huh? C'mon…" Booth was already in Agent-mode, despite the fact that he could feel the beginning effects of the medication; he fought against nature as his brain was starting to fog. He relaxed once again as he felt Bones rub her palms along the outsides of his thighs; she knew he was starting to get keyed up, and wanted to calm him a bit, so he would just listen to what their friends were saying. They could analyze the facts tomorrow, after they had time to think on it.

Booth laid the remnants of his sandwich back onto the tray at the side of the bed, and wrapped his arm back around the tiny waist of his girl. Pulling her tighter into his warmth, he was happy when he felt her body meld against his in a perfect fit.

Angela started speaking, "OK, well, this may be out of order from what you'll need, but it's the way we discovered stuff…so bear with us, ok?" When she gained their agreement, she continued. "Well, I started out researching the entire computer operations activity log associated with Becky's User ID, which I accessed remotely through the law enforcement server. After finding some interesting usage, we had her home CPU confiscated and shipped to us by the local PD." After seeing Booth's eyebrows rise up to his hairline, she thought she better explain, "Charlie helped us with getting the search warrant, since you were otherwise out of commission." She smiled when Booth nodded in understanding.

"Don't know why, but before she ever accessed Julie's files, she was researching you guys. There were hundreds, _I mean hundreds_, of Google searches for each of your names. Various results were saved; and it looks like she _tried _to delete her history, but she obviously doesn't have a lot of computer knowledge, because she only erased it at the surface, not from the computers completely. Her searches dated back almost to the time of your class reunion, Bren."

Angela turned the laptop screen in their direction and showed them a summary spreadsheet she had compiled containing a tab for Brennan and a tab for Booth, each detailing the webpages searched, dates, articles read, pages saved then deleted from Becky's 'Favorites', and a summary of topics discussed. "I developed this, with the intention of being able to sort by different variables. I also found this document on her personal computer, which she had password protected, but her idea of a password was a joke…" She eyed the partners in turn, settling her gaze on Booth. "I'm not certain, Studly, but it seems she had a _thing_ for you," her eyes quickly darted over to Bren, and she noticed a possessive quality come across her best friend's face as she processed what she'd just heard. Looking back to Booth, she continued, "Her password was 'SexyFB1B00th'." She raised her eyebrow at her friends as Bren turned and looked at her boyfriend. "Looks like she tried to be tricky, by replacing the 'I' with a '1' and the double 'o' in Booth with double '0' instead; but she was no match for us…" She smiled smugly, momentarily distracted at her own awesomeness.

"Anyway, you'll find this additional tab, when you're looking in-depth tomorrow, containing all of the names of the convicted felons for whom you two have been instrumental in locking up. I included the names and dates of the cases she researched, whether it was worked by you as partners, or solely by Booth, as well as the current status is on each of the cases." She closed her excel spreadsheet, and then opened a Power Point graph.

"OK, so here, I built you a generic timeline, because _Agent Studly_, I know how much you like to use timelines on difficult or convoluted cases…and this one is _definitely_ convoluted…" She enlarged the graphics and demonstrated that which she had already filled in, taking into consideration the few facts they currently knew.

"See, here, this is your Class Reunion, Bren; this is when Baker was supposedly killed in that riot; here is when Becky started researching you two online, as far as we can tell; this is when Julie's record was amended, the details of which are still sketchy; here is when you were abducted, Bren. From here, at least for the following 18 hours, I broke it down to hourly, so we could capture the texts and messages. I also broke down the word document that was intended for Booth to find and I inserted that in here. Beyond that, there was very little activity that we've found with the exception of the 'love note' and flowers left behind for you at Bren's apartment, the photos left for Cullen, and finally, Booth's shooting." She looked at her friends, as they studied what she was showing them.

Brennan spoke, the crease in her forehead deepening as she concentrated, "Angela, if you can pinpoint the specific articles that Becky researched and saved, can you then, by cross-referencing against the Case Tab's 'current status' column, determine if she made any contact to anyone involved with those cases? Perhaps we can gain access to her phone records, including home, cell and office? Can you locate any email accounts associated with her name?"

Angela nodded as her best friend spoke, "Well, the cross-referencing is easy, and we can talk to Charlie about the phone records. I'll call him in the morning." She moved her eyes to her husband, who was anxious to share the little bit of information he had so far.

"OK, Dr. B, Booth, we have partial prints with enough individual point markers to match Becky. There were a couple of prints from Dr. B's apartment as well as Booth's place. There were prints on the roof access door, as well, on the building across from Booth's apartment, where she stood when she shot him." He backed up a bit, noting the look in Brennan's eye "well, I suspect Becky is the one who shot you, Booth, given the presence of the partial prints across the street, 2 separate shoe imprints, and the fact that the gun and ammo used was Law Enforcement standard and the ballistics matched the gun issued to her by her department. I don't want you to think I am making assumptions, Dr. B; I based my reasoning on the facts as they presented themselves to me." He smiled at his superior as she nodded in approval.

"I have the lab computers running tests to pinpoint the origin of some particulates we collected from the roof where she stood; hopefully we can find out where she's been, and use those details to lead you to her."

Booth nodded slowly, absent-mindedly letting the pads of his fingers stroke the soft skin of Bones' midriff where he reached beneath the hem of her t-shirt. He was having trouble following all of the information, given his medicated state, but he was with it enough to know that their team of Squints had been working hard to get details for himself and Bones. "Guys, you did well. You gathered a lot of information thus far, especially you, Angela. I can't believe you found so much just by nosing through her computers…" He smiled at the artist then at Jack, "and Jack, I didn't know you guys had recovered any finger prints at all, from any of the locations; how'd I miss hearing about those?"

Jack leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs, "Dude, we uncovered them and recorded them, but at the time, we didn't have anything to compare against, so we didn't flood your brain with useless information. They were _so_ partial that they couldn't be recognized by running them through the data-base, but once we had a suspect, we could compile the entire collection of partials and compare them to her prints. Then, after you were shot, and we found the partials on _that_ building as well, it just confirmed our theory further."

Brennan looked deeply at her friends, "Thank you. Thank you both for working so hard on this." She took Angela's outstretched hand, holding it for just a moment before dropping it and moving her palm back to Booth's thigh. "I think that's all we can process tonight," she indicated with a slight roll of her eyes that her partner was having a problem focusing. "How about if I call you tomorrow, after Booth gets the all-clear to leave?"

Ange stood, "That's fine, Sweetie. Call me, I'll come pick you guys up and take you to our place, so you can get settled in your home-away-from-home for a few days."

Booth wrinkled his brow, "We won't need to be picked up. I can drive."

Three pairs of eyes looked at him incredulously, and Hodgins broke the silence. "Umm, no Dude, you won't be able to drive…You are heavily medicated, remember?"

Booth shook his head gently, "I won't be by tomorrow; I'll be fine by morning." His crooked grin indicated that he was currently feeling no pain, _thank you oxycodone_…

"Yeah, sure, Studly; we'll see." Angela stooped over to hug and kiss Bren on the cheek then moved to kiss Booth on his stubbly cheek.

After their friends had gone, Brennan sighed in frustration. "What do you think really happened, Booth? I mean, why would Becky be involved with all this?" She leaned her head back so it rested on his good shoulder, and he held her tighter.

"I don't know, babe, but I am glad Angela thought to start a timeline; I was thinking the same thing earlier…Guess we've all worked together too long, huh? Your best friend can read my crime-solving mind…" He grinned, knowing that Bones certainly did not believe in mind-reading, but continued before she could interrupt him. "Tomorrow, when we get to their place, maybe we can spend some time reviewing the files. And hopefully, Hodgins' magic computer tests will be back with more information on the particulates he collected."

"Booth," Bones admonished, "it's hardly magic… You know that." She nudged him gently with a rock on her head.

"Yeah, I know…I just like to get a rise out of you." He chuckled, loving the fact that they could just be themselves and not put up any fronts; that meant he could voice some of the jokes he would have otherwise kept to himself. He once again fanned his hand across her stomach, beneath her t-shirt and pulled her tight to his chest. "Whatdya say, you ready to sleep yet?"

"Actually, I'm not, Booth. But you go ahead and sleep – your medication is making you tired, I'm sure. I'm going to sit on the couch and work on my book. I stopped mid chapter earlier today and I would like to wrap that up while it's still fresh in my imagination, you know?"

"Sure, Bones. But you don't have to sit on the couch, you can stay here; just grab your computer and bring it over." He was loath to have her out of reach; he found that, especially while medicated, he slept better with her in his arms.

"No, Booth. It's OK. I will be just there," she motioned to the empty seat that sat parallel to his bed. "I won't leave, don't worry."

He nodded as she started to pull herself up from her lounging position against his torso. "Well, OK. Wake me if you need me, baby," he voice was already getting groggy, now that he was relaxing and letting the pills do their 'magic'. Many things in Booth's world were _magic_; he smiled as he started to drift off… Hodgins' magic computers, his magic medicine, Bones' magic fingers…

Bones grinned at his closing eyes and pulled herself over to the couch. She decided against using her crutches, as it was only a couple of steps, and she was quite proud of herself that she did it unassisted. She looked at her watch, seeing that it was only just after 7:00, she knew she would have a long quiet evening during which to work on her book. She smiled at the prospect that she would finally have some uninterrupted peace.

After about thirty minutes of writing, her silence was disturbed by a quiet knock at their door. She looked up, expecting to see Cam, or maybe even Sweets entering the room; but to her shock, a face peered in that she hadn't thought of in years, causing her stomach to clench.

"Tempe? Hey, I didn't expect to find you _here_, but am I ever glad _I did_! I went to the lab but no one was there, then I popped by your apartment, but the doormen at your place seem to think they're your guard dogs, and regardless that they knew me, they _still_ wouldn't let me up to see you. I figured after what I heard happened to you, you'd be holed up safe and sound at home…When I stopped by to talk to some of the guys, that's when I heard that Booth'd been shot, so I thought I'd track him down and see if he could convince _you_ to take at least _one_ of my calls, since you've been _ignoring_ them the last couple days…It's almost like you didn't really care that I was back…?"

Brennan clamped her jaw shut, realizing that she had been sitting there with it agape. He was prattling on as if they'd just seen each other last week, maybe last month, rather than the several years since he'd abruptly left her…"Sully? What the hell are you doing here?"

Former-FBI Agent Timothy Sullivan huffed in slight offense, "Jeez, Temp, nice to see you too."

"_Why_ are you here?" Brennan was not at all happy to have her ex-_whatever_ entering her current boyfriend/partner's hospital room. Sully had sailed away from her years before, and hadn't even bothered to make contact with her since. He had claimed that he loved her; begged her to accompany him on his global sailing-adventure, but she had stayed behind.

At the time, she didn't understand exactly _why_ she stayed – she and Sully had a pretty good relationship; he didn't crowd her in, invade her space, pressure her to marry him…Sully simply came and went as he pleased and she did the same to him. The only thing he pressed her on was to leave with him…They had a give and take relationship that simply satisfied each other's needs – the biological ones. But as he sailed away from her, waving from the deck of the _Temperance_, she felt an unfamiliar pang in her chest that she couldn't explain. She certainly hadn't _loved _Sully, but watching him leave, just reinforced, in her mind, the fact that anyone she ever cared about ended up leaving her. Even if she only cared on the surface, she still felt _something_…But the one person who never left her was the same person there to pick up the pieces when she unexpectedly fell apart, metaphorically speaking, of course. Booth…

To everyone else, and even to herself to a certain extent, she had chalked up her reasons for staying on dry land to _work_…she had an important job…one that no one else on the planet could do…the Jeffersonian needed her…the FBI needed her…

Ultimately, though, Booth needed her…and she needed him…Yes, she did finally figure out that her decision to stay behind had been driven by her need to remain in close proximity her Partner. Booth hadn't asked her to stay; he told her that he wanted her to be happy, but she had known, even back then, that it would have broken him if she had left. Now, as she looked back on the life she'd carved out for herself, even working through their ups and downs, she was eternally grateful that she'd remained on the mainland and partnered with Booth; it was the best decision in her life.

But now, with this man standing before her, this 'blast from the past', as Angela would later put it, she felt unnerved. She wanted to scream at him, yell at his selfishness and arrogance; how _dare_ he claim to love her, but never even send so much as an email or post card? How dare he, after knowing a large portion of her history and her insecurities with abandonment, still leave her behind to chase some crazy dream, giving up his career? How dare he show up now, acting as if they were old buddies, with barely a past?

She wanted to holler, putting him in his place, tell him that she and Booth were together now…but she didn't dare let that secret out – obviously he still had connections at the Bureau... So, she bit her lip, opting to not say a word, instead, mentally wishing Booth would wake up; trying to send telepathic messages, in which she didn't even believe, to him begging that he wake up and rescue her from the inevitable conversation in which she would be forced to engage with her ex-lover.

Finally, Sully answered her question, after he realized she wasn't going to offer any sort of warm home-coming. "Well, Tempe," he began stoically, "I heard about your abduction, and I was swinging by the coast anyway, so I took a slight detour to see you. It must have been awful; I understand that your little team of scientists worked all night and all day before they were able to finally get to you."

He hoped that her cold reception was simply a reaction to her recent trauma; he recalled how she tended to emotionally shut down when faced with something difficult to handle. He was really hoping that she would let him take her out to eat, maybe go back to her place for a drink, rekindle some of that exceptional hotness that they once shared… He was certain that they would still have that spark between the sheets. The guys at the office said she was still single, so he believed he had a shot – after all, she didn't like long-term, monogamous relationships anyway; she was a girl who just liked to satisfy that _need_…that _urge_…that _itch. _The very same itch that he, himself, was having trouble scratching all alone… There're only so many times a guy can jerk himself off and still feel somewhat satisfied; and it'd been over four weeks since his last port rendezvous, where he'd met a lovely senorita who was all too happy to scratch his irritation for him.

She stilled her features and breathed deep in order to keep her temper in check. "My 'little' team, as you refer to them, did work hard. They worked harder than I would have ever imagined. And they helped make it possible for _Booth_ to get to me. It was Booth who led the investigation; they worked as much for him as they did for me. _Booth_ is the one who came to save me from the hell to which I had been subjected. Give credit where credit is due, Sully." Her tone was cool and still. "I am sorry that my, _ordeal_, took you out of your way; you shouldn't have '_swung_' by, now you're off course, I'm sure. I'd hate to think that you put yourself out…" She pulled her steely eyes away from him and looked at her sleeping partner, careful not to give anything away to the man standing on the opposite side of the bed. _Please wake up, Booth. I can't deal with this on my own right now… It's too soon. I don't want to talk about it with anyone yet…especially him_…

"Tempe, why haven't you responded to my calls the last couple days? Maybe if you had, this _reunion_, might not feel so awkward." He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to look back at him, "or is it just _me_ who feels awkward?"

She turned her icy eyes back at him, convincing herself that she could and would face him on her own. Booth was healing from major surgery and didn't need to get upset; and she knew that Sully's presence would definitely upset her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_, she mentally thought, _yeah, I can accept that term_.

"Sully, after all these years, with no contact, what did you expect? A welcome home party? A celebration? You left me, Sully. You left me standing on the dock and you sailed away."

"I asked you to come with me."

"I couldn't, Sully. You know that. I had my work; my studies; my lectures. I have responsibilities _here_, Sully." She frowned, "You said you loved me, but you still _left_ me." She drew a deep breath, "I thought that _maybe_, if I was there at the docks when you sailed off, you would think I was worth it to turn around and come back; but I was wrong…so very wrong…You're no different than any of the others that came before you – you all end up leaving."

"Temperance, you didn't _need_ to work… You're independently wealthy, remember? You write books that sell millions, and you're worth ten times that. You could have written about our adventures; about the places we'd visit; about the people we'd encounter…_The People_! You're an anthropologist, and you didn't even want to travel and see the _people _and cultures, Tempe!"

Sully shook his head. _Unbelievable_, he thought to himself, _she's going to hold this against me…She gave me her blessing to go and now she's pissed that I did… She expected me to give up __my__ dream to stay behind while she lived out __her__ dream? What, is her dream to keep solving murders and identifying dead people for the rest of her life?_

"I don't write adventures, Sully. I write murder mysteries. And I see plenty of people and study countless cultures when I go on my digs and excavations." She looked at him straight on, "You just didn't think I was worth staying for; that's all. I was worth a 'booty call' when you wanted it; and you claimed to love me, but it was all false…they were all lies, Sully."

"Temperance, I did love you. I _still_ love you; hardly a day goes by that I don't think about you. Hell, remember, I named my boat after you! You're never far from my thoughts, Tempe, and I had hoped that maybe you felt the same? Maybe you missed me, too? We had a good thing, you and me, don't you remember?"

"Sully, it's _because _you named your boat after me that you think about me. If you really thought about me, I mean _really_ contemplated my well-being, or cared about me, you would have made contact well before now." She shook her head in disbelief at his gall…his nerve. "You would have been here for me when I had to testify against my own father; you would have been here to support me when I thought my partner was killed, taking a bullet that was meant for me; you would have been by rock to lean on after Booth and I were blown up chasing the Gormogon and subsequently, when I learned that my own intern had been turned against me." She held back her emotions, intent to show Sully just how much he'd missed…exactly how much he didn't love her…

He tried to interrupt, "Tempe, if I had known-"

"Sully if you really cared, you would have been by my side when I had to bury Ripley, but you weren't; if you loved me so much, you would have been here for my first-ever Christmas dinner; you would have been here to support me during the Heather Taffet trials; and you would have been here when Broadsky killed Vincent." Finally, she let a tear slip out and roll slowly down her cheek. "But you weren't Sully. You weren't here for any of it… none of it."

He had moved around the bed and now stood in front of her as she was still seated on the couch. His back was to Booth, so he didn't notice that his old friend had woken up from his slumber. Sully reached his right hand towards Brennan's cheek, intent on catching the tear that was leaving a wet trail on her milky white skin, but his arm was seized by a firm grasp from behind. Sully spun around to find Booth's good hand gripping his upper arm tightly, and his intense blackened eyes alert and drilling into his own.

"You don't get to dry her tears, Tim. You lost that privilege when you left her on the docks while you sailed off into the sunset." The tone of his voice was no-nonsense and straight forward, leaving zero room for doubt or question. He jerked his former friend's arm further away from his partner, and remotely sat his bed into the upright position. He looked over to Bones and saw the unshed tears threatening to escape, as well as the relief that she exhibited, obviously, at his awakening.

"Now," Booth began, his voice husky from his medicated sleep, "I just joined this little party, so why don't you tell me what the _fuck _you're doing here, Sully?" Booth fought against the grogginess that was trying to take over his body, and Bones must have recognized his struggle. She hurriedly poured him a cup of ice water from his pitcher and handed it to him, rewarding him with a warm smile. "Thanks, Bones," he schooled his features; not knowing how much Sully knew or didn't know of his current relationship with this beautiful woman, and not wanting to give away too much information.

"_Jesus_, Booth, nice to see you, too, you bastard." Sully frowned at the even colder reception he received from his 'friend.' He looked at Booth's ice-cold eyes before continuing, "I heard about what happened to Tempe and wanted to come look her up. When I couldn't get her to answer my calls over the past few days, I went looking, and eventually was led here because I was hoping _you_ would get _her_ to talk to _me_!"

Booth huffed in disbelief and leveled his gaze, "And why in the hell would I help you, Sul? You treated my partner like just another notch in your bedpost before you left her. Just how disillusioned would I have to be, to think that you would have her best interest in mind when trying to reach out to her _now_? What's the deal; are you all horned up because you haven't had any for a while and you figured you'd just pop in to see good ole' Tempe for a quickie? '_Oh, it's a shame about what happened to you, Temperance, sorry to hear that you were kidnapped and tortured…Hey, wanna go fuck?_' Was that your plan, you worthless sonofabitch?"

"Whoa, whoa, Booth, hold on just a minute there, you ass!" Sully raised his voice, furious that Booth would talk to him like that. Especially in front of Brennan, and _especially_ because he was right, for the most part…

"No, I don't have to hold on, Tim. You are in my room and I don't want you here. I want you out, now. Don't come back, you're not invited; you're not welcome. And you leave Bones the hell alone." He took another swig of his water, "Oh, but since you're here, let me tell you something else, you worthless piece of shit. If I hear one more negative connotation or vicious rumor about my partner; lies that spread from water cooler talk spurred on by your bullshit stories, I am going to beat your ass until you _beg _for mercy. But even then, I can't promise to stop..." He glowered at his former colleague, dismissing him further from the hospital room and effectively ending the conversation. "Now, get the hell outta my room before I have your ass arrested."

Sully looked at Booth with wariness_. Something's off…it's gotta be the medication he's on…they said his surgery was pretty serious; pretty invasive_… He moved his gaze to his former lover, hoping to convince her to come out and grab a bite to eat so they could talk. "Tempe, please, can we-"

"Goodbye, Tim," Booth interjected, his possessiveness over his partner coming through loud and clear.

Sully looked back to Booth, and nodded slightly, "maybe we can talk again, when you're feeling better, then."

"I doubt it. I have nothing more to say to you; neither does Bones." Booth's jaw clenched tight, "And there's nothing that you can say to her to make what you did any less selfish and painful; so, . . . ."

Sully didn't argue further, he did an about face and exited the hospital room, shutting the door quietly behind himself. He looked at the agents on duty, one of whom he knew from his days on the force, thus was the way he gained entry to Booth's room to begin with. "Jeez, guys, that man is sure grumpy when he's on those pain killers!" He grinned, trying to lighten his own mood as well as gain whatever insight the two co-workers might have to offer, as to the unexpected ice-palace he'd just exited.

"Aw, man, Sul, you didn't try to hit on Dr. B, did you? You should know, he's _super_ protective of her these days. Especially after what happened to 'er."

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'hitting on', as such…Me and Tempe, er, Dr. Brennan, we go way back…waaay back, if you know what I mean." He grinned and winked at the men, gaining a chuckle from each of them.

"Oh yeah? I hear she's dyn-o-mite in the sack… is that true?"

"Oh, man, you have **No-IDEA**… dynamite doesn't begin to describe what she is… You know, she doesn't have much of a personality under normal circumstances, but my God, when she's horny, she's by far _thee best_ I've _ever_ tapped, man."

"Dude…Ya think she'd ever go for someone like me? I could do with a one-night-stand with her…I hear tell that's all she's into anyway."

"Not on your life, Anderson. You're too weak, man; you couldn't keep up with her." He laughed as he chided his former fellow-agent. Then he got serious, "What happened to her, anyway? You know, from the kidnapping? I didn't really get a chance to talk to her, what with Booth all _'get the hell away from my partner'_ crotchety and shit. But he mentioned torture?"

"Oh yeah, Sul, she was banged up pretty bad by the time Booth rescued her. And the one who shot _him_ is supposedly involved with the whole case as well. But not much information is leaking out; Cullen and the Jeffersonian are keeping the lid pretty tight on this one." Anderson shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly feeling remorse for talking so crudely about the scientist, now that he thought about what had been done to her. "You know, the guy that took her, he, uh… he beat her pretty bad, man. She was whipped from what I heard; and I know she was in a wheel chair until just today, I saw her on crutches. They say she was stripped naked and tied to a mattress, so I can just imagine what went on…couldn't have been pretty, Tim…"

Sully's mood sobered dramatically upon hearing more details than he had before. He'd noticed the healing bruises on her face, and noted that she sat a little stiffer than he remembered, but figured that was because of his unexpected visit; but now, it was likely due to her injuries. He thought about the bite marks he saw peeking out from below her neckline, _Jesus, that animal must have really done a number on her… _The notion that maybe she let _someone else_ get away with placing those hickies on her neck never even entered his self-centered thought process.

"Jeez, I didn't know it was that bad."

"You heard Booth shot the guy, didn't you? Right between the eyes, and then he put two more bullets through his heart, just in case the head shot didn't kill 'em." Anderson raised his eyes to Sully's, "You _should_ remember how much Booth hates taking a life, even when it's justified. But, I heard he held no remorse at all for _this_ shooting. And that he went up against Hacker and Cullen, defending his actions, and not backing down." Anderson shrugged uneasily, "But, hey, if I had a partner like her, maybe I would've done the same thing, you know? They_ do_ have the highest solve rate around, he'd be lost without her…"

Sully suddenly thought back to the interaction in the hospital room; the looks Temperance gave Booth while he was sleeping; the fact that she was wearing an FBI t-shirt; she was dressed in men's shorts as well – Booths? Booth's incredible possessiveness over her _and_ the fact that he answered for her and she didn't even fight him about it… Temperance Brennan never let a man speak for her; she was an independent woman who never needed a man's voice for anything, but she had just let her partner speak up for her…

_There's something more going on between them, _he thought silently_, they're together… like as in __**together-together**__… there's no other explanation. _He had some homework to do; he decided he'd be staying in town for a little while so he could conduct his own little investigation; _Seeley Booth has to be knocked down a peg or two, he always thought he was better than anyone else, the cocky bastard, and I'm going to be the one to prove him wrong._ Bidding his old friend and the newly acquainted agent goodnight, Sully made his way to leave the hospital, mentally planning out his next moves. _I do love Temperance still. Seeing her here, tonight, that only reinforced the feelings that got buried. It's more than a booty-call, Booth, you asshole, and I am going to see to it that Tempe and I have the chance to iron things out_…he smiled smugly at his own plans, _Yeah, she'll come back to me, we were good together… better than good, we were the best_…

**Postscript A/N**

**I know, I know… Did I really have to bring Sully back? **_**Why, oh jazzyproz**_**, **_**why**_**, you say? LOL Fear not…you all know that I just L.O.V.E. B&B together! One thing I do know, they'll be happy to get the heck out of the hospital – too many ex's showing up since they are a captive audience~! **

**ANYWHOO….. Did you like it? Hate it? (Hate **_**me**_** now? I hope not. ) You're allowed to hate Sully, though. Please review and let me know! PLEASE – I know there are folks out there reading and following and **_**not**_** leaving comments… Please take a moment and let me know what you like (or don't like) about the story…It helps my Muse work through her process of writing – which results in (hopefully) stuff you guys like to read. **

**Thank you, as always, for reading my story. **

**Peace and love, my friends, **

**~jazzyproz**


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N **

**Hi there! Welcome back! **

**First of all, the niceties - let me thank you all for the wonderful reviews you've left me; you are, as always, invaluable! I appreciate that you still like the story and I hope you continue to like it! **

**That said, I ****hate**** to do this next portion in an A/N but when a review is left for me, and the user has not logged in, it stops me from responding directly and privately – hence this little rant. I truly appreciate reviews – I REALLY do. I even appreciate constructive criticism when it comes my way. I don't pretend to think that I will please everyone all the time, because that is unrealistic, and an impossible goal to achieve. However, I had a review from someone who accused me of not caring about my story and/or not caring about writing…because I of "all the time between the chapters". Let me vent here…because the normally-very-calm-and-tolerable-(almost)-to-the-p oint-of-sainthood-jazzyproz took serious offense to this comment. **

**If you average out my chapters since the time I started this little tale, I have consistently provided a new chapter to readers approximately every 5 - 7 days, in some cases less. I do this, as do other FF writers, simply for the pleasure of writing and to provide to its readers, a little escape from the harsh realities of life. I get nothing out of writing this, financially speaking, and thus, it must be done **_**in my spare time**_** – there is something called real-life that often gets in the way – bills must be paid, duties must be fulfilled. To be producing chapters like I have been doing is no easy task when being done between working a 40+ hour job, a second 15 hour job and often caring for an ill family member, as well as simply running a household. So, before you go insulting a writer for not caring about the results being produced, whether you're insulting the quality of the work or the rate of speed with which it's posted, take a step back and ask yourself, 'Self, do I know what that person has going on in his/her life? Do I know what it is to walk in his/her shoes? Do I have any right to accuse them of not caring?' I'll bet that if you answer those questions honestly, you won't proceed to make statements to writers like the one you made to me. So, the fact that it's been 15 days since my last chapter posted, hardly indicates that I don't care or that I have given up. **

**I completely understand encouraging a writer to keep writing; letting them know you're enjoying it and you want to see it continue. There is a right way, and a very wrong way of doing that; accusations of not caring fall into the latter category. **

**Thank you very much. **

**OK, so that nasty bit of business is now taken care of, let me continue:**

**This chapter is a bit of a connector; not a lot will be revealed until the end, but it helps lead us forward to the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not gain anything from writing this story, nor do I own anything to do with Bones whatsoever. I only own this storyline and the few characters I've introduced. **

As Sully made his exit from the hospital room, Bones turned and looked at Booth with watery eyes. He immediately extended his arm to her, "C'mere, Bones." He gave her a look of caring concern and a small smile that told her he was there for her.

He didn't have to ask her twice, she pulled herself from her perch on the couch and crashed into his open arms; into his loving warmth. He pulled her close, grunting silently against the pain in his shoulder, as he balanced between both his arms the strength he needed to pull her into him; but he ignored the screams from his complaining shoulder, determined to hold her close. He scooted far over onto 'his' side of the single-wide hospital bed, allowing her the room she needed to stretch her long body down the length of 'her' side.

"Why, Booth? Why is he here? _Why now_?" She gave up the struggle to hold back her tears, and let them flow freely. "Do you think – do you think he's going to be trouble for us, Booth?"

Booth kissed the top of her head and carefully rubbed her back with wide circles, trying to calm her. "Baby, it's going to be fine. _We're_ going to be fine." His heart clenched as he listened to her failed attempts to control her sobs, "sshhh…" He found himself to be quite disconcerted, as well, at the sudden and utterly unexpected reappearance of his former friend and colleague… and, as he bitterly reminded himself, Bones' former lover. He didn't want to let her know, however, that he was concerned; Booth was resolute to remain strong for his Bones.

Booth didn't _want _to have any real concerns about the relationship that had developed between him and his partner; _he_ knew they were solid, even with the reappearance of Sully. But the level of disturbance he witnessed in his girlfriend's eyes was enough to make him pause. As he felt her body mold against his, he tried to work out, in his mind, the best way to talk to her; the best way to put her worries at ease, to calm her nerves.

He continued to gently rub Bones' back with his right hand as he held her tight against his side. Using the limited mobility of his left arm, Booth grasped her hand from where it rested on his chest and pulled it to his lips, kissing each knuckle tenderly before pressing her palm flat against his chest, just above his heart. Then he pressed his lips to her hair and just held them there; adding to his own comfort as well as reassuring his girl that they'd be alright.

Booth mentally recounted various changes that he had witnessed recently. He loathed thinking about how much had been stolen from his partner in just the previous week. Her kidnapping ordeal had ripped so much away from her: her self-confidence, her ability to compartmentalize, her sense of well-being, and in essence, her independence. She hadn't so much verbalized any of this, but he could see the changes in her; he knew Bones better than anyone, and he knew she was hurting, more than just physically.

Certainly, she was still the same amazing woman who had astounded him some eight years earlier with her quick wit and fearless challenges of his cockiness; she was still (without a doubt in his mind) his soul mate; she was still the genius scientist he'd fallen in love with years prior; but she was _also_ very changed. Booth hated that the catalyst that brought these changes on was an asshole who was supposed to have been dead; the very same asshole who Booth'd been instrumental in locking away, as his first success out of the Academy. Regardless of the logic (or lack thereof), he would always hold himself somewhat responsible, but he'd never admit it to anyone else; like an albatross, he would carry the blame of his partner's kidnapping deep in his soul for the rest of his life. And now, he vowed to protect her for just as long.

But at that moment, he couldn't think about his own burden, he had to focus on the well-being of his girl, so he cleared his mind and mentally changed directions.

"Bones, it'll be alright; c'mon, babe, take a deep breath," he cooed her, trying to bring her down from her near-hyperventilation state, but her inability to control her emotions was winning out. "Temperance," he gently spoke her given name against her ear, trying to better gain her attention, and it worked like a charm; she immediately calmed and looked up at him through teary blue eyes, surprised that he called her by her first name, rather than by her beloved nickname. He smiled down at her and affectionately wiped the tears from her reddened cheeks, "there she is…there's my beautiful Bones," he spoke softly. He hooked his finger under her chin and drew her mouth to his, tenderly kissing away the salty tears that covered her soft lips.

"Bones, talk to me."

"About what?" She wasn't sure she really wanted to voice her concerns to him, her memories…but she knew deep down that she would; she could never deny Seeley Booth when he asked her for something.

He grinned, knowing she was stalling. "Bones, tell me what exactly has you this upset. I mean, I can understand a bit of anxiety or discomfort, you know, with Sully being back and all. But this," he indicated to her tears by further drying her cheek gently with his thumb, "_this_ is more than discomfort, Bones." He kissed her forehead then pulled back and waited for her to re-open her pale blues. "Let me in, Baby, please?"

She reached her cool fingers up to his scruffy cheek and stroked him slowly, her eyes travelled over his handsome, chiseled features before resting on his warm chocolate pools. "Booth, I don't want him to make trouble for us. I don't want to lose this. _Us_."

"I won't let him, Bones. _We_ won't let him. We're strong, solid. And together…as long as we stay together, we can deal with him, Babe. He's only Sully."

She swallowed thickly, feeling the weight of what she was about to tell her boyfriend setting into her chest. "Booth, I never told you about the argument we had before he left. I never told you what he said…about you. About us…even back then." She closed her eyes slowly and reopened them to find him still studying her, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"A few nights before he left, the night I told him for certain that I was _not_ going to join him in his sailing adventure, he stormed out of my apartment and proceeded to get drunk. He came back later that night, ranting and raving about my decision to stay in DC. He knew, even though I didn't at that time, that I was staying because of you. He was pissed, more so than I'd ever seen him. He accused me of having an affair with you, even though I told him, repeatedly throughout our relationship that you and I were nothing more than partners. He said that you had probably talked me into staying behind; that you were holding me back. He…" she started to choke up, a fresh set of tears welling behind her eyes, she didn't want to tell him the next part, but now that she had started, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop. She had carried this around within herself for so long, that finally getting it out, while difficult, was very cathartic.

He recognized her hesitancy, and knew she was struggling through an internal battle, deciding how much she should share. "It's alright, Bones. He can't hurt you anymore; his words are in the past, they can't - " he halted suddenly, a terrible mental image invading his thoughts. "Wait a minute, he was drunk – he didn't – he didn't hurt you, did he? Did he hit you? Did he -"

Her eyes grew wide and she palmed his cheek, "no, no, Booth. No. He didn't hurt me; it was something that he _said_ that upset me so much." She saw he was visibly relieved to know she wasn't physically assaulted. "No, Booth, he, um, he said," she gulped, "he talked about _you_…He said some terrible things. He said that I was 'slumming it' with you. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but when I finally figured it out, days later, it made me so angry. But, anyway, he said that I was too good for you, that you were nothing but a poor abused kid from Philly who got lucky in the Army. And it was only because of what you did in the Army that you went so far in the FBI. He acted like you didn't work hard to earn each and every award you were ever honored with. And that the only reason you were with me was because I had money, and because I was the successful one in the partnership – making you successful by default. And he went on and one about how you never had anything, and that you were just looking to _score big_. He said that you were destined to turn out…" once again she gulped, "that you were destined to turn out just like your father. A drunken abuser, without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out. And that you would forever be a gambler – and that one day you would gamble – possibly with my life – and lose…" She hated telling Booth about the conversation; Bones knew that he had once been close to Sully, until she started dating him, and she knew that sharing this information would hurt him. But she innately knew that he needed to be aware of what she'd experienced, and in sharing that information she also knew that he would help her to better deal with her own emotions. "He said that he would come back one day; and we would be together; and that no one would stand in his way…"

The hurt in his eyes was not as easily hidden as he would have hoped; she recognized it immediately. But he brushed it aside and focused on her. "Bones, I'm sorry that he said those things to you. I'm sorry that you had to deal with that; I wish you'd told me back then, when it happened." He furrowed his brow and locked onto her eyes, "you know that's not true, right? I am not with you for _any _other reason, other than I think we're good together, Bones." He lowered his eyes and clenched his jaw, "and I will _not_ turn into my father. I refuse to let that happen."

"I know, Booth. I never believed those things, and I chalked it up to his drinking and the fact that he was upset that I had turned down his offer." She laid her head down on his chest, listening to his heart, while she gathered the rest of her thoughts. Booth ran his fingers through her loose curls while she worked through her mental process; he knew she had more to say, but she needed to talk in her own time. He didn't have to wait long.

"He wanted to stay that night. After he was done his temper tantrum, he thought I was just going to let him crawl into my bed and sleep with me, as if nothing had happened. He tried to apologize, I guess it was pretty obvious that I was upset. But I told him to leave, that I didn't want to see him. I said that I knew I had made the right decision _for me_, in deciding to stay behind. I reiterated that it was _my_ choice, _and mine alone_, to remain in my current position at the Jeffersonian and as your partner. I told him that he was out of line and he had no right to expect me to forgive his unwarranted accusations. He begged me to let him 'make it up to me', he started crying, and that's when I knew that his rant was due to his drinking. And that is the only reason why I agreed to go see him off, even though I struggled with it." She tightened her arms, which were, by then, wrapped around his waist. "I was so thankful that you were there that day, Booth. I didn't realize how much I depended on you, until I thought I was alone. Then, there you were, by my side; sharing your strength with me, unselfishly." She raised her eyes to his face once again, "and now I look back and realize how much it must have hurt you to see me with him. I never realized, Booth, until I saw you with Hannah, how much it hurts to see the person you love be with someone else. I am sorry I was so oblivious back then; I'm so very sorry, Booth."

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about, Bones. It wasn't our time; we weren't ready to be together. I think that subconsciously, we both knew we were _meant _to be with one another, but we had to wait until we were both prepared to enter into that stage of our partnership." He brushed a wayward curl behind her ear, "it hurts me to know that someone I had considered a friend, apparently thought so little of me, I won't lie and say it doesn't. I mean, it's no secret that I had a difficult childhood and a humble upbringing once Pops rescued us; most people know it was my grandfather who raised me and Jared because of an abusive father. But to think that Sully thought I wanted to be with you just because of money and selfish motives… and to accuse you of 'slumming' with me…that's pretty harsh. I never expected that."

He was noticeably deflated at the knowledge that, although his friendship with Sully ended, in his eyes, the moment he hurt Brennan, the fact that Sully had such a low opinion of him before that was a tough blow to the agent. "You know, when I encouraged you to be with him, it was because I wanted you to be happy, Bones. And I _believed _that he was a decent guy, and that he would have treated you well. I figured that if I couldn't be with you, even though I _knew_ I could make you happy, that I would at least to encourage you to be with a good guy. But now, hmmph… Now I can't tell you how glad I am that you stayed. Not just so you and I could be together, but so that _he_ couldn't have you. He didn't, and still doesn't, deserve you, Bones. He's not worthy of…of y_ou_." He traced her square jaw with his fingertips, and then moved up to her lips, where he gingerly outlined the curve of her soft mouth with the pad of his forefinger. "Thank you, Bones, for staying. And thank you for telling me this. To say I am surprised would be the understatement of the century; I really thought he and I were friends. But now I know, even more than by how selfish he was in leaving you, what an ass he truly is."

He let his fingers trail along the flawless surface of her face, delighting in the softness he found. He smiled gently, "And to think, that if you had changed your mind and stepped onto the deck of his damn boat…I wouldn't be able to do this," he drew his fingers from her cheek to her hairline and ran through her tresses, causing her eyes to close immediately in familiar comfort; "or this," he smiled warmly while his other hand found its way under the hem of her t-shirt and caressed the bare skin of her lower back, his fingers dipping just below the waistband of her shorts, and he held her for a few moments, just enjoying the moment of being together. Then he untangled from her hair and hooked his fingers under her chin, "or this…" He lowered his head, giving her a slow, sensual kiss, to which she immediately responded by opening to him, inviting him into her warm mouth. They moaned into each other, the gravity of the imagined situation sinking into their minds simultaneously. Neither wanted to visualize their lives apart, ever again, and the fact that, at one time she actually entertained the idea of leaving Booth behind to travel the globe with Sully, terrified them both just enough to warrant the need to get lost in each other.

As their kiss ended, the need for oxygen rudely interrupting them, they pulled apart and then tightened their arms around each other. Bones purred in contentment and rested her head to his ches,t as Booth whispered promises of love.

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I'm sorry it took me this long to tell you about that conversation. It took me a few days before I even found out what 'slumming it' actually meant; Angela had to tell me. But once I learned, I knew that I could never tell you. Even though we weren't together then. I had considered telling you after you came to be with me at the dock. But the time wasn't right. Then I thought about telling you that night at the diner, but again, it wasn't the time. After I talked to Ange, I knew, I just knew, that I couldn't tell you, because I didn't want to hurt you the way I'd been hurt. The idea that he thought _so little_ of you, after you'd been so good to him, to us… I just couldn't bring myself to say the words. The idea of being the one to repeat that negativity, to put doubt in your brilliant mind, I just couldn't do it, Booth…"

"Bones, I'm _far _from brilliant, but the sentiment is appreciated, thank you. But -"

"You _are_, Booth. You are brilliant. Maybe not as brilliant and I am, but in your own right, in your field, you are the _best_, Booth; you are the smartest and the most successful FBI Special Agent in the entire northeast district. Just because you don't hold a Doctorate or a Masters, doesn't mean you're not brilliant."

Booth smirked at her justification of her assessment. It was a sideways accolade, but he knew that she meant it only in the purest sense; he knew that she would not understand the concept of a backhanded compliment, so he took it for what it was, and he kissed her again. Hard.

And she kissed him back. Harder.

When they pulled apart once more, he smiled, "I love you, Bones. So very much."

Ducking her head in a sudden, charming shyness, she grinned from ear to ear, "I know. I love you too, Booth. I never thought we could have this. I never thought _**I**_ could have this. I never realized I would _want _this… I am so happy that I have it with you."

He tried to shimmy his right leg beneath her body so she would settle between his thighs, and she knew immediately what he wanted. He didn't want sex, he wanted intimacy; closeness. He wanted to cuddle and she smiled, still a little surprised at how tactile he was. She loved how he always rested his hand on her back when they were walking; he had done so ever since their second or third case. That was different than what they had now, though; obviously they had more knowledge of each other, physically. But on a deeper emotional level, the touches meant so much more. The embraces and contact were reassuring and encouraging to them both. The snuggling was an extension of the silent communication they'd mastered between one another, and the more he initiated it, the more comfortable she became with it. Her mind tried to think back to before her kidnapping, and although it had only happened within a week ago, she could hardly remember what it felt like to _not_ lie within the secure embrace of Seeley Booth. Nothing had ever felt more natural than to be in his arms; no other man ever held her the way he did, no one made her feel safer or more treasured. She had never _allowed_ a man to hold her like that… So with those warm and fuzzy thoughts, she rolled into the vacancy he'd made for her in the V of his legs.

They were chest to chest and he lowered the head of the bed, so they could wind down for the night. Booth was still exhausted, as his sleep had been interrupted by his former colleague's intrusion. He didn't want to go back to sleep without having Bones with him, and she knew it, so she conceded to his desire and tucked further into his torso, getting lost in the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I can't focus any more. I'm so tired." He knew they had more to talk about, but he just couldn't do it. He needed to close his eyes, at least for a little while.

"I know, Booth, it's alright, I'm tired too. Am I too heavy against you?" She knew he would say no, but she couldn't stop the instinctive worry that he would be uncomfortable supporting her weight. Especially with his injured shoulder.

"Nah, you're perfect right where you are." He ginned against the top of her forehead as she tucked beneath his chin, kissing the hollow of his neck as she moved. "Mmm…Get some sleep, baby, we'll talk more tomorrow. Sound OK?"

"Yes, Booth. Maybe tomorrow I will feel less emotional about everything. Maybe it will be easier."

"Wake me if you need me, Bones. Promise?"

She nodded her head and sighed deeply, allowing herself to fall deeper into the comfort he offered. "I do, Booth."

Booth's eyes snapped open. Of course, she was only responding to his request for her promise to wake him, but hearing those words… '_I do, Booth_,' caused his heart rate to race and his breathing pattern to quicken. He longed for the day she would say those words aloud in front of their family and friends. He promised to never push her into anything she didn't want, and he would uphold that promise; but that didn't mean he had no intention of trying to persuade her to see his point of view on marriage. He closed his eyes once more, with a silly grin plastered across his face, and dreamt of the many ways he could propose to her. With that, he slipped into a restful slumber, content to have the woman he loved pressed against his body, safe in his arms once more.

Bones had noticed the altered rhythm in Booth's heart beat and breaths when she responded to his request. She knew what he was thinking; as soon as she'd responded in that manner, she knew to where his thoughts would wander. She didn't answer 'I do' on purpose, to get that reaction from him, it just felt like a perfectly natural response. She hadn't given it any thought at all, actually, until the words had already left her lips. But since he didn't voice any of his concerns or contemplations, she remained still in his embrace and waited. Once she felt his body relax once more, and his breathing pattern deepen, she knew he'd drifted off to sleep, and she allowed herself to entertain the idea of marrying Seeley Booth.

_Wow…where did this come from?_ She wondered…

It's an antiquated ritual. She and Booth don't need a piece of paper to tell each other how they feel; and the whole idea of a woman having to give up her independence, her name just to take her husband's…to become property of sort…those thoughts infuriated her. Society demanded 'marriage' in order to make the joining of two people 'legal'.

Historically speaking, going back to our ancient ancestors, marriage was not a necessity. It hadn't become that way until modern times, in a manner of speaking. But then again, those same ancient ancestors, in almost every researched case, practiced a tradition of relations between multiple sexual partners. Basic biological urges drove them to ensure the continuation of their species; the need to procreate was the force behind their activities. There is no evidence that those ancient peoples engaged in sexual intercourse for the pure pleasure of it. They innately knew that it was the path that guaranteed the survival of their bloodline, their familial tribe.

For years, her science enforced those beliefs and she stood by them, proudly. She saw no reason to only have one monogamous partner; it wasn't necessary; it wasn't the way nature intended. She fulfilled her urges as needed and was satisfied, for the most part. But since Booth began infiltrating her thoughts, her opinions slowly started to change. And now, now that she was actually in a relationship with her partner, she couldn't imagine sharing herself with anyone else. And the mere idea of Booth being with another woman, was enough to make her stomach lurch.

On their first night together, when he finally taught her the difference between crappy sex and making love, he told her he wouldn't share her with any other man; that this was it for him; this was for keeps. The enormity of his declaration didn't really sink in until just that moment, as she shared his hospital bed, after having expelled Sully from the room. Booth would not share her, and Brennan was not willing to share him either. She had accepted the concept of remaining faithful to this man when she agreed to enter into this relationship on his terms. And now, she planned to carry out that promise; she would be faithful, and she would never give him an excuse to believe she would be anything but true.

So why did the idea of marrying him still make her nervous? And why was it all bombarding her thoughts now? A simple, unimposing response of _'I do, Booth'_ was all it took to veer her contemplations down this path. And now all she could imagine was what it would be like to refer to herself as Mrs. Seeley Booth.

It didn't sound right.

It didn't feel right.

Dr. Temperance Booth.

No, that didn't feel right, either.

Her mind wandered back to when she was a teenager and she would notice school-mates writing their first names alongside the last names of their favorite actors, imagining what it would be like to marry their celebrity crushes. The random memory made her smile wistfully. She never really partook in that tradition; she thought it silly to imagine something that was highly improbable, so she refused to entertain such immature thoughts. But here she was…imagining what her name would sound like, when joined with Booth's. She doubted he would ever ask her to marry, anyway, because he knew her views on the tradition. Momentarily, the truth of that realization saddened her.

_Booth might __never__ ask me to marry him. This fantasy is, in all likelihood, in vain. He'd been turned down by Rebecca when he proposed to her, and that hurt him a lot. Would he put himself in that position again, for me? Probably not, so why am I worried about it? _

Then she allowed images of him standing at the altar at Angela's failed wedding, invade her mind's eye. He looked so handsome. He looked like he belonged up there. And he had looked over at her, as if he longed to stand up there _with_ _her_, rather than simply across from her.

_I'm afraid that he'll never ask me, because he thinks I don't want him to not ask me. But then again, I'm not ready yet, by any stretch of the imagination…Me? A married woman? Lose my independence and my self-identity? _

_Wait a minute… Angela is happy. Who'd have ever thought she'd be so happily married? She kept her name; hyphenated. She hasn't lost her individuality or her independence, simply by marrying Jack. Angela hasn't been diminished by the legalities that now bind her and Hodgins in the eyes of the law. _

Brennan let her thoughts wonder even further. _If Angela believes in marriage, and Booth believes in marriage, and Jack, who is by and large a true scientist, nearly as genius as I, believes in marriage, why do I have such difficulties accepting it? Why can't I have that faith? _

_Dr. Temperance Booth. Doesn't roll off the tongue, as Angela would say. _

_Mrs. Seeley Booth. Doesn't allow me to tell the world who I am. _

_Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth…. _

_Brennan-Booth. Yes…hyphenated, it still allows me to keep my identity but also would show the world that Booth and I are together. Bound together in the eyes of the law. We would belong to each other. _

_Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth, husband and wife... _

_That doesn't sound so bad… in fact, it sounds pretty friggin' awesome. _

_Now, if I haven't completely defeated Booth's eagerness to prove his beliefs to me…maybe the man will actually propose… and I will tell him, 'I do, Booth' officially. Well, maybe…_

She smiled against the smoothness of his chest, remembering back to the Christmas that she had to disrobe him at the lab, and he fended off comments about the lack of hair on his body, stating he was highly evolved. Silently, she had agreed with him back then and she did even more so now; he was _definitely_ highly evolved…Seeley Booth was a perfect specimen of the human male body. She closed her eyes and lost herself in his warmth, finally succumbing to sleep, once and for all.

B/B/B/B

Booth was impatient while he waited for his discharge paperwork to come through. The doctor had already seen him, given orders of what to and not to do over the next few days, only half of which Booth listened to. The nurse had already been in to remove his IV.

"Booth, relax. You're too agitated, you need to calm down." Brennan rolled her eyes at his lack of control. "You're making _me_ nervous. Sit!"

Booth looked at her incredulously, "Why are _you_ nervous? I'm the one waiting to be discharged…you _know _how much I hate waiting."

"Yes, Booth, I do know how much you dislike to wait; but you pacing back and forth across the floor is not going to make it happen any faster. It's going to take however long it takes; you're not helping it along, Booth."

He flopped down on the couch next to where she calmly sat with her laptop resting on her thighs. "What are you doing?"

"Working on my next chapter. I figured I would take advantage of all the time I've had recently, and try to get a leap start on as much as possible."

"Jump-start, baby. Not leap start, but I know what you meant." His eyes turned mischievous, "can I read it? Please?"

"You know the answer to that already, Booth. What do you think?" Her response was flat and she kept her eyes focused on her monitor.

"I _think_ that since you and I are officially together now, that you would like to have my input on your rough drafts. I _think_ that I would prove to be a valuable asset to your writing capabilities. I _think_ that you love me so much that you will let me have this one…" He tried his best combination of puppy-dog eyes and a Boothy-charm smile, waiting for her to look up from what she was typing.

Slowly, she raised her eyes to see his attempts to win her over, and she burst out laughing. Her plan was to remain stern, to lecture him, but with that look…no way…she couldn't do it. Her laughter died to giggles and she palmed his cheek lovingly. "Think again, Booth…" She rolled her eyes at his increased smile, "nice try, though. I'm impressed." She leaned over and placed a quick peck on his lips.

"Aww, c'mon, Bones… I promise to be honest, and not too harsh. I've read all your books, several times each, so by now I am a connoisseur of Temperance Brennan's writing style. I'm practically a professional reader of Kathy-and-Andy-books!"

"Booth, if you're really nice to me…and I mean really nice…maybe I'll let you read the advance copy when it comes out. Then you can read it before the general public. And not a minute before. Period."

"Killjoy." He pouted, causing her to giggle once more as she saved her document and closed her computer. There was no sense in even trying to write with him sitting right next to her; she knew she wouldn't get one damn thing written with him talking to her non-stop. She could see where Parker got his lack of attention span when there wasn't anything there to his liking for entertainment.

"Booth, I never let _anybody_ except my editor read my drafts. And even then, _she_ doesn't get it until I've gone through at least 2 other drafts. It's nothing personal, I promise." She smiled as he scooted closer to her, draping his right arm across her shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. I've heard it all before, baby. But you can't blame a guy for tryin'." He bent his head and met hers as she leaned into his side. "I wanna go home, Bones. I don't want to stay here any longer."

"Booth…You're worse than a child - " Brennan's words of reprimand were cut off, thankfully, as the discharge nurse walked into the room.

Booth shot to his feet and approached the small rolling table, so he could sign the necessary documents to get the hell out of the hospital.

"Agent Booth, these are your copies, and these, are your prescriptions. Now, sir, you cannot drive for the next few days, because the medication you'll be taking will hinder your reaction time, so you can't drive or operate heavy machinery."

Booth was only half-listening; he'd heard it all before, he could almost recite the instructions verbatim. But he nodded diligently and signed on the dotted lines, taking his copies and handing them to Bones so she could put them in her bag, which she did without a second thought.

"Agent Booth, do you have any questions?" the nurse was looking at him, smirking at his obvious impatience.

"Nope, I'm good, thanks. Can I go now? Are we done here?"

She nodded slowly and smiled at Brennan, "wow, in a rush, isn't he?"

Bones just smiled back and nodded her ascension as she packed away her laptop. "Yes, he is not exactly a tolerant patient. Sorry."

"Bones, you don't need to apologize for me. I haven't done anything wrong." He mocked at being insulted, then looked to the nurse for justification. "I didn't, did I? I didn't say anything wrong, I am just looking forward to getting out," he looked back to Bones with exaggeration, "and getting back to work on the case…"

The nurse laughed, "no Agent Booth, you didn't do anything wrong, it's just funny, that's all."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Angela's smiling face popped through the opening. "You guys ready to rock?"

Booth turned from Bones, "Yes! We're ready, Ange, just coming out now." He turned the wheelchair towards Bones and indicated for her to have a seat.

His movement was, however, interrupted by the nurse. "No, no, Agent Booth, the wheelchair is for _you_, not Dr. Brennan." She pointed to the seat and raised an eyebrow.

"Wha-? No, I don't need to ride, I want Bones to sit. I can walk, see?" Again, much like his 11 year old son, he walked around the room to demonstrate his ability to move about.

"It's policy, Booth, you _know_ that." Bones reprimanded him from the couch as he flopped into the wheelchair and glared at her. Brennan tried to hide the smile she flashed at Angela before making her move. She handed Booth her bag to hold on his lap, after all he was getting a free ride, and she pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her crutches.

"Bones, seriously, are you alright to walk?" Booth's concern was obvious, and all traces of his earlier humor and pouts were erased, replaced by worry and love.

"Booth I'm fine, let's go, so we can get to work, alright?" She moved towards Angela, as her friend waited just outside the door and they made their way to the exit.

B/B/B/B

"OK, guys, you have the entire wing to yourselves. Like Hodgins said, he prepped your suite, so you're all set. Here's a set of keys, there's food in your kitchen, everything you need in the bathroom and I think he even stocked up your entertainment room. But if there's anything at all that you guys can think of, that you need, please ask. Annette will be on call during the day and Joseph will be on in the evenings; you can reach them through the intercom, just press "call" and whoever is on duty will ring back for you.

Brennan was taking the luxuries, offered by Angela, all in stride. She'd always been catered to whenever she travelled for book signings and media interviews, so even though this was her friend's home, she didn't see anything unusual with having a staff on call as needed.

Booth, however, sat on the chair in the living room, looking at Angela in awe. To him, all this was unbelievable. He knew that Hodgins was loaded; he knew they were offered the wing of the house; he'd spent plenty of time hanging out with Jack and Angela. But never did he imagine he would have an _intercom button_ at his disposal while staying with their friends.

Angela ignored the look Booth was giving her; she understood where he was coming from, she understood what he was and wasn't used to. She started to focus, instead on unpacking the stacks of paperwork and files she had brought home with her. She spread the array of information out on the extended table before her friends.

"OK, here are the files that Jack wanted you to review; here is the print-out of the tests he ran over night; I sent the timeline that I showed you last night over to your email, Bren, so you can access it from here." She organized the stacks as she spoke then stood to her full height. "I can't stay, I have some errands, but if you guys want, we can eat dinner together tonight. If you don't want to, no biggie, but if you do, Jack and I will be home around 5:30 and we can eat and catch up on what you guys come up with."

"That sounds fine Angela. Do we come over to the main part of the house or are we eating here?" Brennan asked while she was sifting through files. "I can cook if you want."

"Oh, Sweetie, Maribelle knew you were coming, so she planned to cook already; you know how much she likes to experiment with vegetarian dishes and recipes." Angela smiled and Bren nodded in appreciation.

"That sounds nice, Ange. Thank you."

"OK, well, we'll come over and eat tonight. Call me if you need anything; use the intercom if you need something here." Angela smiled, seeing that her friends had morphed into full-blown-partners-mode as they organized the files the way they liked them. "See ya, guys. And hey – don't work yourselves to death; take a break sometime, ok? You're all alone…the entire place to yourselves…nice big bed just waiting for some occupants…" she flashed a toothy grin as she spun around and made her exit, feeling Booth's deep brown eyes bore into the back of her retreating head.

Booth shook his head in humor as Angela left and looked to Bones, "she never gives up, does she?" They shared a smile and a couple of eye rolls then got back to focusing on what they had in front of them.

B/B/B/B

"There _has_ to be a connection between Becky and Baker. Otherwise, how would the two of them ever found each other? Why would they be working together?" Booth was thinking out loud, not really expecting an answer from his partner, but she did grab the file out of his hands to flip through it and see the contents for herself.

"And," she pondered out loud, "there has to be something else between Becky and Julie, too. Something more than high school. I don't remember the two of them being particularly close; but they must have developed some sort of relationship in the subsequent years after graduation. What kind of friendship, though…?" He, in turn, took, from her lap, the file she had been studying.

It was a dance in which the partners had jointly partaken for nearly 8 years; trading files, tossing out ideas, voicing thoughts, calling out each other's errors, adding to the brainstorm white board (which they had hijacked from Angela's art studio). They scanned transcripts from all of Baker's telephone calls and all of his visits from outsiders. They searched Becky's phone records, looking for anything that didn't belong. They perused every last document in Julie's file pertaining to her incarceration. The partners didn't know exactly what they were looking for, but they knew that once they found it, it would be obvious; and it would lead to the next clue.

"Booooth?" She drew his name out, as she was distracted by something that caught her eye. "Did you see this? These pages…they look like they were compiled by Charlie; they're a backtrack timeline of where Baker was _suspected_ to have been since his faked death." She wrinkled her forehead, "how can Charlie determine where he was _suspected_ to have been, Booth?"

He was distracted by her interrupted thought-process and just shook his head, "Bones, it's just what he does. We catch bad guys, he predicts and reconstructs where said bad guys have been.

Satisfied with her partner's answer, she continued, "Anyway, look here; see where Baker was in Greensburg? He was there, it looks like, 3 or 4 times…" She looked up to find him looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah? ….And?"

"Booth, that town is only about 15 or 20 miles from Burtonsville." They locked eyes.

"Bones, are you sure? I mean, I'm sure you're sure, but why didn't we know this?" He grabbed the file from her fingers and pulled out the pertaining pages. "What was he doing there? Where did he stay?"

"_Well_, Booth, I would be able to tell you, except you took the file from me before I was done reading…" she snagged it back and glared from the corner of her eye, silently challenging him to take it back from her.

He raised his hands in faux surrender, and moved to the white board to record the dates and places to which they could trace Baker. Something that Booth always appreciated, in working with Bones, was that regardless of the intensity of a case, they always worked well together; they could consistently push each other right up to the edge and then pull back and help one another see whatever point was on deck.

Bones read off the dates and places to which Baker was tied, and Booth wrote everything on the board. Something that she said sparked a recollection of something Booth'd just read. He walked back over to the file he dropped and flipped through Becky's details. He stopped on her phone records, and scanned them until he found what he was looking for.

"Bones, look at this, each of those date ranges, when Baker was in Greensburg, Becky made calls to a payphone located near the hotel Baker stayed in." She took the papers from him and glanced through the pages.

"Booth, the first of these calls took place just about a year ago, not long after he faked his death." The two sat together on the couch and examined his file more closely.

"I don't see anything indicating why Charlie linked him to Greensburg. Why, or how, did the FBI figure out he was there? There's no indication of activity; no hard evidence that I can see, Bones." Booth scrubbed his face in frustration, grabbing his phone and sending Charlie a text.

"But Booth, perhaps more importantly, we need to figure out the connection between Baker and Becky. Why did they connect? What brought them together? How did they know each other?"

The partners continued to work throughout the better part of the day, stopping only briefly for lunch when Booth's stomach growled so loud that Brennan was certain that the neighbors, a half-mile away, were able to hear the bodily screams for food.

They tossed ideas around, poured through documents, swapped files and went piece by piece through everything that Charlie had compiled, as well as the records that Angela reconstructed. They worked best when they re-read each other's files, intermittently catching something the other missed, putting puzzle pieces together that didn't fit previously.

"Babe, look at this," Booth handed a single piece of paper to her, breaking the silence that had settled over them as they read.

"Booth, we're working. Please, don't call me 'babe', or any other variation thereof, while we're working." She took the page, but didn't read it; she just stared at him, waiting for acknowledgement.

He raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Bones, yes, we're working, but we're not at the office. Or at the lab. What's the problem with calling you Babe, or whatever, when it's just the two of us?"

"Because, if we start that here, we could become lax and slip-up at work…at our real work. You know, I just want to keep professional when working." She suddenly sounded apprehensive; like she was afraid he would be upset with her for feeling this way. "Are you – are you mad at me for that?"

"No, Bones, of course I'm not; I just wanted to know where your genius brain was going with the request, that's all. It's fine, I'll do my best to call you Bones, and nothing else, if it will make you more comfortable."

"Thank you, Booth. That does make me feel better." She lowered her eyes as if reading, but didn't focus on the page, instead she grinned shyly before continuing, "um, Booth, I find that I do like the names you call me, though. In private. They make me feel…like I belong…" She wasn't sure if it would make sense to her partner, seeing as how he was probably the type to have always 'belonged', no matter where he went; but for her to 'belong', was a feeling she'd missed out on for the better part of her life.

He smiled, loving the fact that she just spoke her mind, unfiltered, and that he was able to give her a good feeling. "I'm glad, Bones; of course you belong. You belong with me; you belong at the lab; you belong with our friends… you've belonged for a long time, but maybe you just never realized it."

"No, I've been 'needed' at the lab; I've _worked_ alongside our friends as co-workers, except for Angela. But not until you started helping me…adapt… that's when I started to feel like I was part of it all, rather than just a scientist…" She stared into his warm brown eyes, hoping to silently convey her appreciation.

He seemed to have accepted her further unspoken gratitude and pointed to the paper in her hands, "OK, great, so make sure you continue to 'belong' and do your job, huh? Take a look at that…"

She took a moment and reviewed the document he'd given her. She read it then re-read it, thinking she misunderstood what he'd gathered. Then she dropped it and looked at a sheet of paper from the file she'd been reviewing. After mentally confirming what she thought he was showing her, she looked up in disbelief.

"Booth? Becky and Baker were related? To each other? And no one knew this before?"

"Looks that way, Baby. And _that's_ why _we're_ the best."

**Postscript A/N**

**Well that's a wrap for this chapter! I know nothing outrageously awesome happened, but it was definitely needed, so we could move forward! **

**I thank you all for reading and reviewing. I hope that my little rant in my intro A/N was driven by misunderstanding. Like I have said repeatedly, I really value feedback. **

**As I have indicated in previous chapters, I have started a new position at my job, so it takes up a lot more time than my previous position; therefore, my chapters may not be posted in 5 days or so. But I have not abandoned the story – I have a plan in place on where this will end, and I intend to see it through. **

**Peace and love**

**~jazzyproz **


	49. Chapter 49

_**Hello and welcome back! **_

_**Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and kind comments regarding my rant last chapter… you are all AMAZING and I am so fortunate to have you as readers! I love you all! **_

_**I hope you enjoy chapter 49; I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out and hope you are too. **_

_**Disclaimer: Well… in the past week I haven't received any calls from HH or Fox, so I guess I still don't own anything…. Except for, of course, the idea behind this little tale… Enjoy!**_

Booth and Brennan, Angela and Hodgins were all sitting around the small table in the guest dining area, enjoying the delicious meal that Maribelle had prepared for them.

"Booth? Are you alright to have a beer? I mean, with your medicine and all?" Angela asked with concern in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I should be fine. The worst medication I've had since 9:00 this morning was Advil; so a beer or two should be fine." Booth grinned as he took a swig from the long-neck bottle.

"So, guys, do you have everything you need? As far as staying for a few days?" Hodgins spoke between mouthfuls of Maribelle's homemade vegetarian meal. He was never one to eat vegetarian dishes, but she had prepared quite a spread for the four of them. They started their meal with an appetizer of risotto stuffed mushroom caps, their entrée was orzo with feta, green beans and grape tomatoes, and they were looking forward to the mouthwatering mixed berry shortcake alamode.

Booth nodded as he topped off Bones' glass of white zinfandel, then offered some more to Angela, which she happily accepted, "Yeah, man, thanks. Everything's great." He picked up his beer bottle once again and nodded to their host. "This place is amazing, Hodgins, and we really appreciate you guys letting us stay here for a bit."

Brennan smiled in agreement with Booth's assessment, meeting Angela's happy eyes as her friend reached across the table and took her hand.

Hodgins waved off the praise from their friends, "Oh, you bet, guys; we're happy to have you stay. We wanted you two to be safe and comfortable until you're back up and at 'em." Jack raised his own beer bottle and clinked it against Booth's as he nodded to the recovering Agent.

Booth wrinkled his brow and turned to his partner, "By the way, Bones…how did our clothes get here?"

"The other day, while you were in one of your medication-induced slumps, Angela and I ran to the house and gathered a few things that I thought we could use, then grabbed lunch on the way back to the hospital. That way we wouldn't have to worry about going there when you were discharged, in case you were not feeling well." Bones recounted their couple-hour-gallivant as she served herself a second helping of the orzo.

Booth smiled and nodded to Angela. "Thanks; that worked out well."

"So," Bones interrupted, "What did you learn at the lab today?" She was going to try to hold off the 'shop-talk', as Booth referred to it, until after dinner, but she just couldn't help herself. Despite the fact that Booth had repeatedly asked her, over the years, to let everyone eat in peace before diving into a case, she was simply too anxious to get the answers. It was a habit that Brennan knew she should break, but old habits die hard…

The other three around the table all smiled as Hodgins looked at his watch, "well, we made it 23 minutes aaaannnnd….45 seconds, so I think that puts you closest, Booth. You win." Hodgins smiled and slapped his guest on the shoulder, (the good one), since Booth's bet was closest; he had said Bones wouldn't make it past 25 minutes before needing to bring it up. Hodgins said she would start in immediately into the meal, discussing the case before they even began the appetizers. Angie had given the benefit of the doubt and said that she believe Bren would be able to wait until after dessert was completed before bringing up the subject. Given Booth's history with gambling, there was no real bet on the table…it was simply a fun bet for bragging rights of who knew Brennan the best…

Angela grunted with a half-smirk, "figures you'd be that close…she _used _to be _my _best friend, you know….!" Angela playfully tossed her crumpled napkin at Booth across the table and he ducked in good humor as he laughed at Angela's antics.

Brennan raised her eyebrow and looked to Booth, waiting for the explanation of the conversation that was happening around her. He reached over and brushed a stray hair from her cheek as he smiled warmly.

"We were trying to determine how long you could last before bringing up the case during dinner, Babe. I know you _very well_…" He leaned over and softly kissed her pouty lips as she gave him a disapproving glare.

"When would you _have_ me bring it up, then, Booth? How long should we wait before addressing the issue that has forced us into this situation?"

"Bones…It's fine that you brought it up…We all expected you to, it was just a matter of how soon." His warm smile put her back at ease, once she knew that they weren't making fun of her. She looked from her lover to her friends and saw they, too, were nodding in agreement.

"Dr. B, it's all good. Listen, the _computer_ didn't provide a whole helluva lot today. It was pretty obvious that Becky had been to the same grounds where you were held, but that's no surprise. I think what we need to look at is the surrounding area, to the hotels and motels, because the particulates are not going to give us much."

Angela swallowed the last of her wine and handed her glass back over to Booth for yet another refill. "Well, the Angelatron filtered all of Becky's computer records, so I was able to pinpoint where and when she lessened Julie's sentence. I have a timeline of all the times she accessed the computer system and what changes she made each time. I also located some older family history; since we spoke this afternoon and you said she was related to Baker, I programmed new research criteria into the computer. It appears that the relation goes back pretty far on the mothers' sides, but when I dissected some of the…_characters_…I'll call them…there were some pretty 'colorful' ones… A _ton_ of petty criminals, a couple arsonists, plenty of high school drop-outs, some other more _offending_ criminals - robbery, abuse, assault with deadly weapons…" She thanked Booth for her refreshed glass with a nod before continuing.

She grinned slyly, "_annnd_…. There's more." A slow sip of wine brought her friends to the edge of their seats. "Instead of just focusing on Baker's mother's side, even though that's the relation side to Becky, I ran some searches on his father's side as well." She paused for another sip, savoring her favorite selection from the local winery.

Brennan reached out and snagged Angela's glass from her fingers. "Angela, drink _after_ you tell us about your work…" her frustration in her friend's distracted mannerisms was about to drive Bren to drain her own wineglass…

"There is another relation you two haven't discovered yet…Baker's grandfather was related to Julie's great uncle, once removed… or twice removed… however many 'removed', nevertheless, Baker and Julie are related as well…"

Booth's jaw went slack as he eyed the artist sitting across the table from him, and Brennan dropped her fork onto her plate with a surprised gasp.

Booth then leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table, "Ange, you're telling us that Baker, Julie and Becky were all related?"

"Well, Studly, they Becky and Julie were both related to Baker, but not to each other. But indirectly, yeah… they were."

The agent flopped back against his chair and shook his head, looking from Angela to Bones and then over to Hodgins before settling his eyes back at Bones. "Well, ho-ly shit…don't that beat all…Why the hell didn't we figure this out, Bones?"

"Booth, we hardly delved into Julie's files – we were focusing on Becky's…" she looked back to Angela, "so that's the connection, but that doesn't answer the 'why' about it all."

"Sorry, sweetie, my computer can only answer so much… the 'why' will have to be answered when you two catch up with Becky or Julie. Or _both_ of them, hopefully."

Hodgins sat forward, dividing the remaining orzo between his and Booth's plates. "Guys, I entered some data from the bugs into the system. I don't know if it will work or not, but I am trying to reverse trace the frequency receptors, maybe we can get a working perimeter or radius from which to work. They're good little machines, well made, but not all that strong. So, the receiving end would not have been too terribly far. In fact, I suspect that the recipient was staying right here in the DC area. I would be surprised if the signal would have been strong enough to reach Maryland from your place, dude."

Booth and Brennan stared at each other, still trying to let this new information sink into their fogged brains. Bren turned her attention over to Hodgins, "Jack, when do you expect your results to come through?" Her eagerness was transparent to all three of them.

"Oh, Dr. B, I just started it before coming home; I hadn't thought of it at first. Initially I was solely focused on running all the trace evidence from the rooftop, and from the hallway outside your apartment. So, that being said, I probably won't see anything come through until sometime tomorrow, mid-morning. I programmed several variables for each of the 17 bugs and just left the system to do its thing over night."

"Sweetie," Angela interrupted Bren's thoughts, "can you remember ever seeing Becky and Julie hanging out? You know, in school… Did they run with the same circle of friends? Did they cross paths often?"

"Ange, it's a small town; everyone crossed paths with _everyone_. As far as the two hanging around together… I can't recall noticing it. They certainly wouldn't have overlapped in activities; Julie was a cheerleader; not very bright; not concerned with studying at all. Becky was…well, she wasn't a stupid student, she was decent, I think. I wouldn't say she was _intelligent_, but she was certainly capable of holding her own during exams and such. Neither was really friendly towards me; so I didn't socialize with them. I didn't really socialize with anyone, except for our janitor." She looked over to Booth, who was nodding sympathetically.

He remembered hearing the bitter memories she held onto regarding her years at Burtonsville High; the cruel names the other students called her, the terrible ways her classmates treated her, the way they used her to _their_ benefit for study groups – inviting her to join in when they needed her brains, luring her in with a false sense of acceptance – then they simply casted her aside when they were done with their tests as if she had no more feelings than a gnat. The school janitor was the only person who was ever really nice to her; he seemed to understand that she was not a death-obsessed, morbid suicidal teenager like her peers thought. He understood she was almost too smart for her own good, and that she simply needed someone to listen to her and be a friend; someone who would not make fun of her, someone who would accept Temperance Brennan for who she was. For as creepy as Mr. Buxley appeared, Booth was thankful that his partner had someone in her life back then, regardless of how strange or weird the man was; he hated to entertain the thoughts of what may have happened to Bones if she'd gone through her entire high school career with no one at all.

"I know, Bones. But maybe, if you think of something, just mention it. Even if you don't think it's important, it may lead to something."

Suddenly, he eyes brightened. "Wait a minute. Booth, I still have my high school yearbooks." She smiled, realizing maybe they would reveal something.

"I didn't think you had your high school yearbooks, Bren," Angela interrupted. "I'm surprised you would have been the type to get them; surprised even that you could have bought them…If your school was anything like mine, they were pretty expensive." Angela knew that her foster families never bought things like that for Bren; the families she stayed with were simply in the fostering-business for the money they received from the government.

Brennan shook her head at her friend. I didn't buy them. Mr. Buxley gave me one each year. He knew I couldn't afford it; he knew I didn't get anything from any of my foster parents." She suddenly turned solemn. "I think he was trying to help me feel like I fit in. I believe his intentions were to try to encourage me to gather autographs like the other students. And I appreciated the thoughts. But I never had anyone sign them, besides him and my senior year science teacher. I didn't care about what the other students would have written; I didn't want a bunch of messages addressed to 'Morticia' or 'Creepy' to remind me of how cruel they were."

Booth reached over and placed his hand on hers, as it rested beside her plate. He was grateful that she didn't pull away, but rather opened her palm instead. In prior times, when she would relive painful memories, those were the moments she was most likely to close-up; to shut him out when he tried to console her. But Bones welcomed his touch now, and his heart beat harder in appreciation.

She looked back up to meet Angela's eyes. "But maybe, if we go through them, maybe we'll see something. We can go to my storage locker tonight and get them out. What do you think?"

Angela looked at her watch, "well, Bren, it's after 8:30, and I know that _you_ could probably keep going for hours, but my vote is that we wait until tomorrow to go find them. Then we can look through them with fresh eyes. I know Jack is tired, Agent Studly, over there, looks beat and I'm just looking forward to a hot bath and a nice snuggle in my nice warm bed with my hubby…" Angela implored her best friend with wide eyes, hoping that Bren would see the sense in waiting.

Bones looked around the table at her friends and her partner, and then settled her gaze back on Ange. "Yes, that is acceptable. Will you drive me over there tomorrow, before you go to the lab?"

"Sure, Sweetie." She smiled and winked at Booth, as he silently thanked her for being the one to talk Bones out of working through the night. "Now, whatd'ya say we have our dessert now?"

Booth and Hodgins both readily agreed. Booth clapped his hands together once before reaching out and piling the plates to take them out to the kitchen. Jack stood and collected the wine glasses and emptied beer bottles and followed Booth out to the kitchen, while the girls relaxed and chatted easily.

The men returned with coffee for all and the most delicious berry dessert, which everyone dug into eagerly, mumbling approvals the whole time. As they completed dessert, one of the house keepers requested entry, so she could go ahead and clean the dishes and straighten up. Booth emphatically shook his head in the negative.

"Nuh-uh, thanks anyway, but we are perfectly capable of clearing up after ourselves." He turned to Hodgins when he saw the young lady smirk and move towards the kitchen anyway. "Jack, man, I don't want to be cleaned up after; please tell her to go…" Booth stood, gathering the remnants of what was left on the table. "I don't like to feel like I can't wash my own dishes."

Hodgins stood beside Booth and wiped down the crumbs, sweeping them into his palm and moving towards the kitchen. "Lucy, it's alright; Booth and I will take care of this. Go ahead and turn in for the evening; there's a 'Cheers' marathon on TV tonight, I know that was one of your favorites in its day."

The woman, who had been with the Hodgins' family her whole life, following in her parents' footsteps, smiled and nodded at her boss, thankful that he was a good man; not a demeaning and belittling man like many wealthy people she'd encountered during her time on the estate. "Thank you Mr. Hodgins. You're sure?"

Jack nodded with a wide smile. He'd always liked Lucy's family, and was happy that she had decided to stay on when she became and adult; she was almost more of a friend than an employee. He ensured his employees were well compensated, and respected, which in turn resulted in extremely happy and loyal workers. "Good night, Lucy. Tell your mother that dinner was absolutely delicious. Mind-blowingly wonderful dessert."

To that, Booth quickly agreed, "oh heck, yeah… it was amazing." He grinned as he loaded the dish washer and filled the sink with hot water, intending to hand wash the larger items.

"Alright, then. Thank you sir," she nodded to Jack before looking to their guest, "Mr. Booth, good night."

"Night, Lucy," Hodgins smiled and turned to help Booth with finishing the clean-up.

The ladies moved to the living room and settled on the couch, enjoying some time without the guys, and just talked. The conversation was light and not specifically focused on anything, just gossip and brain-storming of what they might find the next day. When the men found their girls a little while later, Angela rose from her seat and bid their friends goodnight, promising to help in the morning, by taking Brennan to her storage unit and sorting through countless boxes until they located the one that contained their objects of necessity.

After their hosts had left for the evening, Booth and Bones sat quietly on the couch, reflecting on everything they had learned during the day. They talked about possibilities of what everything meant; they discussed their plan of attack for the next few days.

As Brennan settled against Booth, she let her head fall to his shoulder in quiet contemplation when Booth broke their silence.

"Bones…When Baker broke out of jail he would have gone to family…but _distant_ family, so he wouldn't easily be spotted by law enforcement…" Booth spoke absently while he let his fingers tickle her shoulder and upper arm, as his arm was draped around her shoulders. "And once he reunited with his Burtonsville family, they would have talked…discussed his case and his imprisonment…" Chewing on his bottom lip, he cocked his head to the side, staring at nothing in particular, a concentration frown and forehead wrinkle marring his good looks.

Bones looked up at him, patiently waiting for him to continue with his thoughts.

"They would have realized the fact that I was the one who locked him up, Bones… And that same family would have known that you and I were the ones who locked up Julie… Criminals aren't _all _stupid…Hell, Baker was a fuckin' genius in some ways; he got his smarts from somewhere…"

It was Bones' turn to wrinkle her forehead in thought. Remaining snugged under Booth's arm, with her head pressed into his neck, she continued, "and if his family knew that you were involved with locking away _two_ of their own, even from different sides of the family… They would want to come after you, Booth… And having me, a local graduate – a contact, as your partner, it gave them a perfect cover story…" She looked up at her boyfriend, "They somehow got Becky to agree to turn her back on the oath she swore to protect the public and conspire to target us."

"The law enforcement oath is much more than just to protect, Bones, and yea, she turned her back on it blindly." His eyes lowered, looking blankly at the floor as he recited the oath he'd had to memorize early on in his training.

"On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust.  
>I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions.<br>I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve."

"Booth…what are we going to do?"

"We're going to find those two bitches and make them pay for what they've done. They're going to pay for hurting you; for shooting me; for threatening my son." Booth's voice was hard, but his arm warm as he hugged her tighter, as if holding her closer would make her safer in this moment.

Their conversation around the case quieted and Bones sank further into Booth's warm comfort, as he held her tenderly. She was snuggled against him with her head resting in the crook of his neck, while her legs were tucked up on the cushion next to her. Booth lowered his right arm so he could circle her waist, and he let his fingertips brush the soft skin he found as her shirt rose slightly at her hip. He trailed his left palm along the length of her lower arm, hand and fingers as she rested it against his chest.

He spoke into her hair, as he rested his lips against the top of her head. "Bones? You doing alright with all this? You know, with reliving these memories from your hometown?" He pulled back to look at her, but she kept her cheek against his shoulder, so her eyes were facing forward rather than upwards in his direction. Slowly using his nose he brushed aside her bangs from her forehead and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth skin.

She nodded silently and removed her hand from its position on his chest, sliding it down and around his abdomen to his waist, where she wriggled it beneath the hem of his black t-shirt and grazed her touch over his olive skin. "I'll be okay, Booth."

She grew instantly silent again, and he waited patiently for her to continue, because he knew she had more to say. So he just nodded and let his fingers trace little circles and designs on her waist with his one hand, and with his other hand, he drew lines up and down her arm that rested across his waist. She softly continued, "I know it's irrational to get upset at the past, there's nothing that can be done to change it, and nothing from the past can actually come back and hurt me again…But, still…sometimes it is upsetting to think about."

"Of course it can be upsetting, Bones. But you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. It's not irrational to be upset, it's a natural reaction. But, just keep in mind that no matter how upset you get, no matter how difficult the memories become, I'll be here for you. Talk to me when you start to feel overwhelmed. Let me help you through this, Bones."

She was quiet, mulling over his words and enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. She looked up and met his eyes, finding in them such a calm sense of well-being that her entire body relaxed further into him. She stretched up and grazed his jawline with her lips, trailing tiny kisses long the length until she reached his chin, at which time she moved up to his mouth.

"Thank you, Booth," she murmured against his firm lips; he smiled in response against her much softer ones as he nipped at her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She let her eyelids fall closed as she allowed him to deepen their kiss, relishing in the feelings his touches evoked in her. Their tongues danced and chased each other, their teeth nipped playfully and their moans echoed back and forth as their heart rates increased, causing the temperature in the room to rise several degrees.

Booth trailed his hand up her arm and over her shoulder until he reached her slender, inviting neck. Slowly, he brought his fingers around to the back of her neck and pulled her tighter to him, and he swallowed her whimpers in the process. Against each other, they smiled into their kiss, both knowing in which direction their make-out session would lead.

Bones pulled back from him slightly and smiled knowingly. Slowly, seductively, she let her head fall back, allowing his palm to cradle the weight of her cranium. When she heard the appreciative growl her silent invitation had elicited from her partner, Bones knew Booth was as aroused for her as she was for him. She moaned softly, sweetly, at sensing his lean towards her before she actually felt him touch her throat. Slowly, methodically, he drew his tongue from the hollow of her throat up to her pulse point, where he paused to suckle. He didn't spend too long in one place, as he moved from where he could feel the blood throbbing in her neck and found his lips attached to the tiny space just behind her ear. Eventually he sucked her earlobe into his warmth and teased her with his tongue. At each new location, he drew from her lips, from her chest, new noises, new mews; sounds, all of which he silently vowed to cause her to make again – over and over for years to come. While his mouth worked over her neck, he let his right hand to wander further beneath her t-shirt, gliding up her side until it rested just below, and slightly to the side, of the swell of her ample breast.

Meanwhile, she had allowed both of her hands to drag the sides of his shirt upwards, as she tried to reach as much skin as possible from her current position. Growing with frustration of not being able to touch more of his perfectly masculine chest, she started to shift, and before he knew what was happening, she had brought herself over his thighs and straddled his legs, pressing their cores against each other, which, in turn, drew a deep, guttural moan from her lover.

Without waiting for permission, he detached his lips from her neck long enough to pull her shirt over her head and then reattached his suction to the hollow of her throat once more. His hands splayed and palmed her breasts, squeezing them firmly through her thin cotton bra. Careful to not add any pressure to his sore shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his muscular neck and pressed herself against him completely, permitting him full access to her body, to do as he pleased.

As he moved his lips and tongue along her neck, touching every last inch of her milky skin, she ground against him, growing dizzy from the feeling of his growing erection. She loved knowing that she could do that to him so instantly. Whenever she witnessed the evidence of his arousal, she experienced a primal emotion that erupted from within her metaphoric soul; the knowledge that she had the power and ability to bring such a strong, independent man to such a state was primordially satisfying to her. She'd always known that she had the capability of arousing men, but no other encounter had provided her with the fulfilling feeling as that which she experienced whenever Booth's cock hardened beneath her body, beneath her touch.

"Oh _Jesus Christ_, Bones…" he mumbled between nibbles and sucks, as he brought his palms around to her ass, grabbing a fabulously firm cheek in each hand. He pulled her tighter against him, thrusting his hips in her direction as he did so. "Bones…Let's move into the bedroom…" He was proud of himself for his ability to string together a group of words that formed a coherent sentence. He knew that they were probably pretty secure in their privacy on this wing of the house, but he wanted to ensure that once they got started, they would not be interrupted.

She nodded slightly and mumbled what could have been construed as agreement, but she made no move to actually get off his lap. Instead, she leaned against his crotch harder, and pressed her throat back to his mouth, longing for his touch once again. "More…" she laced her fingers into his short hair and tilted her head sideways, encouraging him to lick near her collarbone, to which he happily complied.

"Mmm…" he hummed against her skin as he bit her gently then soothed the bite with a slow, wet kiss. Moving up to just below her ear once more, he grabbed her neck with his teeth and slowly dragged them upwards until he finally reached the lobe. Growling, his lust-deepened voice sent shivers through her body, "Bedroom, Bones…Or else I am going to take you right here, on the couch…right now, Baby… But I'd much rather we got naked in the other room…"

She pulled back, knowing that they needed to make their way to the adjoining room, but loathed tearing herself away from her partner. "Yeah, Booth. I know… Just…Oh right there…yesss…" She responded to his reapplication of pressure to her throat and the way he raised his hips from the seat to press against her core. As she felt wet heat flooding her lower body, she pulled back and met his heated eyes. "Booth, make love to me…please…" she pleaded, already knowing that they were going to fall into bed with one another, but wanting him to know she wanted to do it _his_ way. She innately knew that he needed that reassurance; they would be 'making love,' because it was important to him. Bones wanted to do whatever would make her Booth happy, whether it be taking control or giving up control, she knew, in that moment, that she would spend the rest of her lift trying to make this perfect man happy.

His look turned possessive and his throat went dry. They'd been together for just over a week, and each time he kissed her, each time they touched, each time they slept in one another's arms, he had to keep reminding himself that is was all real; '_they_' were actually happening. But hearing her plead with him…asking him to make love to her… that brought about a different set of feelings altogether. For years, she outwardly balked at his beliefs and his speeches about love and sex and everything in between. But he knew now, that she really _was_ listening to him; she really _did_ pay attention when he spoke and at some point during their friendship, she started to believe him. And finally, they could do everything they had ever talked about; and for that, he couldn't be more thankful.

"For the rest of our lives, Bones. For the rest of our lives…I'll make love to you, and only you, forever…" he captured her lips, and pulled her in for a deep kiss as he scooted forward from his seat, wanting to get her to the bed as soon as humanly possible.

"Wait, Booth. Don't," she stopped him from standing and taking her with him. "I don't want you to carry me. Not until your shoulder is better; I can walk in, as long as I can just lean on your good side."

"C'mon, Baby, you can always lean on me…" he helped while she dislodged herself from his lap and stood on shaky legs. Like the little nymph she was, as she stood, Bones was unable to resist reaching down and scraping her fingers along the impressive length of the bulge in his pants. "Booooones…" he grabbed her wrist with an iron grip and a grin.

He led her directly to the luxuriously made king-sized bed. At some point in the evening, one of the house keepers had come in and turned down the blankets for them, making it irresistibly inviting to the partners. She climbed up onto the bed and turned so she sat on her knees, facing him, gifting him with one of the most beautiful smiles he'd ever seen in his adult life. She looked ravishing with the healthy pink flush that had crept up her neck to her cheeks. Her eyes were wide with desire and her lips parted seductively as she watched him return from closing the door, and approach his side of the bed. As he sat, she crawled over to him and gently pushed him backwards, so he would lie down.

He frowned, worried that she would try to do too much; he didn't want her to overdo it while she was still recovering. Momentarily he pondered what a mess they were… but those thoughts were pushed from his brain as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, and in the process, pressed her bra-clad breasts to his t-shirt covered chest.

Smiling against his mouth she pulled back slightly and spoke quietly, "don't think so hard, Booth… just lay back and relax…" She grinned like a sexy kitten, "let me start this, Booth…let me take care of you for a bit."

"Baby, if you do _too_ much, I won't last long…I just lose control with you. And I don't want to lose control too soon." He reached and pushed a loose curl behind her ear then traced her jawline back around to her chin, under which he curled his finger, drawing her closer for another kiss. They lost themselves in the kiss, which quickly turned into heavy petting and frantic groping.

He wrapped her head gently within his open palms and tilted her head this way and that while he plundered her mouth, and allowed her to pillage his in return. When she pulled back he immediately missed the connection, but he didn't have to wait long before he realized she was pulling his shirt up his torso, trying to free him from the barrier material. Once he was free of the offending article, he circled his arms behind her to unclip her bra, but did not find the hooks as expected. She batted her eye lashes and sat proudly on her knees, just at his waist level.

"It's a _front_ latch, Booth." She raised an eyebrow at the fascinated look he gave her, and she sat perfectly still and peacock-like, as she watched him reach up and trace his fingers across her sensitive skin just above her bra line. Almost in slow motion, he arrived at the clasp nestled in her cleavage. His eyes danced between her heaving chest, her parted, kiss-swollen lips and her begging eyes before beginning his visual journey all over again. As he unhooked her bra, he slowly peeled the cloth back, one cup at a time, revealing her naturally full tits to his longing gaze and roaming hands.

As she sat perfectly still with her legs tucked beneath her body, her back erect so her nipples stood impressive and alert, begging to be touched by her lover. His gaze was so thorough that she almost felt his caress before his touch ever reached her. When his roaming eyes finally reached her face, he studied her closely, trying to formulate an understandable sentence. Wordlessly, he shook his head slowly, raking his eyes over her torso once more, visually worshiping her body. Raising one hand, he brought his pointer finger to her belly button and, barely touching her, he dragged it slowly upwards to the valley of her breasts, skimming the silky skin beneath his calloused finger.

"Sorry my fingers are so rough, Bones," he felt bad, knowing how soft she was, that his fingertips were so worn.

She slowly shook her head, her eyes never leaving his chiseled face and she struggled to control her breathing. "Don't be, Booth…you feel perfect. Your touch is electric to me." She leaned forward, straightening her arms out to suspend herself over his torso, and leaned into him, allowing his hand to paw her breast while she began slowly kissing him once more. Her nipples instantly hardened beneath his touch and she pressed herself into his grasp, loving how completely his large hands covered her.

She moaned into his mouth, to which his own animalistic groan replied. His grip turned firmer, and he tweaked her nipples, the way he learned she liked. She broke the kiss to inhale sharply at his erotic movements against her body. She slowly crawled further up towards his head, desperate to feel his lips on her breasts, and he was eager to satisfy her desire.

Spreading his fingers wide, Booth grabbed Brennan's sides, holding her ribs just to the side swells of her mouth-watering breasts that were his current focus. Opening his mouth, he extended his tongue and gave each nipple a quick swipe, just to get their attention. When he felt his girl arch into him, he smiled smugly, taking his time and licking each diamond-tip in turn.

Bones maneuvered herself and swung her leg over his waist so she was straddling him as he lay prone below her, and his mouth never lost contact with her silky skin. He groaned in appreciation of her weight upon him and his cock grew impossibly hard as it pressed up against the curve of her ass. She leaned over; pressing her torso against his, she permitted his continued assault of her breasts and awarded him with irresistible coos and moans when she felt his fingers reach up and squeeze her nipples when his mouth wasn't doing the job. Using the headboard as her stability, she braced her hands above his head and stretched like a cat, arching her back in his direction, and sliding her hips lower, so they were lined up with his hips.

Almost reluctantly, she slowly pulled back, straightening her body and sitting up, atop her partner. It wasn't that she wanted to make him stop what he was doing, but she wanted more. She wanted to give _him_ more. When he struggled to try to sit up with her, she tenderly held her palm to his chest, shaking her head slowly.

"Lay there, Booth…" her words were breathy, heady, dripping with desire. "Let me…" she lowered her own mouth to his, but only momentarily, as she quickly moved along his jawline and down to his neck. She smiled against his skin and nipped him playfully when he tried to make her sit up, so he could drink her in with his eyes once again. At his sudden chuckle when she bit him she pulled back and looked into his lustful eyes. "My turn, Booth… just relax and let me make you feel good."

Instantly he fisted her hair and pulled her mouth to his, immediately forcing her lips open with his tongue, plunging in deep as he imitated to her mouth what he wanted his dick to do to her pussy. She swiveled her hips against his as their mouths fucked and their moans synched up with each other. She was still gripping the headboard, fantasizing in the illusion of not having the ability to use her hands, although she had complete control over her flexibility. His hands roamed over her bare waist, back, sides, tits, and started their expedition over again. Before long, his strong fingers worked their way under the waistband of her shorts and shoved them down her hips, and he burrowed beneath the material, gripping the soft flesh of her ass, massaging her with his wide hands.

She pulled back and grinned as he whined at the loss of oral contact. But as she shimmied downward, allowing his fingertips to drag along her skin, she kissed and licked his shoulders, neck, and chest, before finally settling on his tight abdomen and suctioning her lips around his belly button. As she licked and sucked, her wiry fingers worked at the knot of the pull string of Booth's sweatpants. Sighing triumphantly when she released the string, she pulled the waistband down with Booth's help as he raised his hips from the mattress. Slowly, methodically, she peeled the clothing down his powerful legs. She stared in reverence as his erection sprung to life when the pants released their hold of him. Upon reaching his ankles, she looked up from her position and met his heated gaze as he watched her undress him.

Smiling seductively, she let the little pink tip of her tongue trace her lips, drawing his focus from her eyes to her mouth, which visibly affected his control. "Bones…" he begged her, "please baby, come up here," he indicated with his hands, he wanted to embrace her in his arms. But she denied him; something that she struggled to do, because she hated telling him no, but she wanted to do this… she wanted to take her time and show him the same attention he had paid her when he taught her what it was to 'make love.'

"Soon, Booth." She whispered as she took her time crawling her way back up towards his throbbing core. She let her soft, curvy body lightly drag against his firmness as she moved, the electricity practically crackled in the air. With a solid thump, Booth let his head drop back onto the pillow as he closed his eyes and just focused on feeling her ministrations.

Taking her time, she ran her hands over his body as she moved her body back from where she'd settled by his ankles. Her fingers danced up his outer thighs to his hips, across his stomach, further up to his pecs, back down over his six-pack before finally settling on his pelvic hairline. Her eyes danced hungrily across his body, taking in the sexy sheen of perspiration that covered his tan; his muscles twitched and reacted to her touches; his Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and his lips parted, allowing him to intake a sharp breath.

"Booth," her voice was thick and her tone hushed, "tell me…tell me what you want." She saw his hands grip the sheets and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Bones…" he clenched his jaw, trying to maintain control. "You; just you…"

She gave him a sexy, crooked smile, "that vague answer didn't work for me, Seeley Booth…it won't work for you either." She wrapped her thin fingers around his considerably thick hard-on and tightened her fist, prompting a guttural grunt from her partner as he thrust upward into her hand.

Booth tried to concentrate; tried to voice a complete thought, but he found it nearly impossible given the combination that her tight little fist was holding him snugly and the proximity of her mouth was so near to his crotch. He could feel her ragged breaths puffing across his sensitive flesh, warm and sweet, just like the rest of her… "Your mouth…"

"Hmm? What about my mouth, Booth?" She asked, knowing full well what he wanted, but wanting to hear him ask.

"Your mouth on my cock…That's… that's what I want…Then you…you riding me so I can watch you shatter into a million pieces above me…" _Whew!_ He _had _managed to speak an entire phrase…

Then his thoughts were immediately driven from his mental celebration as he felt the wet heat of her mouth wrapping around his erection, mixed with the gentle sucking effects that her throat was providing to him. It took all his restraint not to push himself upwards into her face, and he psychologically berated himself for the involuntary movements his hands made as they reached down and tangled themselves into her hair, holding her head in place so he could invade her. He lost his fight with self-control and began to piston his member in and out of her opened mouth, relishing in the feeling of her tongue as it swiped up and down, and her molars scraped along his skin at the entrance of her throat.

He about lost his mind, and his load, when the vibrations of her hums travelled from the head of his dick all the way to the base, and she wrapped her slim little fingers around him and tugged in conjunction with her mouth. Slowly, she pulled back completely and looked up, her bright blue eyes met his ebony stare and they shared a predatory smile. She scooted back and rose to her knees, so she could peel off her sleep shorts; hooking her thumbs inside the elastic waistband, she pulled them down her porcelain thighs down to her kneeling knees, then sat back so she could pull them from her calves. The entire time she disrobed, she studied his face and followed the way his eyes surveyed her every move. She could see the pulse in his neck increase in speed and pressure as it caused his roughened, masculine skin to throb in reaction.

Bones moved once again, so she was risen up on her knees, allowing her partner to take his time looking over her now naked body. Most women would have shied away from Booth's intense stare, but not Bones – she never shied away from anything to do with Booth, least of all his hungry focus. The way he looked at her was as if he was looking _through_ her rather than just looking _at _her. When his eyes finally raked their way up to her rosy-flushed face, they locked eyes, and he grinned at the flirtatious look gleaming from her bright blues.

"Bones," he breathed his nickname for her and his already rock hard cock stiffened even more. "You're so…OhMyGod…you're so fucking hot…" He stretched his strapping arm in her direction, beckoning her forward, a request which she refused to deny either of them.

With a greedy growl, he leaned up from his prostrate position and grabbed her bare waist, impatient to once again touch her, to run his rough-skinned finger pads over the soft, alluring velvetiness of her skin. Bones allowed her partner to run his hands over her body, as she suspended herself above him, resting her hands on either side of his head and using her straightened arms to hold herself up. She pressed her knees and inner thighs against his waist, settling her core against his stomach as his mouth assaulted her neck, collarbones, breasts, ribcage and back again. She ground herself against his tight torso, enjoying the sensation of his rippled muscles rubbing against her heated sex.

Booth groaned in appreciation as he felt her moisture increasing against his body. He spread both his hands around her waist and slid them lower around her hips, and at that moment, she pushed herself vertical, so she was sitting upright on him and he let his eyes wander across her nakedness once more, falling in love with her body all over again. He pushed on her hips, silently encouraging her to slide down further towards his raging hard-on.

The hunger in his eyes spoke volumes and her mouth once again went dry when she backed up far enough to feel the impressive size and pressure of his erect cock pressing against her ass. She lifted her hips so she could position herself over his sex and gasped when his grip on her hips tightened and he pulled her down onto himself in one swift motion. She sheathed him completely and snugly; like they were made for each other.

Bones placed her hands on Booth's chest, spreading her fingers so she could reach as much surface as possible and she arched her back gracefully as she began riding her lover. Slowly, she rotated her hips while she lifted herself from his hardened cock before she'd let herself fall back down onto him, swallowing his length.

Booth's ebony eyes danced across his girl's body while his fingers flexed and squeezed the fleshy curves of her hips and ass. He pushed his hips upwards, wanting to bury himself into her tight heat as deep as possible, reaching further than any other man had ever reached in her life. He let his fingertips trail lightly upwards, until his hands found the globes of her perky breasts, her nipples hardened, begging to be touched. He pinched them between his thumbs and forefingers, drawing forth kitten-like sounds from the enticingly gorgeous woman wrapped around his dick.

Her thighs started to burn with exertion, but it was a wonderful, welcome burning sensation and she thrived on the feelings that were rippling through her body as she moved up and down. Spreading her legs a little wider and bending over his horizontal form ever so slightly, she knew she would lose some of her mobility for movement, but it allowed her to alter the angle just barely, so he was engulfed all the way to his balls and she could grind her clit against his pelvis. She remained like this for several moments; grinding, rotating, thrusting…moaning…

Booth thought his head was going to explode, (both heads, actually), at the sounds that were coming from his girlfriend. He continued to tweak her tits but quickly moved his right hand down to the juncture where they were joined, where he snuck his forefinger between them, in search of her magic bundle of nerves. Finding his treasure immediately, he did a quick swiped across her clit before commencing a circular regiment, pulling even more irresistible, throaty whimpers from his partner.

"Don't - - don't stop Booth… Just like that…uuhh…mmmm…." she breathed her words while she continued to swirl her hips in one of the most exotic gyrates he'd ever felt. Her lips were parted seductively while she tried to gain enough oxygen to stave off passing out, and Booth just couldn't resist abandoning her rosy pink nipple in favor of dragging his finger across her plump lower lip. Immediately, when she felt his feather-light touch on her mouth, the sexy little tip of her silky tongue darted out and licked his fingertip before disappearing back behind her teeth. An instant later, her tongue re-emerged and wrapped itself around his finger and pulled his calloused pad into her mouth, and she wrapped her soft lips around it, sucking on it like she had just moments ago, on his dick.

Booth was mesmerized watching, feeling, and listening to this woman. He couldn't tear his gaze from tantalizing image, and he had no desire to ever pull his hands from her skin. He continued swirling her clit while meeting her rotations with his own. He could feel her inner walls beginning to flutter, the telltale sign that she was close to falling apart. He swirled his finger that was in her mouth back and forth across her soft tongue, matching its rhythm and pattern with that of his other finger, dancing on her clitoris. Unable to resist her any further, he pulled his finger from the warmth of her lips and reached around to the nape of her neck, intertwining his fingers into her honeyed strands, and pulled her mouth down to meet his in a heated wet kiss.

Her breasts crushed against his bare chest and their kiss deepened, causing them to moan into each other, all the while Booth worked her clit with lightning fast fingers, bringing her right up to the edge. He pulled back slightly, his lips still lingering against hers, and he looked at her with lust-filled eyes. Speaking against her lips, their breath mingled sweetly and he let his tongue dart out and lick her mouth.

"Let go, Bones. Cum for me…I wanna feel your juice all over my cock…" His voice was rough, and that was almost enough to push her to the limit. Bones loved his sex-filled bedroom voice; he could almost make her cum just by talking dirty with that gravelly tone. He tilted her head with a tug to her hair then bit her neck and sucked as she started to splinter around him.

"Boooooth… Oh God, Booth! Push hard!" Bones ground herself hard against his magic fingers at her nerve center, and that extra pressure she applied allowed his dick to push up into her as far as possible.

Booth lifted his ass off the bed to push up hard and the feeling of her walls shuttering along the length of his dick was blowing his mind. He wanted to hold out longer; he wanted to let Bones ride out her orgasm and then he aimed to bring her to another one; but he didn't hold out hope that he'd last that long. "Bones…babe…" Booth licked up the length of her long porcelain neck until he reached her ear. He withdrew his finger from her throbbing pussy and wrapped his hand around behind her hip so he could grab her heart-shaped ass. "Bones…How's your back feeling baby?" He let his tongue trace the rim on her ear, which caused shivers to riddle her body.

"B-b-back is fine, Booth." She grunted a chuckle, desperate for what she knew he was thinking, "just watch my ankle."

In an instant, Booth held tight to her ass and cradled her neck as he flipped them, never once pulling his cock from her tightened pussy. Bones let her legs fall open completely to accommodate his hips as she clawed at his shoulder and neck, holding him close.

He pulled his face back so he could look into her clear blue eyes as he began moving. He suspended himself by bracing his right forearm beside her head, and his left arm, which was hurting by now, given their exertions, was brought down to grab the voluptuous tit. He started moving his narrow hips, pistoning in and out of her, bottoming out with each plunge.

"Fuck, Bones…You're so tight." The reality that he was pounding into her, with her flat on her back, was not lost on him. They hadn't been able to do this since her injuries, and mentally, he berated himself that he wasn't being gentler with her for this first. But he couldn't hold back, her passion was infectious and his libido had sky rocketed when he watched her fall apart at his fingers. "Shit, baby…I'm not gunna…not gunna last…"

"Fuck me hard, Booth. ." Her words were breathy and came out in rhythmic puffs as he pounded into her. She knew he loved it when she swore in bed…He told her that he loved the idea that he could make his very loquacious partner turn into a sailor with her dirty language. "Cum inside me, Booth. Cum _for_ me." It was her turn to bite his neck, and she smiled against his skin when she heard his guttural rumble of appreciation vibrating from his chest and into hers.

"Bo-o-o-ones!" Booth bit her earlobe gently then soothed it with a suckle. She wrapped her legs around his waist, changing the angle of his penetration, and that was his final undoing. As her pussy milked his cock he grunted in time with his thrusts and before he knew it, she was splintering once again, having been triggered by his warm seed spilling into her.

"Booth! Yessss" her words trailed off as she writhed against him, digging her nails into his shoulders to hold him close. Momentarily, she forgot about his injury and pulled him down against her. She wanted to feel Booth's weight against her body as she lay there in the bed.

Gasping for breath, he slowly allowed her to pull him towards her. When his body jerked in reaction to his shoulder movement, she suddenly remembered.

"Oh my god, Booth! Your arm! Your shoulder! Are you alright?" She tried to wiggle out from beneath him, but Booth had other ideas.

"Baby, I'm fine. Shh…" He gently rolled to his right and brought his left hand up to her jawline, where he traced her skin softly. "I'm more than fine, Bones." His eyes held her in reverence, "that was…wow…that was amazing, babe." He kissed her lightly, letting his lips linger for just a moment. "Are you alright, Bones? Is your back ok?"

From beneath hooded eyes, she nodded with a satisfied smile. "Fine, Booth. I'm fine…Great…Hmmm…" She closed her eyes and brushed her nose against his in an Eskimo kiss, as she remembered her mother calling them.

He smiled at the contented rosy flush that colored her cheeks, and he rolled further, pulling her along with him, so she would settle at the crook of his neck, right where she belonged. Booth placed a kiss on top of her head and squeezed her as she molded her body against his, like they were made to fit together. "Hmmm, Bones… I love you. I love you so much, babe."

He could feel her smile against him, and gleamed at the idea that he made her happy. For so long he'd wanted to be the man who would make her smile that honest, unprotected smile, and finally, he could say he was that guy…

"Mmm, love you too, Booth." Her sleepy voice made him smile even harder, knowing that he did that, too, to her.

"Good night, Bones. Sleep well."

She nodded against him contentedly, and then arched her neck so she could kiss him below his ear. "Night Booth."

Booth felt his girl sink immediately into sleep. Booth let his fingers trail little circles and designs on the back of her shoulder where his hand rested and he remained awake a little while longer, thinking about their day, their relationship and their future. He sighed with the satisfaction that they had made considerable progress on the case that afternoon and evening. Then he sighed in happiness that they had made considerable progress in between the sheets once again… Each time it just got better and better, and he knew that it would continue to do so as they embarked on this journey that would turn into their future. With a final kiss against her relaxed forehead, another unheard confession of his undying love, and a nuzzle into her loose curls, Booth closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once again.

**Postscript A/N**

**So there you have it! Hope you liked it…It was sure fun to write! **

**I know I have been really bad about replying to everyone's reviews. PLEASE don't think that it's because I don't appreciate them… because I really REALLY do! Me and MY MUSE need those little words of encouragement to keep going…! But it's been difficult with my schedule to write and respond… so I chose what I thought you would all prefer… and I wrote instead… HOPE I ASSUMED CORRECTLY! **

**So, *hint hint* please review and let me know your thoughts, I look forward to hearing from you! **

**Peace and love my friends, **

**~jazzyproz **


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N **

**Hello and welcome! This is quite a short chapter, but I felt it was necessary to interject it at this juncture, to provide that different view point. You'll see what I mean…. **

**THANK YOU as always, for your kind reviews and encouragement! **

**AND – nothing has changed… I don't own Bones nor its characters… except for most of the ones in this chapter… **

_**Approximately 13 months prior**_…

"So… does your mother know that you're out?" The woman took a slow drink from her beer can. "Or does she still think you died in that riot?"

William Baker looked at his cousin Rachel, "I sent word to 'er, through someone that I knew I could trust."

The older woman nodded silently, observing the young man she hadn't heard from in over a decade. There was no mistaking that he was her cousin's kid. They shared the same bone structure, the same shaped eyes and skin tone. "Did you tell 'er you were comin' here?"

William nodded as he stood to greet his second cousin's husband, "Hi George. Thanks for lettin' me crash, man."

The larger man slapped the ex-con on the shoulder, "that's what family does, Will." George indicated for William to re-take his seat, so the three could continue the talking. "Will, how did you manage to get out? I mean, that was a pretty high security location."

"I knew the riot was goin' down that day. There was talk on the block for days that the Angels of Destruction were, let's say, less than happy wit' the PR Punks and their stunts; the two gangs were out to teach each other a 'lesson' or two. I kept outta the controversy but used it to my advantage. I had enough o' dat shithole; enough o' da bastard guards; 'nuff o' everything…" he frowned with his forehead as he looked back and forth between George and Rachel. "I got my hands on some chemicals from da cleanin' crew…ya know, ya gotta keep your lines of communication open wit' all the people dat can benefit ya." He nodded as he took a swig of his own drink. "I threw together a little boomer to blow up during the riot. Somethin' to distract the guards enough to let me slip into the showers. There wuz a section behind stall four where the tiles was loose. Me an' another guy's been workin' on it for months, tryin' to wait for the perfect opportunity. The riot was a little premature, but I was determin'd to make it work; God knows when we'd get another shot." Will shook his head, "but Chuck, he was too far in with da Angels, so there was no way he wuz comin' along, so I did it on my own." He reached forward to the coffee table and grabbed a handful of potato chips from the bowl.

"So, you blew someone up then escaped?" George raised his eyebrow in the younger man's direction.

"nuh-uh. I blew up my cell." He grinned proudly, "but I wasn't in it at da time, tho."

Rachel laughed, "well, boy, I would hope not. Is your Mom comin' here?" She found she was anxious to see the childhood friend, who just happened to have been her cousin, and whom she hadn't seen face to face in nearly 20 years.

"Haven't heard, Rachel. I hope so. But I know it's far for her to travel on her own."

She pulled herself from her chair, "Well, I don't dare risk drawing attention by calling her, but I'll make some arrangements to contact 'er and find out when she'll be here. I'd be s'prised if she don't come, now that you're here." Rachel shuffled out to the kitchen to organize dinner, rolling ideas around her head about how to get Will's mom out to their neck of the woods.

George and Will remained in the living room. George turned to their guest, "so, what's your plan, kid?"

Will was hardly a 'kid' at the age of 40, but given the age difference between him and George, he was. "Well…don't know 'xactly." Will hesitated a bit, not sure how much of his plan she wanted to reveal. But then he realized that if George wasn't going to support him, he would at least not hinder him, in his quest. "Something 'dat I've been thinkin' 'bout for years, now…I wanna get the FBI agent who locked me up…A fuckin' rookie put me away, and I want 'im to pay. I hear he's got a kid; ya know, people talk on the block, and there's quite a few in the lock-up who'd been put there by the same guy. Anyway, I figure if I go after his kid, that'd be my plan – to get him back for the years I've lost."

George nodded in understanding. He himself had spent several years in prison and actually got out on a 'technicality' that had worked in his favor. Despite the fact that he belonged behind bars, and he knew it, he still took that opportunity and fought the system, falsely winning his freedom in the process. "You know where to find 'im? The Agent?"

"Yeah, he's still in DC. Got my feelers out, keepin' an eye on 'im. Tracking him so I can strike as soon as I've finished my plan. Then I'll fade away, take myself way outta the mainstream, fall off the map." Will was confident in his plan, that he'd be successful in kidnapping the Agent's kid, mentally torturing the cocky SOB who locked him up.

"Yeah…that might work. Is the Agent any good? I mean, I know he got you, but was it a fluke?"

"I dunno. I guess he's just like any other pig. But he's got a weakness in his kid; and I know about it, so I'm gunna use it."

"What's his name?"

"Booth. Seeley Booth." Will snorted, "What the hell kinda name is 'Seeley', anyway?" Will looked at George, expecting some camaraderie in his insults towards the Agent; instead George was staring at him, his mouth agape.

"Seeley Booth? From DC, you say?"

"Uh-huh. Why? You got some connections that might help?"

George didn't answer, but called out to his wife, "Rachel!? C'mere a minute."

When she re-entered the tiny living room, her husband looked at her quizzically. "Do you remember the name of that agent who was involved with catching Julie Coyle? 'Member, at the class reunion up by Becca-chelle?"

"yeah, ummm….Brandon or Blandon… Something like that?"

"No, that was the woman, Brennan; I'm talkin' about the guy."

Rachel shook her head. "Ahh, I remember him; 'member that he was a pretty good lookin' guy; shame he's a cop; but can't remember his name. Why?"

George was certain he was right. "Does the name Seeley Booth sound familiar?"

"Uh…yeah! That was his name; I recall that his first name sounded more like a last name."

Rachel grabbed the telephone from the end table and dialed a number that she knew by heart, even though she hadn't dialed it in several years.

On the second ring, it was answered. "Officer Conway speaking"

"Becca-chelle…hi there." Rachel smiled as she heard her niece's professional voice.

"Aunt Rachel…You're the only person who still calls me that. I go by Becky now." Rebecca Michelle Conway sat back on her couch, smiling into her receiver. "I haven't heard from you in a while, what's up?"

Rachel cleared her voice, "well, Becca-chelle, first of all, I happen to like your old nick-name. It's a nice combination of your first and middle names. Your mother always called you that, and I will continue to also!" She laughed in good humor and was met with a happy chuckle from her niece. "But there is a reason I'm calling. Do you have some time to come over this evening? For dinner?" She waited only a few seconds before Becky replied to the affirmative.

"Sure Aunt Rachel. Is everything alright? Is Uncle George OK?"

"Yeah, we're both fine, Bec. Can you be here around 6:00?"

"I'll see you then. Need me to bring anything?"

"No, dear. Just yourself. And your excellent memory…we wanna take a trip down memory lane for a little while. My cousin is here visiting, and we'd like you two to meet. You have a lot in common."

"Auntie, you're not trying to set me up, are you? I don't need a blind date."

"No, no… nothing like that, don't worry. Just come over and we'll eat a good meal and some interesting conversation…"

They disconnected their call and Rachel smiled at her husband then at Will. "Now, Will, my niece is a cop, but don't panic." She saw the immediate worry in his eyes. "She's our contact on the inside… Becky, as she prefers to be called, knows who her family is and sticks by her blood."

"So, what's the plan, then? What's the benefit of her coming over?" Will wondered what his mom's cousin had in mind.

"Well, you said you want to get that Agent back; you want revenge; she can help." Rachel looked to her husband and nodded, seeing that he also agreed with her decision to call Becky._ "She knows people…she has ways." _She looked back to Will with a knowing grin, "it's a perk that we enjoy, having someone like her both on our side as well as on the inside."

Will spent the day getting reacquainted with his distant family, with whom he'd be spending an undetermined amount of time. He found them to be accommodating and eager to help, when it came to his desire to exact revenge on one Special Agent Seeley Booth.

Becky arrived shortly before 6:00, a case of beer in one hand and a bouquet of flowers for her Aunt in her other. "Aunt Rachel, Uncle George! Long time no see…" she hugged them each in turn then faced the unknown in the room, extending her hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm Becky Conway. Rachel's niece."

Will shook her hand tentatively, still uncertain at her presence, being she was a cop. "Yeah, hi. I'm Will Baker. My mom's Rachel's cousin, so I guess 'dat makes me 'er cousin, too."

"Good to meet you, Will." Becky spoke as she moved out towards the kitchen, from where delicious smells were wafting and infiltrating the remainder of the home. "So, Aunt Rachel," she began as she started to set the table, "what was so important that you needed me to come over so suddenly?"

"Well, Becca-chelle, it's about Will. Um, well, you see, he just broke out… _you know_... And we…ahhh…we're gunna need your help…"

Becky stilled her features as she listened to the words coming from her aunt. She struggled internally with her professional position versus her family loyalty. But for as far back as she could remember her mom and dad had instilled in her that family came first. 'Family before all else' is what they used to tell her. And as much as she knew that went against everything she'd been trained in, against all that she'd promised to uphold in her career, family blood always ran deeper. She nodded slowly, looking to her uncle and newly introduced 'family member' as they entered the small kitchen.

"Alright, well, what is it that you need from me?"

Will smiled as he took his seat. "Does the name Seeley Booth ring a bell to you, Becky?" He flashed a knowing grin when he saw the look on her face; he could tell she instantly knew the name of the Agent.

"Well, yeah, I know Agent Booth; I met him a few years back at the class reunion, when Julie Coyle killed one of our classmates. He's Temperance Brennan's partner. Why?"

"Something very interesting about this Agent Booth," George started, "he locked up Julie Coyle, and Julie is a relative of Will, here." George paused to take a swig of beer.

Becky nodded slowly as she scooped up some of her Aunt's spaghetti.

George continued, "and… he is also the Agent responsible for locking up Will, just about a decade ago."

Becky raised an eyebrow, "So, it sounds like Booth has been quite an enigma to your family, Will."

Rachel cleared her voice, "and a problem to Will's family is a problem to _our _family, Becca-chelle. And Will is quite intent on getting his revenge on the good Agent…"

Becky lowered her fork, and looked at each of her family in turn. "Well, what are you all thinking? What exactly do you need from me?"

"Well, girl," George spoke, "we were thinking perhaps you would have some insight, some capabilities within your _chosen profession_, that could aid Will in his quest. Ya' know, the fact that this same man locked up two of, essentially, our own…then that man should have to pay some retribution for his actions."

Becky sat back in her seat thoughtfully, already turning over in her mind, the possibilities of the ways in which she could assist. "What kind of revenge are you looking to inflict, Will?"

"I wanna make 'em suffer. I heard he's got a kid, wuz thinkin' 'bout taking him; making Booth squirm a bit, then off the kid. But I haven't worked out the when or where or nothin' yet, I just know I want to make him sorry. He was nothin' but a fuckin' rookie when he stumbled onto me. Hell, they wasn't even lookin' for me when they found me; they was lookin' for some drug runner. I've been in that hell-hole for 10 goddamn years and now I want to make him pay." He took a long swig of his beer. "And to hear that he put away 'nother one of my kin…I don't know this Julie-chic, but hell, if she's blood, she's blood. An' blood's thicker'n water."

Becky's eyes darkened. "You know, the idea of getting his kid is one thing…he talked about his kid when he was here – sounds adorable, as far as little snot-noses go… But you really wanna get good ole' Agent Booth back?" She leaned forward, resting her forearms onto the tiny table before adding her opinion. "Go after his partner, Temperance Brennan. I knew her in school – fuckin' creepy girl back then, even creepier now. Thinks she's all hot-shit 'cause she made herself famous when she got outta here. When they were here, he looked at her, _watched_ her like she was a goddess. I tried to get him to go have a drink with me; you might have thought Brennan was a she-wolf protecting her alpha… And he let 'er! Even though they maintained they were merely partners, I have my doubts… and I'm telling you, if you want to really get Seeley Booth's attention, _she's _the one you need to go after. Then you wouldn't have to deal with a whiny kid either."

Will's evil grin spread across his face. "You, ahhh…You know how I can find out even more information about this Temperance Brennan?"

"Willie, Willie, Willie…" Becky smiled, "I am law enforcement; of course I know how to find out more about Temperance Brennan…"

Will smiled darkly. "How long 'til Julie gets out? I'd like to not only meet this distant relative o' mine, but I imagine she might want in on the retaliation action, don'tcha think?"

George looked to Becky, "yeah, any idea, Becca? Maybe you can find a 'technicality' for Julie to get out; much like you did for me, huh?"

Becky raised her drink to her lips, "I'll start looking into it tomorrow; but listen, you guys can't call me at work. Or at home. I'll get disposable cells for both myself and you, and bring it by day after tomorrow. We cannot be linked at all. Our family ties are not well known as it is, and we don't want to draw any attention. Give me a few days to work out the logistics and then I'll let you know what's gonna happen. In the meantime, I'll figure out a way to get more info on Morticia and her Lapdog, Booth."

"_Morticia_? You called her Morticia?"

"Yeah, she was always into dead shit; _**loved**_ dissecting animals, always studied death… twisted, I'm telling you. And now she's the person people go to when they need to find out information on decomposedcorpses. 'Morticia' is a perfect name, very fitting."

The four clinked their glasses and beer cans as they finished their meal. They discussed preliminary plans for ways of inflicting vengeance; possible scenarios that would aid in Julie's early release; various approaches and tactics that may or may not pan out…They tossed around ideas for causing pain in the same mannerisms that Booth and Brennan tossed around ways of solving crimes.

And the visit went on late into the night before Becky bid her goodbyes to the nefarious half of her family. As she drove back to Burtonsville, she mentally reviewed possible schemes and calculated how long it may take to pull off such a stunt. She decided, regardless of length of time, the deed would be worth it. She really liked the way the handsome Agent looked, but he hadn't given her the time of day when they were in town. Cocky bastard. And, she'd never liked Temperance; hated how Temperance acted when she was there for the reunion; hated that she actually had achieved fame by getting the hell outta Burtonsville. Yeah, Becky was jealous, but in the end, she would get the famous author back for always acting so smarter than and better than everyone. The foster kid who got what she deserved when she stayed with abusive families was going to get what she deserved as an adult; Miss-High-and-Mighty would be knocked down a peg or two. And Becky's family would be the ones knocking her down. An malevolent smile adorned her scarred face as she drove into the night.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so there you have it! I wanted to give an insight on the criminal side of the story, but I couldn't do that until I revealed that they were all related in the last chapter… Sorry it's so short, but I didn't want to dwell on it; I just wanted to share a bit. I hope you liked it! And I hope you hate them as much as I do! **

**Please read and review and let me know your thoughts on this mini-chap! **

**THANK YOU! **


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N Welcome back! This chapter will take place over the course of a few days; it picks up where we left B&B in chapter 49, but it will jump ahead in time part way through. I wanted to just make that clear. I think I did alright in the writing of the day-change, but just in case, I wanted to cover my bases! **

**THANK YOU again for the wonderful reviews; I am glad you approved of the back story of the criminals and their links to each other. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything but the convoluted plot my evil Muse has concocted. But I am sure glad to have you all still with me! **

Booth's eyes popped open promptly at 6:00am, his body was automatically trying to fall back into a familiar routine. As he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, he smiled softly, immediately aware of a comforting weight against his right arm. As he turned his head, he stared at the woman by his side; she slept peacefully and allowed her body to wrap around his as she lay beside him. He had to withhold a chuckle at the gentle snores that escaped her lips from time to time. Booth had never liked it when a woman he was with snored; however, with Bones, he found that he didn't mind. To hear the sounds of sleep that her body emitted proved to him that she was sleeping soundly, untroubled by nightmares and comfortable with their proximity to one another.

As he admired the contours and shape of her slumbering face, he let his mind wander back to a conversation she had once initiated with him, regarding spending the night with another person. She generally made it a habit, if she was going to spend the night with a man, to go to _his _home, so she could leave when she was ready. She stated that she was not one to be 'clingy' in bed and, for the most part, once her biological urges were satisfied, she wanted to leave and be on her own. She had said she didn't necessarily enjoy sharing her sleeping space with anyone, because it made her feel crowded. He thought about how very contradictive that discussion was, when compared to how she had been with him. Since sharing his bed, she had yet to pull away; in fact, she tended to reach out for contact with him, and maintained said contact through the night. Even in the hospital, she had the opportunity to sleep separately from him, but she chose to squeeze into his bed while he was unconscious from pain pills and IV medication.

He brought his left fingertips up to her cheek and brushed aside some sleep-errant curls that had fallen against her milky skin, enjoying the silkiness he felt in the process. She stirred slightly, but didn't open her eyes. She made a quiet cooing noise and fisted the sheet that rested on his hips, just beneath her fingers, and pulled it higher to her naked chest as she snuggled further into his side. He let her get as close as she possibly could, then wrapped his right arm around her a little tighter, letting her subconsciously know, in her sleep, that he was there, and he was protecting her. Her body relaxed once again and her breathing pattern deepened into slumber once more.

Booth loved these quiet moments of the morning; always had. He often used these times to mentally recount unfinished business from the previous night, or make plans for the new day. When Parker was very young, and would find his way into Booth's bed in the middle of the night on their weekends together, Booth would wake and watch his little boy sleep, relishing in the moments that he knew would end all too soon. And sure enough, they had ended, for in the past several years, Parker had grown to not needing his father in the night, unless plagued by a very bad nightmare, which frequently featured either himself or Bones being injured. Those were the nights that Booth was thankful that his boy still felt comfortable enough to come to him, wake him and talk about the visions that interrupted his sleep.

Booth also frequently allowed his fantasies to invade his brain at this hour. Over the past nearly 8 years, Bones was the first person he'd think of when he awoke; even when he was sharing a bed with another woman, it was always apparitions of his partner that first infiltrated his early morning contemplations. He would send silent prayers that she was safe and waking from a peaceful sleep. He wondered if she was waking up next to someone, or alone. He plotted out whatever method he would use that day, to lure her out of the lab and to the diner for lunch. He would try to think of excuses to call her and make plans to pick her up for work, rather than drive in on his own. The question that he continually wondered about was what it would feel like to wake up next to her. He had all but given up all hope of answering that question or experiencing that dream until this past couple of weeks, when the reality of his resurfaced-still-present feelings hit him like a brick wall. Now that he knew what it was like to feel her body pressed against him in the early morning, the weight of her head on his shoulder, the soft flesh of her hip beneath his fingertips, the quiet whisper of her exhalations dancing across his bare chest, he knew he would never want to wake up without her at his side.

Booth could see her eyes begin to move behind her eyelids, and her body started to tense up as a sudden dream interrupted her peaceful rest. A pitiful and heart wrenching whine erupted from her throat and he pulled her tight in his right arm as he cradled her. Bringing his left hand back up to her cheek he stroked her sleep-flushed skin and wove his fingers into her loose curls. "Bones, you're alright, sshhh…" he whispered against her forehead and immediately felt her body relax again. For several mornings now, he had spoken similar words to her, soothing her in the same fashion back into sleep, and away from the nightmare that threatened to overtake her brilliant, but fragile mind. Once she had relaxed, he pulled his head back and looked at her before turning to stare at the ceiling, once again lost in quiet thought.

Baker had taken a lot when he kidnapped his partner; not the least of all was her internal sense of security. Booth knew it would only be a matter of time before Bones overcame these images and memories, and wouldn't need his comforting embrace to bring her away from the darkness. Inwardly, he battled with that fact…he wanted her to heal, to recover and get back to being her own, independent self that she always was...but he also loathed to think that she might pull back, that her logic might override her emotions, blocking him out once again. He didn't want to her be completely dependent on him, because that would eventually kill her. But he wanted her to still need him, to still want to be with him in the same ways that they were together now. He didn't think they would split up, not after everything they'd been through; they would never go back to being simply partners. But he knew it was inevitable that she would test the waters and once again find her independence.

"Don't look so sad, Booth, whatever it is, we'll get through it." Her quiet words startled him from his early morning meditation.

He turned back to look at her and smiled, "Mornin' beautiful." He bent his neck and kissed her gently on the forehead, then the nose, her cheek and finally her lips.

"Good morning, Booth. I watched you go from content to neutral to sad, Booth. What were you thinking about?"

"Hmmm…. I didn't know you'd woken up already." He didn't really want her to know his concerns; he hoped that if he didn't voice them, if he didn't put them out into the universe, there was a chance they wouldn't happen; so he stalled. He turned to her with a grin and pulled her in for a proper 'good morning' kiss, to which she responded by wrapping her arm up around his neck, and grazing her fingers along the short hairs at his nape.

"Bones, can I tell you how wonderful it is to wake up with you at my side?" He brushed his lips on her cheek, trailing towards her ear. "Did you sleep alright, babe?"

She nodded in response and craned her head, trying to make eye contact with him. "I did, Booth…but you're trying to change the subject." She flashed him a knowing smile when he blushed at being called-out on his attempts to avoid her question.

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Whaddya mean, Bones?"

"Boooooth…" She admonished him as if he were a child. "What were you thinking about, that made you look so sad, Booth? Are you not happy? Did you have a bad dream?" Bones could only hope that she didn't do anything to cause the heartache she saw in his face before he replaced his mask as he faced her.

"Nah, Bones, I didn't have a bad dream and I am very happy. _Very_ very happy, indeed." He placed a kiss on her forehead and let his lips rest against her skin. "I was just thinking, that's all. Sometimes in the peace of the morning, my thoughts wander and I just…I don't know… I just let 'em go wherever they want…" Kissing her soft hair once more, he pulled back and smiled down at her. "You're still happy, right? I mean, with waking up with me, and being together and all; you're still OK with everything?"

"Mmm-hmmm" she nodded. "I like it very much, Booth." She had a thought, and wondered if her instinct could possibly be accurate at Booth's thoughts. Twice in this short conversation, he mentioned about waking up together; once he mentioned he liked waking up with her and second he asked her if she was still ok with it. In their past, she had never made it a secret from him that she didn't like sleeping through the night with a man; she always stressed to him that she preferred to go to the man's place so she could leave when she wanted. She raised her eyes to meet the soulfully dark orbs that were looking down at her. "Booth? Are you worried about my past habits?"

"Um, what habits are you talking about, Bones? You got some drug addiction I need to know about?"

"No, not that kind of habit!" She playfully slapped his chest before growing serious again. "No, Booth. I mean, are you worried that I told you before that I didn't like to spend the entire night with anyone?"

"Wow…" he smiled warmly, "the scientist is turning intuitive… Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?" He pulled her close; this being the first time he vocalized the term, he wasn't sure how she'd react.

He felt her smile against the rough skin of his neck. "haha," she let the sarcasm sound through. "I understand that one, Booth! I guess I've been spending too much time with you… and your 'girlfriend', has been trying to pick up on her 'boyfriend's' gut instincts, so she can start to use them, too…"

To that, he laughed out loud. "Good for you, Bones. Nice job."

"So? What are you worried about, Booth? Please talk to me." Her voice was soft and serious. She knew he was avoiding her line of questioning; he was slick, but not _that_ slick…

"Well, I guess…I guess I have been a little worried that you might decide that you don't want to stay the night. That you might…revert… back to your older ways, and pull back, Bones." His words were hushed, and hesitant, and she could tell he was holding back.

"Booth," she palmed his cheek in her thin hand, "when I told you that I was done running, I meant it. Wholeheartedly. I don't want to run anymore. I don't want to pull away from you. I don't look forward to a night of _not_ sleeping beside you." She smiled as she saw his pinched features relax. "I love you, Booth. I have never loved another person, so I have never wanted to spend the night with them. But you…you're the one I want to wake up beside for the rest of our shared future." She stretched up and kissed his morning scruffed face, "for as long as you'll let me, Booth."

He sighed in obvious relief. "When did you get so insightful, Bones? When did you learn to read me to the point that you knew exactly what I was thinking?"

"I've been practicing for almost 8 years, Booth… in some instances, I guess I am a slow learner. In all other cases, as you well know, I have a startlingly steep learning curve." Her confidence boasted through in her words, and she smiled wider, knowing that it drove him crazy when she self-praised.

"Well, if we're being conceited, then I must say, I am a helluva teacher, then." He mirrored her smug look and brought his hand up to her cheek. He grew quiet again, "Thank you, Bones. It means a lot to me, knowing that you're not having that urge to pull away. I'm sorry I worried; I shouldn't have."

"You have every right to be concerned, Booth. I never gave you any other evidence other than my previous actions. And for years, I've told you how I favored waking up alone. But that part of me has changed, and I find that I much prefer waking up on your shoulder instead."

They shared a few more contented moments before Booth broke the silence. "So…. You like being my 'girlfriend', then?"

She paused before answering, planning her words carefully. "With each other, our family and friends, I am comfortable being referred to as your girlfriend, and I will refer to you as my boyfriend." She wrinkled her forehead adorably, "even though they are inaccurate terms, since we are adults." Then she cocked her head sideways a bit, "but when we're in public, or meeting new people, or working…I think I would prefer to refer to each other as 'partners', just like always."

Booth nodded slowly, "I can agree to that; that's fair, Bones." He smiled down at her and grinned, "you know, people are gunna have a field day with this when it goes public…You know that, right?"

"Well, I don't really know what that means, Booth. In school we had 'field days' and those were the days we spent outside in the school yard attempting to accomplish ridiculous obstacle courses and pointless games."

He dropped his head back onto his pillow in slight exasperation. "Bones, school 'field days' were not pointless. It was about team building, coordination, exercise…things that kids need to hone in on at an early age, in order to be accomplished when they get older." He chuckled at his mental image of Bones as a young girl refusing to participate, while lecturing the teacher about the importance of lessons versus the wasted time in the playground. "But anyway…It just means that when people find out about us, they're probably going to be a little rough at first…Well, the people at my office anyway; the lab already knows and they're all awesome."

"What do you mean, Booth? What will the people in your office do?"

"Bones….They've been on me for years, trying to find out what exactly was between you and me. No one believed that we were just partners. There are betting pools that I'm not supposed to know about, regarding when you and I were going to finally 'get together'…and from what I hear, there are some pretty sizable sums of money in a few of those pools…" He frowned slightly, thinking of some of the younger or cruder agents. "But I'll tell you this, if anyone so much as makes a teeny tiny inappropriate remark about you, or us, I will kick some ass."

She settled back against the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply. "When I get better, I'll kick some ass with you, Booth… It would be a good stress relief, I think…"

He laughed and moved the hand that was holding her, lowering it to her hip and rubbing little circles as they lay there a little longer.

"So, a shower, then breakfast, Bones? You ready to get up?"

She nodded, "Yes, Angela is going to take me to the storage unit to get out my year books. What are you going to do this morning, Booth?"

"I'm coming with you, Bones. I'm not letting you go out there on your own, even alone with Angela. I wanna be there. But I figure after that, we'd finish hashing through the files and take a look at the download to the timeline that Angela was going to do for us. I've been trying to figure out where we should start with our search for Becky and Julie."

"I wonder if there are any other 'distant' relatives here in the DC area, Booth. There may be more of them that we haven't learned about yet.

"Yeah," he exhaled in slight frustration, "ya know, I just want to find them, arrest them, try them and let them get locked up for the rest of their lives. Then maybe we can move on with ours."

"We will, Booth. We're the best – it's what we do." She was confident in her statement and truly believed that they would be successful in their quest, it was just a matter of time.

B/B/B/B

There was a quiet knock on the door leading to their 'private' wing, and Booth called out to whoever was on the other side of the door. Angela popped her head in and saw her friends, both fresh-faced, sitting at the kitchen table finishing pancakes, which, based on the size alone, Booth had obviously whipped up.

"Morning, guys! How did you sleep?"

"Good morning, Ange, fine thank you very much." Brennan replied to her friend. "Thank you for providing such a comfortable bed, it was very vice." Bren's cheeks blushed slightly as she thought back to just how *nice* the bed was last night.

"OH hell, yeah, Angela. Now you've spoiled us…I'm gunna have to go out and invest in a king size now…My double seems so small compared!" Booth forked the final pieces of his pancake and sopped up some of his spare syrup. He pointed to the additional pancakes on the table, and through chipmunk-filled-cheeks, he spoke to her. "Wan' some? They're yummm."

Angela laughed and shook her head as Brennan yelled at Booth for talking with his mouth full. "If that was Parker, you'd yell at him, Booth, so why are you doing it? Stop talking with your mouth full!"

Booth rolled his eyes impishly and speared another pancake, pulling it onto his dish and dousing it with maple goodness. "Mmm-hmmm…whatever, Bones. Parker's not here, is he? If he was here, I wouldn't do it, but he's not, so…." He shrugged as he picked up a piece on his fork, swirled it in the thick syrup, and pressed it to her lips. She happily ate off his fork and smiled at his immaturity. She knew that he would not act that way with anyone else, only their closest friends and family, and she knew he was an impeccably wonderful father who taught his son good manners. But like any red-blooded American male, Booth was not immune to actions like the one he just displayed, and for that, she loved him just a little bit more.

Angela interrupted the smiles that were being tossed back and forth between the partners, "so, what time do you wanna head out, Bren? I'm off for the whole morning, unless Cam calls me in, so whenever you're ready, I'll be ready."

Brennan referred the question to Booth by looking in his direction with a raised eyebrow; an action that, just like at the lab, did not go unnoticed by Angela – Bren was letting Booth make the call on when they would leave – and Angela smiled just a little harder at the couple.

He shrugged as he started to stack the now empty plates, "we can get ready to go in a few, Angela. Just let me clean these up and we'll be ready."

"OK, I'll go get my shoes on and let Hodgie know we're going." She stood from her seat, "come on over when you're ready. I'll meet you in the front room, ok?"

The pair nodded in tandem as Booth moved towards the kitchen. He called out to Bones, "I think you need to use your crutches, at the very least, today, Bones. Whaddya think? With all the moving around, you're likely to get tired and Cam did warn you about putting too much weight on your ankle too soon." He scrubbed the dishes under steaming water, erasing all traces of the delicious real-maple syrup that they'd enjoyed.

"Yeah, I was actually thinking, Booth, that I'd take the wheelchair. There's no real place for me to rest at the storage unit. I mean, I could sit on some boxes if you didn't want to carry it, but I think I'd be more comfortable in the chair."

He was happy to hear her call back out to him, admitting that she'd like the chair. "Yeah, that makes sense, Bones. We'll take it; it's no biggie to load it into the car." Drying his hands, he re-entered the small dining area and found his girlfriend sitting at the table just where he left her, rifling through her messenger bag. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

"Here it is," she produced a magnetic card and handed it to him. "We'll need this to get into the gate at the storage facility, and again to open my unit itself. I'll let you carry it." She closed her bag and looked up at him, "I'm ready whenever you are, Booth."

He smiled as he pocketed her entrance card, placing it in his wallet and back into his back pocket. He leaned over her, placing his hands on the arms of her chair and bent down for a kiss. He started at the top of her head, and then moved to one temple then the other; he placed two loving kisses on the apples of her cheeks, and then her nose and finally her smiling lips, which responded immediately by kissing him back. He knew he'd never get tired of kissing his woman, and he'd certainly never get tired of her kissing him in return.

As he pulled back, he let his lips linger against hers, "thank you for this morning, Bones. Cuddles in bed, sex in the shower and breakfast together…these are the things that make up a perfect start to the day, Baby."

She smiled against his mouth, "I also enjoyed this morning Booth. You are very athletic, you know, to be able to do what you did in the shower like that… We'll have to make _that_ a habit…"

Just thinking about it, he could taste her on his tongue again, and despite that fact that he'd just eaten way more pancakes than any one person should eat, he found he was hungry once more…Only this time, it wasn't food he was craving…it was _her_… He was hungry for Bones…_his_ Bones…his girlfriend…his partner…his best friend. She was his everything. He grinned mischievously, "we can practice again later today if you want, Babe…I quite enjoyed it… I enjoyed _you_…"

Her stomach fluttered in anticipation as she watched his eyes twinkle. _Good grief…I can't possibly be up for another round already…but I am. I always am with Booth_… She thought happily before answering, "OK, I think I can agree to that, Booth." She met his grin with an ornery one of her own. She let her eyes travel across his olive skin as she traced her fingertip along the freshly-shaven skin of his jawline to his chin and continued down his throat past his teasingly appetizing Adams apple before settling at the open collar of his blue button-down shirt. "I like you in this shirt, Booth," her words were whispered, her voice husky with desire.

He flashed a Boothy charm smile as he squatted down before her. "Oh yeah? Whatd'ya like about it, Bones?"

"Well," she met his eyes with bright blues, clear as a fresh spring, "I like the color. Against your skin, it looks really…Mmmm…" she smiled and leaned towards him, but didn't go in for the kiss immediately. "And I really like when you wear your shirts like that, with your sleeves rolled up, so I can see your forearms. You have perfectly proportioned arms, Booth. Very appeasing to look at. Another thing that I like…when you wear your casual button-downs like this, with a tight t-shirt underneath, and then leave the top buttons undone," she reached for the third and fourth buttons and popped them open, "like this…" When she had completed her task of partially opening his shirt, she traced her fingers along the neckline of the t-shirt beneath, admiring his increased breathing and the palpable pulse she could see in his neck as his eyes darkened.

She didn't have to close the space between them; he did that for her, leaning in and capturing her mouth with his as they swallowed each other's moans. He shifted from squatting to a kneeling position and he moved in tighter so she was forced to open her knees to let him closer. He ran his hands up her outer thighs until they reached the roundness of her hips, and he then grabbed her firmly and puller her, sliding her forward on the chair. When their bodies crashed, she bent her legs around his torso, holding him near to her warming core. He let his arms wrap around her hips completely, and rested his open palms on her ass as they drank each other in deeper, desperate for more of what they'd shared that morning.

Booth pulled his lips from hers and dragged his tongue along her skin, sucking along the way, until he reached the hollow of her throat, where he paused to spend a few moments. He suckled, licked, nipped and kissed his now-favorite part of her throat, and she let her head fall backwards, completely exposing the length of her neck to his anxious mouth. As he started another journey back up and in the direction of her earlobe, they were startled when their privacy was interrupted by a loud knock at the door and a giggle to accompany it.

As they both turned in the direction of the sound, they found Angela standing in the open doorway, leaning on the doorjamb, wearing a big toothy grin. Red faced and panting, Booth let his head fall into Bones' chest with a groan, while Brennan shared a rather _uncharacteristic_ 'girlie laugh' with her friend.

"I was waiting for you guys out there, and wondered if perhaps there was some miscommunication, and you thought I was coming back in here to meet you…But I see that you just got…uh…distracted…" She smiled and winked at Bren. "If you want, we can always go to the storage unit later, and you guys can finish what you were doing…"

Funnily enough, it was Booth that spoke up with a strong "No, we'll go now, get this over with," while Bones smiled at her friend and answered, "OK, Angela, can we have another hour?"

Angela burst out laughing at the contradictions of the partners and Booth looked at Bones disbelievingly.

"Boooones! I will not be rushed and timed by your nympho pal over there…" He nuzzled into her hair as it lay loose against her neck and lowered his voice. "Later, Baby…when we don't have an overly-nosy-Angela spying on us…" He grinned when he heard said hostess sigh loudly and plop down in the chair on the opposite side of the table from where he currently kneeled.

"Oh, Booth, you're no fun…" Angela frowned jokingly, knowing the FBI Agent preferred privacy over all else. She just couldn't resist teasing him, though; it was too much fun to see him blush.

Booth hauled himself up to his feet, shaking his head at Angela, "Oh, Angela, I'm a lot of fun…as I'm sure you'll end up hearing eventually, as you brow beat Bones into talking…" He grinned as he turned from the table, "I'm gunna get my shoes on, need anything from the bedroom, Bones?"

"No, I'm set, thanks." Once Booth had exited the dining area, Brennan turned to Angela with a wicked grin, "he really is a lot of fun, Ange… _a lot_…"

A shout echoed through the tiny space, "Talk when I'm _NOT_ within hearing distance, Bones! Jeez…!"

She blushed and lowered her head while eyeballing her friend and continued at a whisper, "He's by far the most fun and _best_ I've ever been with…and we're still learning about each other!"

"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!"

"Well, stop listening, Booth!" Angela sat on the edge of her seat, hoping that her friend would divulge more, but was to be disappointed.

"Well, that's all I can say, anyway, Angela. It wouldn't be right to talk about what happens between Booth and me. What's ours is ours, but you've always told me that you wondered what he was like… And I'm just letting you know, he's amazing. _Everything_ about him is amazing, Ange." Brennan's mouth broke into a true and happy smile, as a healthy flush reddened her cheeks.

Angela smiled, "It's OK, Bren. I never expected you to spill too much, I know how he is. And I can respect that; I'm just so pleased that you finally have something worth _not_ telling me about!" She grinned as Booth re-entered the room, "You ready Studly?"

Grinning at Angela but turning to Bones, he spoke, "your wheelchair is already in the car, right?"

"Yes, I told Ange to leave it in there. I figured I could hobble out on my crutch and use the chair when we get to the storage unit." She looked to Angela as she started to stand, "OK, we're set."

The three made their way out to Hodgins' SUV, despite the fact that Booth continued to stress that he could drive. Angela refused, given that he may need to take medication, and she wasn't allowed to drive the FBI issued vehicle. Reluctantly, he gave in with a huff and a frown, but smiled again when he caught Bones looking at him as she slowly moved at his side. He let her use the crutch, even though it was tearing him up not helping her. Booth knew that his partner needed to have that independence for now; so he walked at her pace, just in case she needed him, he'd be right there beside her. "You sit up front with Angela, Bones, I'll sit in the back. It'll be easier for you two to chat."

"I'm not planning on chatting, Booth. I already told her I would not reveal any details about our activities in the bedroom, because what's ours is ours. Besides, I figured you would be very displeased if I told her about any of your sexual techniques. Although, I suspect she'd like to learn about some of them, so she could have Hodgins try them - like the one when you - "

"Booones," Booth laughed as he cut her off from divulging exactly what she said she wouldn't, "you can 'chat' about more than just sex, you know. Remember, you two are best friends… you talk all the time! And I know you don't _always_ talk about sex!"

"Oh." She stated simply. "Of course we talk all the time. And you're right, it's not always about sex, so I guess I will sit up front. Thank you Booth." She smiled widely as she understood his intentions.

Booth opened the door for his partner but when he realized the height of the running boards, he helped her. He refused to let her struggle to climb in on her own, and was glad that she didn't balk.

Angela had listened to the entire conversation between her friends, as she walked ahead of them. She laughed to herself just how clueless her genius friend could be, but she loved her for it. And platonically, she loved Booth for loving Brennan. It's true, there was a time that she had wondered what Seeley Booth would be like when doing the horizontal mamba, but she learned long ago, that she was not the one he was meant to be with and she didn't dare risk seducing him. She would have lost her best friend if she had done that, and that was a hazard she wasn't willing to take. Now, looking at them together, hearing them banter, it was like the partners had been 'together' for so much longer; but then again, in a sense they had been – they just took a little longer to figure it out. She turned in her seat when Booth's back door closed and she ensured they were both ready, and headed towards the storage unit that housed Brennan's treasures.

B/B/B/B

The trio had been searching boxes for about a half hour before Booth claimed victory. "Found 'em!" He wove his way through the maze of boxes and containers until he joined his partner and friend. "You have a lot of stuff in here, Bones. Why do you have it all? I mean, you have room at your place for some of this stuff, but you choose to store it?"

Bones shrugged at her boyfriend's question, "I just want to keep these things. I don't necessarily want to display them, and I don't have a need to access them on a regular basis, but nevertheless I wanted to hold on to them. Some of it is from my college days, a very little bit from before that. And there are some things in here from my trips abroad, when I was on various digs or excavations.

Booth noticed a saddened faraway look in his girl's eyes as she spoke of some of her memorabilia. He would ask her about it at a later time; he didn't want to upset her now, and he had a feeling that if he prodded too much at this point, she might break. So he nodded and gave her a smile as he handed the year books to her. "Anything else you need while we're here? You don't come here often, so, anything you want?"

She shook her head and turned towards the door, "No. I have everything I need." She rolled herself past Angela in silence.

Ange had noticed the change in her friend's demeanor and looked to Booth with questioning eyes. He gave a barely discernible shake of his head, "I'll talk to her later. Let's go." He trotted to catch up with his partner and waited for Angela to exit so he could secure the room once again, returning the key card back to his wallet.

Back at the Hodgins' estate, Angela left the partners to work on their own. Having received a call from her husband, Angela had to take some items that he'd left home that morning, and deliver it to him at the lab. While she was there, she was hoping that her computer would have something new for the team to use. With a promise to call about dinner, she made her way out of the house as Booth and Bones spread the files out once more to being reviewing.

B/B/B/B

After two days of reading and making notes, Booth felt that he had a better handle of at least part of the mystery they were working on. Becky had used her access through Law Enforcement to lessen Julie's sentence. She had accessed the system a total of four times, each time making slight changes.

First she had somehow changed the indictment charges to aggravated assault with a non-lethal weapon; _**what the hell- Evelyn was dead – how is that non-lethal**_**?**

Second she had the murderess moved to a less-strict, lower-security facility.

Third she had her assigned to work detail that would take her off the prison grounds.

Finally she filed for an early release based on good behavior.

Booth could only assume that as she made these changes, they went undetected in the chaotic and antiquated system the corrections facility managed.

Bones didn't have any luck with the year books. She spent the previous day and much of this morning perusing the pages of her alma mater. This morning, she only half-heartedly looked; after all, they'd already learned from Angela's research that the ladies were both related to Baker, so she wasn't really sure what she was looking for in the yearbook. As girls, they didn't seem to be in the same circles; it was almost as if they didn't even really know each other much. Becky was on the Safety Guard, FFA, track and field, and 1 year in computer sciences club. Julie ran with the cheerleader crowd, pep rally coordinator, home coming committee, and volleyball team. The only thing that they both had in common was an uncommon club that only lasted 4 months: Russian as a foreign language. Bones was not aware of the Russian connection with her kidnapping location, but she made note of the only association she found between the girls, and moved on to another file.

When Booth plopped his notebook on the table and stood to go refill his glass, he peeked over her shoulder as he grabbed her empty glass to also refill. He picked up her notebook and stared at it, "Bones, what's this?"

Distractedly, she answered, "Oh, that's the only connection in high school that I could find between Julie and Becky. I'm afraid it's not much, so I'm reviewing this file here."

"Holy shit, Bones. They both studied Russian. _**Russian**_, Bones!"

She looked at him as if he had horns growing out of his head. "Yes, that's what I noted there. But the club only lasted a few months. I can't find anything else."

Realizing that he hadn't told her the story behind the ordeal of finding her, he plunked the glasses back down to the table and sat down, facing her. "Bones, the place where you were held captive, it belongs to a Russian family. One of the letters that was addressed to me was ended with a Russian word, and he mentioned Russian drinks to me in the context of the letter. There were traces of flowers in dirt that Hodgins analyzed."

"Particulates, Booth. Not dirt," she corrected him gently.

"Whatever, Bones. Flowers that grow wild in Russia eventually led us to where you were." He reached out and took her hand from where it rested on the table, growing seriously silent. "Bones, I can't remember what kind of flowers they were, but I clearly remember their meanings. One flower's Russian meaning was 'abandonment'; the other one was 'eternal sleep.'…" He paused before continuing,"I was so scared, Bones, when Hodgins told me that." His eyes filled with tears as he recalled the helpless feelings he experienced as he paced the lab, waiting for the squints to find something. "Bones, baby, it was like…like they chose those flowers on purpose. I don't know if they did or not, but the combination of meanings was chilling just the same."

"Booth – I – I had no idea. I knew you said I was taken to some public Gardens, but I didn't know about the Russian connection….Booth, I don't really know much at all about my abduction…" Her voice was tiny, scared and worried.

"I know, Babe." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I didn't know how much I should or shouldn't tell you; at least, not yet. I wanted to give you a chance to recover before bombarding you with too many memories, too much pain." His eyes pleaded with hers for understanding, begging for her forgiveness of him for not telling her everything.

Pressing her cheek into his palm, she brought her own fragile hand up, sandwiching his between it and her cheek. "It's OK, Booth. I'm not upset with you; I'm just sad that you're carrying the burden on your own."

"I just want to see you heal, Bones. I want you better, baby." He leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers. He captured her top lip between his and simply held it there, tracking his tongue along the length, pulling it further in as he cradled her head in his hands.

She broke the kiss as she felt his tears wet her cheeks. "Booth…you're crying…Please don't cry; you are making me better, you're helping me to heal. Just – Just tell me what you know, what you suspect, and we can move past all this. Please Booth."

He agreed with a small nod and pulled back further, settling back against his chair. "Yeah, you should know anyway, Bones. You have a right to know." He took a deep breath, "Let's go sit on the couch, Bones. I don't wanna get into this at the table." He stood and took her hand, pulling her up beside him. When she reached for her crutch, he stood in front of her, blocking her outstretched hand, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush up against him. She understood, and although she hated to think he was hurting his shoulder any more than it was, she knew he wanted to be close, so she hoisted herself so her long legs were wrapped around his hips. Wordlessly, he moved to the cozy sitting room and walked to the loveseat. He sat on the edge of the cushion, so he wouldn't crush her feet behind his back, but he didn't let her go; he gripped her bottom tight, holding her and nuzzling into her loose curls that tumbled over her shoulders; inhaling her comforting scent.

Bones felt his breath shudder as he exhaled against her skin, then felt the muscles in his back physically relax beneath her fingertips. "It's alright, Booth. You saved me; I'm alive because of you and what you did for me. Telling me the story won't hurt me, it will just help me understand." She spoke quietly, her breath grazing the outer shell of his ear where her lips rested. She pulled back and looked deep into his troubled eyes and brought her wiry fingers up to his hair, running them from his temples around to the back of his head, resting finally at the nape of his neck.

His eyes closed involuntarily at her touch and he let his shoulders sag in relaxation. When he opened his deep brown pools to find her watching him with clear blues, he brought his palm up to her cheek and gave her a gentle, soft kiss on her opposite cheek. Shifting, so she could sit sideways across his lap and he could cradle her in his arms, he sat back and mentally relived what he had felt and experienced while she had been out of his reach.

Booth then proceeded to speak about the events surrounding her abduction; the texts, the photos, the recording, the couriered package delivered to his office, the emails, the word document, the codes, and the dirt and flower particulates. He told her about how the team worked all night and all day. He described calling Hacker in the early morning to get Parker taken into protective custody and about his subsequent confrontations with his superior. He told her about how he lost it and almost punched Sweets. He told her how Sweets then pulled strings to get Zach brought to the lab, and the little team worked together just like old times. He explained how Angela had used the phone signals from the incoming texts to pinpoint where she was, and how she had hacked into the power company grid to kill the lights in order to protect his cover.

Bones sat quietly and listened as Booth recounted the mental hell he had been through while she was enduring a different hell of her own. When his pause stretched longer than normal, she raised her head from his shoulder to look at his face. Behind his expressive brown eyes, she saw such torment as he fought back tears. When he met her stare, he choked slightly, "Bones, if I had lost you…if the team hadn't have been able to direct me to you…I don't know what I would have done, Babe. If I hadn't left before I even knew where I was going…If I had waited…"

Brennan hastily grabbed his face and pulled his lips to hers, effectively cutting off his self-lamentation and tormenting. She tugged his firm lips between hers until he opened to her; she didn't have to wait long. He tilted his head opposite hers and their mouths fell into a familiar dance as they swallowed each other's moans. Their embrace on one another tightened as their kiss deepened. The sheer need to breathe finally pulled the couple apart, and Booth nipped his way along Bones' jawline, aiming back towards her ear, and to that little spot below her lobe that he had fallen in love with nearly two weeks prior.

Breathlessly, Bones tried to get her boyfriend's attention, "Booth-" … Then he reached her earlobe, distracting her from her thoughts momentarily. But she had something important to say, "Booth…" she breathed once more. Then he moved further down her neck again, once more, adding difficulty to her thought process. "Seeley, wait…"

He stilled at the sound of his first name. He never liked his given name, until just that moment, when it dripped from the lips of his lover. Once she knew she had his attention, she pulled her face back to look into his eyes once more. "Booth…" She kissed his nose, then his forehead, and then pulled back once more. She continued in hushed tones, "Booth, you've been lecturing me every day to stop thinking 'what if', but here you are, dwelling on your own. Please, Booth, please don't think about that anymore. You got to me, you saved me, and you're here with me now. That's all that matters."

Gently, he shook his head. "No, Bones. It's not. If it wasn't for the squints, I never would have found you. I would have lost you; we would have missed our chance completely. No, these people, they got one over on me. They were better than me, and I couldn't protect you, Bones. I didn't protect you; I failed at my job as a partner, as a friend, and as the man who loves you. I failed, Bones…"

"Booth, you didn't fail. Stop it." Her voice was firm, insistent. "You did everything you could; and you did it right. It wasn't your job alone to find me, and you shouldn't think it was."

"Bones, they were after me, so they went after you. They contacted _me_. They taunted _**me**_, Bones. And _I_ couldn't have saved you."

"You didn't have to work alone, Booth. We have friends, a family; that's what you've been telling me for years. We don't need to be alone in our burdens anymore, that's what you tell me all the time. You've been trying to convince me of that one fact for nearly eight years. So, why now, do you expect that you would have had to act alone in finding me? Why are you being so hard on yourself, Booth?"

Booth was stuck in his own mental hell, and he couldn't shake the feeling. Logically he knew what she was telling him was true, and yes, he had been lecturing her on these same points for a long time. But he couldn't get it out of his head. "Bones. I couldn't have saved you. I would have lost you, Babe. Forever."

"But you did save me. You've saved me countless times, Booth. You took a bullet that was meant for me. You were blown up by my fridge. You checked yourself out of the hospital to save me. You saved me from myself when I found out my mother's remains had been in the lab, under my own care, for years. You were with me when my father was on trial, don't you think that was saving me? You saved me from drowning in my own sorrow and grief, Booth. And there were so many other times. Please, _please_ stop doing this to yourself, Booth. No more 'what if's', no more regrets."

Booth listened to his partner's voice; got lost in her eyes; felt her hands on him; let her words wash over his body. He leaned in to brush his lips to hers, gently. When he pulled back, he looked at her with renewed eyes. "Bones, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. I can't imagine an existence without you, and I don't ever want to lose you. I am so blessed to have you with me. I know you don't believe in blessings, Bones, but I do, and I count you as one of my most treasured blessings. You and Parker and Pops. I'll love you forever, Bones. I promise."

"I know, Booth. I know you will. And while I have a different view on the term 'forever,' I'll love you for as long as _my _forever lasts." She met him halfway for another hug, this one less desperate, not sexual, but filled with adoration and promise. She whispered into his neck, "promise me, Booth, that you won't hold yourself responsible for my kidnapping. You've carried the blame long enough. Promise me."

Booth would never deny his partner anything, so he did just as she asked, "I promise, Bones. I do." When he felt her smile against his skin, he knew he'd said the right thing and he held her tighter, savoring the feeling of her weight against him and the warmth of her breath on his skin.

After several quiet moments, Bones spoke, "Booth? We need to get back to the case." Although she didn't want to move from his lap, she was quite comfortable right where she was, she knew that if one of them didn't make a move, they'd stay like that the whole afternoon.

"Yeah, I know Bones. I know." He kissed the top of her head and tilted his head away from her so he could look down. "Thank you, Bones, for listening…and for putting my head back where it belongs."

She wrinkled her forehead, "I don't know what that means, Booth."

He loved hearing his girlfriend's trademark line, which had become a bit of a joke at the lab, "it just means thanks for making me see things rationally, rather than emotionally, for a change."

"Oh, well you're welcome, Booth. Why didn't you just say that?"

"I did; I just didn't speak Brennan-ese, or whatever the hell language you speak." He grinned at her warmly.

"Booth I speak English and you know it. You just choose to use bizarre phrases that make no sense, that's all." She jutted her chin out defiantly, and he thought she was adorable.

"OK, Baby, if you say so," he chuckled as he scooted forward in his seat, preparing to stand.

"Booth, I'll walk, just let me use your arm to balance when I get up. Once I'm up, I feel pretty good." She stopped him from rising with a soft hand to his chest.

Knowing she needed her independence, he nodded, "OK, if you're sure."

She swung her legs around in front and gingerly stood on wobbly legs until he stood behind her, and wrapped his arm around her waist for support. She smiled gratefully and took a step and once she had her balance back, she did remarkably well.

"Ya know, Bones, maybe you do heal faster than most human beings. Maybe you have some of that Wonder Woman-blood coursing through your veins, making your body mend exponentially quicker than expected." She laughed at his remark and rolled her eyes. "What..? Why are you rolling your eyes at me? I'm just sayin', you never know…."

"Booth, I am healing quickly because I take care of my body and eat right. My diet and exercise routines have obviously paid off in my body's ability to restore itself quickly and accurately."

"Uh-huh… whatever, Wonder Woman…" They reached the table and she sat in her chair while he went back out to the kitchen and finished the task he had started before their conversation turned so serious, and refilled their glasses.

"Booth, Becky and Julie probably knew they were somehow related; everyone in the 'Russian as a Foreign Language Club' had Russian heritage, it was a pre-req of sorts. So perhaps they knew all along, but since their hobbies were so different, they just didn't announce it. You think?"

"Could very well be, Bones. They didn't run in the same circles, so why draw attention to a relation if you don't really have anything in common; or if the relation was so distant it may have not even been a factor back then."

Just then, Booth's cell phone rang and he saw that it was Hodgins calling, so he put it on speaker.

"Booth," he barked as he answered; and of course, his partner wanted to be known, "_AND_ Brennan!"

"Hey guys. We've had a major breakthrough. The family that owns Nadia's Gardens in Maryland owns two homes here in DC. I just emailed you guys the addresses, and CC'ed Charlie and Shaw. In all likelihood, Julie or Becky or both are right here in town. The ownership is quite buried in relatives and in-laws, but it's a start."

"Hodgins, that's great. Thanks, man."

"You bet, oh, hey, I just received an email from Charlie in response. Hang on… OK, he's gonna give you a call, Booth. So, let us know if you need anything else. Angie's going to keep working through some stuff, in case she can come up with anything else to help."

"K, Thanks, Jack" "Thank you Dr. Hodgins," the couple replied in unison before Booth disconnected.

Brennan was opening the email Jack sent just as Charlie's call was coming through to Booth's phone.

"Hey Charlie, just got off the phone with Jack; Bones is just opening the email now."

"_Booth, there are two locations that could be of interest; you'll see them when you read the email. Shaw and I are going to go check them out. Cullen wants this case put to bed, like yesterday." _

At Charlie's choice of phrasing, Brennan rolled her eyes at her partner and whispered, "Why can't he just say 'Cullen wants this case solved'? What is it with men and their obsession with putting things to bed?"

Booth ignored his complaining girlfriend with a grin while he reviewed the email. "No, Charlie, wait," Booth was looking over the addresses. "I want these places staked out for a bit. I don't want anyone going in there and tipping anyone else off." He continued to read while he spoke. "Says here the houses are vacant, but if they're not, and you guys check out the wrong one, Becky and Julie could get a tip and skip town. No, I definitely want these placed under surveillance for the next couple hours before anyone moves in. If Cullen has a problem with that, he can bring it to me." He locked eyes with his partner, "And Charlie, when it's time to move in, I'm going. So don't even think about omitting me from this bust."

Charlie was quiet for a moment. "_Yes, sir," he finally replied. "I, uh, I kind of figured that would be your answer, and I told as much to Shaw_." He cleared his throat. "_I will get a couple of teams together to go stake out the places. I'll let you know who's on each duty and I'll make sure they loop you in on any calls_."

"Good man, Charlie. Thanks. I mean, for everything, Charlie."

"_No problem, Booth. Oh hey, Shaw sends her regards to you and Dr. Brennan. Speak soon_."

"Yup, see ya." Booth disconnected the call and looked at Bones. "Bones, baby, we're gettin' closer. Soon we can wrap this case up and _put it to bed_…" He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek as she rolled her eyes again and pressed against his lips, ensuring good contact.

"I swear, Booth, I don't understand your obsession…" she chuckled and turned to face him straight on.

"Want me to take you in the bedroom and demonstrate my obsession, Dr. Brennan?" He grinned wickedly, knowing they wouldn't get much further on the case until they received some reports from the teams on sight.

"Mmm… that sounds interesting, Agent Booth..." She leaned further towards him, resting her forearms on the table, "you think you can help me better understand that colloquialism?"

"No…But I think I can knock your socks off with my prowess," his reply was cocky and confident.

"I'm not wearing any socks, Booth. Guess there's no use in going in there, then…"

"Then I'll knock everything else off, Bones. One piece at a time," he stood from his seat and gathered her into his arms.

"Booth, I can walk now; just not very fast, put me down before you hurt yourself." She admonished him playfully while she nibbled his neck.

"I know you can walk, Bones. But I like carrying you off to bed…it's very…"

"Neanderthal? Cave-man? Alpha-male?" She interrupted his thought.

"Well, I was gonna say 'satisfying' and 'romantic', but if you would rather I go all primal, then I can do that…" He bent his neck down and latched onto her neck as they entered the bedroom, and he kicked the door closed behind them.

"Sometimes a _little bit_ of Neanderthal isn't such a terrible thing…" was the last thing Booth understood before he claimed her lips, swallowing her groan, and rolled her onto the bed beneath his muscular body.

After completely drowning in her kiss, Booth slowly pulled back and drew his lips along her angular jaw, settling once again, at his destination below her earlobe. "I love this spot, right here," he mumbled against her skin, sending shockwaves throughout her entire body.

"Mmm…that spot… loves… that you love it, Booth…" she whispered into the otherwise quiet room. Bones let her hands roam across his back, feeling the rippling sensation of his muscles as he moved beneath her fingertips. Desperate to touch his smooth skin, she drifted her hands down to the hem of his shirt and tugged upward, wanting to expose his chest to her as soon as possible. When he didn't move fast enough for her liking, she let out a pitiful whine, "Booth…" along with a low grumble of disapproval at his lack of cooperation.

He smiled against her neck, taking a momentary sabbatical from marking her, "Impatient much, Bones?"

"You're wearing too many clothes, Booth…Take this off!"

With a smug, satisfied chuckle, he raised himself, so he was straddling her hips, still careful not to put his full weight against her, but comfortable with her level of healing that he could apply partial pressure. Without breaking eye contact with her darkened blue pools, he reached behind his neck and yanked his shirt over his head, revealing to her what she wanted to see.

Without her permission, her hands flew to his chest, trailing outlines of his well-defined muscles with her fingertips. He let her touch him, understanding the need; if her need to touch him was anything like his need to feel her, then he completely understood… But as she neared the waistline of his jeans, he grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, pressing them to the mattress with one hand.

He pinned her with a predatory glare, raking his eyes down her arms, to her face, across her throat and settling on the bulging buttons of her shirt. Suddenly thankful that she had opted for a button-down rather than a t-shirt, he brought his other hand to the tiny opalescent buttons and one at a time, slowly slipped them through their holes, revealing her milky white skin to his view. With a low growl escaping his chest he bent down and demanded a kiss, to which she immediately complied by opening her mouth to his. Still restraining her arms above her head with his right hand, he moved his other hand to her front-clasp bra and released her from confines, immediately causing her to arch her body towards him, her full breasts begging for attention. Never one to deny her, he trailed his mouth down her neck, over the hollow of her throat and to her cleavage, where he settled momentarily, kissing, licking, sucking. Unable to maintain the hold on her wrists and reach her breasts with his mouth, he slid down her body and brought both his hands to the undersides of her upstretched arms, holding them in place as he spent time and attention on each perk nipple in turn.

She thrust her hips up into his chest as he covered her outstretched body with his much larger frame. "Booth, I want to touch you…please…"

"Uh-uh…keep your hands up there," he spoke against the fullness of her left breast, sending shivers down her body. "I wanna do this…" He switched to the other side, pulling her rosy perk nipple into his mouth, nipping it gently with his teeth before soothing it with his tongue, and repeating.

"Boooooth…please…..let me feel you…..please…." Her begging pleas were almost his undoing, but he held strong in his determination, shaking his head to the negative as he groaned against her skin.

Moving his mouth lower on her abdomen, he was almost forced to lose contact with her arms as he continued to pin them above. And as soon as she felt his pressure lessen, she started to lower them, aiming to wrap them around his head and shoulders, but he growled at her and reached higher, once again capturing her upper arms on their underside, pressing them back down to the mattress. Sliding back up her body, he locked her stare with a hard gaze of his own. "I _saaaiiiid_…leave your hands up there…_Bones_…I don't want to have to tell you again. Do you understand?" His grin was playfully possessive and she knew he was enjoying this, but would only do so if she acquiesced.

Deciding to give it back to him, she raised an eyebrow, "and what if I don't, Booth? What are you going to do about that?"

"oh-ho-ho, Bonesy-Bones…. Are you challenging me?" He flashed a toothy grin and bent his head down to nip her earlobe gently. "Because if you are, I will tie your hands up so I can have _both of mine_ to drive you insane with want…Your body's not healed enough for me to go all Neanderthal on your ass, but it is _certainly_ healed well enough to be driven wild with lust…I will teach you to challenge Special Agent Seeley Booth…" He flattened his tongue along her jawline until he came to her lower lip, which he then pulled between his own as he locked eye contact with her. With a raise of his eyebrow he pulled back, waiting for her answer.

Panting with desire, flushed with heat pooling between her legs and fighting against her baser instinct to dominate, she pushed her alpha down deep, and became his beta… With a determined look, knowing what it would get her, she challenged him, "If you let go of my hands and I am going to be all over you, Seeley Booth…I am going to touch you, grab you, and pump you til you spill…"

He met her challenge with a knowing grin. S_o, you wanna be tied up, huh Bones? Alrighty, then_… He reached down and grabbed his discarded t-shirt, bringing it up to her wrists and winding it around them gently. They would play this game, but he wasn't going to tie her up tightly. He didn't want a momentary lapse in memory to bring her out of her passion if she thought she was completely confined. Moving from his straddle of her body, he moved to the side and affixed the other end of his shirt to the decorative faux-wrought-iron bar of the head board. Once he was satisfied with his work, he stood beside the bed, looking down at her hooded eyes, kiss swollen lips and heaving breasts.

Unable to stop the words, his voice became suddenly soft as his gaze fogged, "Bones, you're gorgeous. .God, just beautiful…" As soon as he'd said it, he switched back into their game and grinned mischievously. "Now…where was I?"

"I believe you were about to teach me a lesson about challenging you…?" she answered with bright eyes and a giddy quiver in her voice.

He laughed softly as he moved back to the bed, reaching for the buttons on her jeans. "You sound a little too excited about your lesson, there Bones." He popped the button and slowly unzipped the closure keeping him from where he wanted to be. Once her pants were open to him, he hooked his fingers into the waistband and her panties beneath, pulling them both down slowly, revealing her long, silky legs to his view.

He sat at her feet and traced his fingers over her soft skin. Lifting one foot, he brought his lips to the top and kissed her softly, the he kissed the end of each toe, thankful that her wounds had healed so well and that Cam had been able to remove the stitches a few nights prior. He could feel her body shaking beneath his touch, and it sent a little thrill through his own that he could do that to her. He kissed his way up her legs, taking time to dote on each one on his journey upwards, and he beamed with happiness when he noticed she opened her legs wider to accommodate him, the higher he moved. Her ragged breathing had turned to panting as she writhed beneath his tongue. When he finally reached the apex of her thighs, she exhaled breathlessly and pleaded, "yes, Booth…please…."

He kept his lips off her sex, but spoke while directly in front of her, allowing his breath to pass over her trembling lips that were moist with her own juices. "Please what, Bones?"

"Please, _sir_?" Her mind was reeling with want.

Chuckling softly, he replied, "That's not what I meant, Baby…" he kissed her left hip bone then moved to her right hip bone before settling back at her center, "I meant, 'what do you want', Bones? _Please_ what?"

"Oh," she was slightly startled at her instantaneous submission to this man; she had _never_ done that before – she had only read about it… "Please _touch_ me, Booth. Kiss me. Lick me. Drive me wild…please…"

"Good girl," he spoke against her core as he leaned in, using his fingers to gently spread her open, he touched just the very tip of his tongue to her clit, eliciting an immediate reaction from his lover as she thrust towards his mouth and moaned his name. She tasted delicious on his tongue and it took all his self-control to not immediately dive in full force and lick her to orgasm. Instead, he slowly traced his fingertips along the edges of her lips, only occasionally slipping his tongue into the mix, combining the sensations she was experiencing. He continued to tease her for several moments; how long, neither knew, nor did either care. He rimmed her opening, licked and suckled her clit, spread her own juices so she was covered, all the while never penetrating, and it was doing exactly what he had hoped: it was driving her wild. She was moaning in pleasure, begging for more, rotating her hips against his mouth, opening her thighs to him completely.

Booth was hell-bent to make her cum just by teasing and he knew he was close when, while he was sucking on her clit, her leg started to shake; a tell-tale sign that he had learned to recognize. Pulling back so he could watch, he spread her lips wide and blew a stream of hot air over her quavering pussy, pushing her over the edge with a final flick of her clit with his calloused forefinger. Rotating her hips and grinding against the air, Bones lifted her ass off the bed as she convulsed almost violently from her powerful, fully-encompassing orgasm. The shock waves rippled from her core throughout her whole body all the way to the tips of her toes and fingers as she screamed her partner's name, over and over, like a chant.

Booth was fascinated by what he'd just witnessed. He had, on almost every occasion of making love to this woman, watched her facial expressions when he brought her to climax. Each time she was more beautiful than the time before. But this time, this was the first time he watched _her_ as she came. He watched her delicious nectar flow from her body as her muscle spasms raked their way through her sex. He was amazed at what he saw and what he heard, when she was panting his name. The desire to have this woman, the basic need instilled within instincts as old as time itself, was overwhelming.

As he hastily popped the button to his own jeans, anxious to release himself from the straining discomfort he was suddenly feeling, he kissed her thighs, her hips and abdomen as he slowly made his way up towards her mouth. Pausing for a few moments to gently nip and nibble her breasts, he proceeded upon his bodily journey, finally reaching her mouth, which he instantly covered with his own and kissed her with abandon. While plunging his tongue in, and allowing it to dance with hers, he reached up and slowly released her arms from their gentle bind.

Bones could have pulled free from her restraint at any time, it was loose enough; but she found that she had enjoyed the illusion of submitting to her lover. And he did, in fact, deliver what he had promised. He drove her body insane with desire.

While continuing to kiss her passionately, he ran his hands up and down her arms, encouraging blood flow to return and within minutes, she had her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders as he positioned himself above her. Desperate to make eye contact as he joined them, he pulled back from their shared petting and waited for her to look at him, "Bones," he whispered.

Slowly, she raised her lids and met his burning eyes. With a gentle smile and a slight nod, he pushed himself home, causing them both to catch their breaths. One of them moaned, one of them gasped; neither knew who did what, but they didn't care. Booth set a rhythm as he pumped in and out, withdrawing fully before plunging back in, spreading her wide with his girth. She met him thrust for thrust and wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs, encouraging him to go faster.

As his tempo increased, so did her building climax, and soon she was ready to tumble for a second time. She moved her hands so her arms were wrapped around his chest rather than his shoulders, giving her more leverage to pull against his strength. "Booth - - B – Booth…yeah…" she moved her legs to widen herself. By planting her feet flat on the bed, she had the control to thrust up harder against him, and she used that to her advantage. She had learned that Booth came harder when he was pounding her hard, so she added to the sensation by meeting him with his own fervor and enthusiasm.

"Bones, c'mon, Baby, cum for me again…Let me feel you squeeze…milk me baby…c'mon!" She loved hearing his bedroom talk, and caved at his orders, every single time; and this time was no different.

With a final thrust upward, she plummeted as he bottomed out inside her. And as she shook in ecstasy, he followed her over the cliff, pumping himself dry deep inside her body with a deep growl as he fiercely fisted the pillow beneath her head. They continued to writhe against each other as they came down from their respective highs. Finally, Booth was able to shift to his side, bringing his girlfriend with him, to rest on his arm and shoulder.

" . …. That was….."

"Intense", she completed his thought perfectly. "Wow, Booth…"

They could both feel their body temperatures returning to normal as their breathing slowed. Booth grabbed the discarded blanket with his toes and pulled it up, so they could shelter themselves until they recovered.

After a few quiet moments, Bones broke the silence, "Booth…Thank you."

He kissed her forehead, "No need to thank me, Baby. It was mutually amazing."

She smiled against his chest, "yeah, but you were gentle with our game; that means a lot to me. I've never…I've never let anyone do that to me before…you know, with my arms…" She raised her eyes to look at him, "and I know you made it so I could get loose if I needed to. So thank you." Her smile was completely worth it; he was smitten all over again, like a teenager who'd just been noticed by the prettiest girl in school.

He palmed her cheek, pulling her head to rest on his chest again, "Bones I never want to do anything that you don't want; so if we ever venture into that territory, just let me know. I never want to make you uncomfortable and I will _**never**_ bring you pain. I swear."

"Mmm…I know Booth." She kissed the smooth skin at her lips and turned to press her ear to his heart, finding comfort in its steady beat. Slowly, they drifted off into a mid-day nap wrapped in each other's arms, caressing each other's sex-sensitive skin.

Nearly two hours later, Booth's cell phone woke them from their post-coital slumber.

"Booth", his voice was sleep-groggy and rough.

"_It's Charlie. We have activity at the house on 4__th__. You guys wanna meet us over at 6__th__?_"

Clearing his throat, he jostled Bones slightly, "Uh, yeah Charlie, we can be there in 20."

"_OK, see you soon_." Charlie ended the call and Booth looked down at Bones.

"You want to come along? Charlie said they have activity at one of the houses. Or do you want to stay here?" He knew the answer, but wanted to give her the option to not face her childhood tormentors who had taken so much away from her as an adult.

"No, I'm coming with you, Booth." She pushed herself up from his chest and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Let's go get this done."

With a tight nod, Booth sat up and stood, walking around to give her a hand until she stood. As she had said earlier, once she's up, she's in pretty good shape, it's just getting up that sometimes still caused her a problem.

"Alright Bones, let's do this." He gave her a quick kiss before moving towards the bathroom. "No matter what, remember that I love you, with all my heart, Bones. Always remember that."

**Postscript A/N**

**OMG – they're gonna go face to face with whatever activity is going on at the house! What're they going to face? I know… do you? **

**PLEASE REVIEW! I love feedback and it fuels my Muse to keep writing. She's a needy thing…. And she needs reviews! :-D**

**Thank you all, as always, for following my story. I am humbled, truly. **

**Peace and love my friends,**

**~jazzy **


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N Welcome back! Here we are, chapter 52... Can you believe it!? **

**OK, so this is a monster chapter, over my normal 10k–word-target by a couple...few...OK, like 5... thousand…. I hope you like it! It was an exciting one to write! :-D**

**Thank you all so much for the continued support and encouragement. We're coming into our final stretch of the story – no this isn't the last chapter; but I would imagine that the remainder of my notes will bring about another 3, maybe 4, chapters. PLEASE continue to read and review and let me know your thoughts! Your insight has been invaluable to me! AND – I would LOVE to top 800 reviews if possible…. I know we're getting close, but review numbers have been dropping off lately… I'm not sure if that means I have lost readers or that it's just too much to R&R. I understand what it is to be busy and not able to review, but if you can, PLEASE leave me a little somethin'-somethin', pretty please? (OK, enough begging)**

**Disclaimer….NOPE – still don't own Bones or its characters… just this convoluted story line. grin**

_**Previously, in 'Can You Save Her Agent Booth?': **_

_It's Charlie. We have activity at the house on 4__th__. You guys wanna meet us over at 6__th__?" _

_Clearing his throat, he jostled Bones slightly, "Uh, yeah Charlie, we can be there in 20."_

"_OK, see you soon." Charlie ended the call and Booth looked down at Bones._

"_You want to come along? Charlie said they have activity at one of the houses. Or do you want to stay here?" He knew the answer, but wanted to give her the option to not face her childhood tormentors who had taken so much away from her as an adult. _

"_No, I'm coming with you, Booth." She pushed herself up from his chest and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Let's go get this done." _

_With a tight nod, Booth sat up and stood, walking around to give her a hand until she stood. As she had said earlier, once she's up, she's in pretty good shape, it's just getting up that sometimes still caused her a problem. _

"_Alright Bones, let's do this." He gave her a quick kiss before moving towards the bathroom. "No matter what, remember that I love you, with all my heart, Bones. Always remember that." _

As Booth and Brennan sat with Charlie in their stakeout cover location, they spoke quietly about what the team had observed already. So far there had only been sightings of 3 different men covertly entering the supposedly abandoned home. Thus far there'd been no visual confirmations of their targets, and that fact didn't sit well with Booth.

"You know, Charlie, when I said to call me when you had something, I meant to call me when you had something _on our suspects_…" He was gritting his teeth and spoke through a clenched jaw, working hard to control his temper.

His partner rested a light hand on his forearm and pulled him away from the window, "Booth," she spoke quietly, "it's not Charlie's fault that Becky and Julie aren't here yet. He did exactly what you asked. Be nice…." She smiled as she softly admonished him.

"I know, Bones… I just – I just want to catch these women and move on." He was clearly bothered that they were no closer to knowing where the women were.

Charlie grinned to himself, careful not to let his superior see the humor behind his eyes as he listened to the gentle reprimand from Brennan. Never in his career of working alongside Seeley Booth, did Charlie expect to hear someone be able to counteract, let alone reprimand, the Special Agent. But Dr. Brennan certainly had a way of controlling her partner… He continued to stare out from the darkened window, discreetly observing the otherwise quite home across the opposite block.

"OK, look," Booth turned back to Charlie, "just… call me if you see anyone resembling Becky Conway or Julie Coyle. Yes?" With his eyebrow cocked at his young counterpart, Booth waited for acknowledgement.

Charlie turned from the window and beckoned Booth over, quietly. "See that bum down there?" he pointed to a homeless man begging for money from a passer-by.

"Yeah, so?" Booth's patience was wearing extremely thin as he waited for Charlie to explain.

"He's one of ours." Charlie grinned, "And that one over there," he pointed to a lady across the street, dressed up like a typical hooker, "she's with us, too." He looked to his superior, "Booth, if they show up, we'll know. I'll be observing from up here; we have the two on the street level; we've got an infrared camera set up on the roof of that building over there," he pointed to yet another location, "which feeds into this monitor, so we will be able to pick up any additional activity inside the house." He turned back and looked at Dr. Brennan, then to Booth once more. "Look, Booth, as soon as we have anything concrete, I'll let you know. But I just thought that you'd want to know that the 'abandoned' house was not actually abandoned. The other house _does_ appear to be unoccupied, however. So far, Shaw's not had any activity over there at all."

Brennan stepped forward, standing between Booth and Charlie, "thank you Charlie. We'll look forward to hearing from you in due course." She hooked her arm into Booth's and pulled him slightly, heading towards the door.

"Bones, what's your rush, huh?"

"Booth, I know you are growing impatient, and when you get impatient, you get cranky. We should go."

"What? I don't get cranky!"

"Yes, Booth, you do." Her voice was flat and to the point, but she flashed him a tiny, crooked smirk as she pulled on his arm. "And besides, I'm hungry, Booth. Let's go."

B/B/B/B

They were just finishing a very satisfying meal at the diner when Booth's phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, his face broke out in a wide smile, "Hey, Parker! How ya doin', Buddy?"

"_Hi Dad! I'm good. Can I talk to Bones?_"

"Oh, I see, your old man's not good enough to talk to anymore, huh? Gotta talk to his pretty blue-eyed partner, instead, huh?" Booth laughed as his son's huff of frustration coming across the phone connection.

"_Daaaaad. I just – I have a question for her… I still wanna talk to you, but just not right now…._"

"It's OK, Parks, hold on," he laughed and handed the phone to his girlfriend, "he wants yooouu, Bones… don't want me no more…"

"_Doesn't_, Booth, he '_doesn't_' want you '_any'_more. What kind of talk it 'Don't want me no more'? _Who_ says that?" She wrinkled her forehead at him as she took the extended phone, "Hello, Parker? How are you?"

Booth shook his head at his girl, grumbling under his breath, "Thanks, Bones… Nothing like reassuring me that my kid still loves me."

"Umm, hold on, Parker, your father is interrupting me. What, Booth?" She frowned at being interrupted from her call, but gave her full attention to the man sitting across the table from her.

"Nothin' babe, talk to Parker." He grinned and took the fingers of her free hand into his and brought them to his lips. He wasn't really upset- he was just playing; but leave it to his genius to not recognize that. And leave it to his son to prefer asking his partner questions, now that she was back in their lives. He was actually happy; he was happy that Parker called and that Parker was anxious to keep Bones involved.

"OK, Parker, you have my full attention again, seems your father can't decide what he wants…." She smirked at her lover across the table and listened closely as Parker animatedly started firing off questions. She didn't hear the statement Booth made under his breath as he held her fingers to his smile, "I know exactly what I want, baby…_exactly_." She did, however, question the look in his eye by raising her eyebrow in his direction, to which he silently shook his head, painting a look of innocence onto his ornery face.

"_Bones, what can you tell me about ammonites? Do you know much about them, like when they lived and what they were?_" Parker's tone was urgent and studious.

"Are you learning about ammonites while doing your homework, Parker?" Bones was surprised that the eleven-year-old would be studying such a subject already; although she thought that schools should teach such topics early in students' lives.

"_Nope. Remember I told you that my Grampa collects fossils? Well, he's got tons of ammonites, well not exactly tons, but he has like 8 of them, and he told me that they were ancient fossils, but he kept watering it all down. You know, I think it's awesome that he has these things, but I wish people would talk to me like I'm somewhat intelligent…not like I'm a baby. Like you do, Bones... __You__ talk to me like I'm real_." Parker's frustration was clear in his delivery, and Bones' heart went out to him immediately.

"Sweetheart, you _are _real." She met her partner's concerned eyes across their table, but nodded to him, indicating that his son was fine, just irritated. "Listen, Parker, have you told your grandfather that you are extremely interested in the fossils? That you attend science camp and are excelling in your studies? Tell him about your achievements, so he realizes you are truly interested." Bones hoped that she could offer some advice from which her young protégé would benefit.

Booth smiled, realizing what the topic of discussion was; it was the same as it always was when Parker visited his ex's parents: Parker was treated like a baby rather than the intelligent young man he'd grown into. His chest filled with warmth when he realized that the woman who claimed to have no skills with children whatsoever, was putting his boy at ease. He couldn't be happier as he reached his hand out and tucked a wayward lock hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Bones," he whispered, and blew her a kiss across the distance.

Bones continued to talk to Parker, explaining what she could about a topic that was not one of her specialties, but about which she was familiar enough to offer insight to the boy. "Well, Parker, ammonites are an extinct group of animals, marine invertebrates, that some believe eventually evolved into the modern day nautilus animal. You know that spiral shell that I have framed in the shadow box in my hallway at home?" She waited for his affirmation before continuing, "Ok, well, that's a Nautilus. There are often discrepancies surrounding the beliefs of the Ammonite's evolution, but I happen to agree with the notion. It's widely believed that they first appeared in their recognizable form during the Silurian Period and their extinction coincides with the end of the Crustaceous Period. So, they had a long existence, lasting between approximately 400 million years ago through about 61 million years ago."

She smiled, and Booth knew that his son was repeating her words back to her, committing the facts to memory. "Excellent, Parker; you're an excellent student. I think that if you tell your Grandfather that you are extremely interested, and that you want to learn more than this, he may share with you his knowledge. By sharing with him a little bit that you learned, it may prompt him to have the faith in you that you desire." She beamed at her partner, listening to what the boy was saying, before she brought her conversation to a close. "Alright, Parker, well I am going to pass the phone back over to your father, so he can talk to you a little more." She paused again, "yes, Parker, I will….OK, I love you, too. See you soon."

She handed the cell back over to her boyfriend, smiling as he eagerly took it from her with a wide grin. "Hey Parks."

"_Dad, Bones is awesome. Oh My Goodness, she is soooo smart. I wanna be like her when I grow up. Not that I don't wanna be like you, that came out wrong, but she is just so… oh, man…just so cool. I mean, she knew about Ammonites. Just like that! She didn't even have to Google it, did she? I'll bet she isn't even looking at a computer is she?_" Parker didn't pause long enough for his dad to respond.

"_Can you believe, she could just rattle off time frame when they existed? I mean, for real! She really is a genius, isn't she Dad?_" Once again, Booth couldn't get a response into the conversation if his life depended on it.

"_I can't wait to tell Grampa about what she taught me. Then, he will see that I am serious about learning. I couldn't go online to look them up, because Mom doesn't let me go onto the internet like Bones lets me do; otherwise I could have learned it on my own. But at least I knew who I could call to find out, right?_"

At this, Booth managed to at least interject his agreement, "Mm-hmm…" and Parker continued.

"_Dad when we come back home, can I stay with you more? Like more nights other than just every other weekend? I know you're gonna be working and all, but I can go to the lab or the museum and learn stuff after school, but then I could have more time with you and Bones. Most of the time I end up eating dinner with the baby-sitter anyway, during the week. Mom works late most of the time and, besides, I miss being with you...and now with Bones, too_."

Parker took a breath, but continued immediately, "_I mean, I know Mom might be mad that I am asking, but I miss you. I really miss you, dad... When I spent those days with you, I really, REALLY, had fun. I know I was off school, which was cool, but that's not it. I really liked having breakfast with you and dinner with you. And we talked; you asked me about my homework and school, Bones helped me learn stuff, I could talk about the things that I'm interested in and I don't feel like no one's listening. I feel like you and Bones really listen to me, Dad. We could still spend time like that during the week, right? Please, Dad, can I stay with you more?_"

"Parker…Parker…PARKS, breathe, son! Give me a chance to answer, huh, Buddy?" Booth was so happy that his son wanted to spend more time with him, but he knew it would not be without a battle that he'd get his boy more often. Rebecca had been much better about letting him have Parker more often, but she was still reluctant to let their son spend too many nights with the FBI agent. But now that Parks was growing up, he really needed to spend more time with his father. And knowing that Parker _wanted_ that, made Booth's eyes threaten to spill with happy tears.

"Listen, Parker, when you and your mom get back from New York, I'll have a word with her, alright? I would love to have you with us more. I love our time together and I hate not having you with me. So yes, as far as I am concerned you can spend time with us, but let me talk to your mom, OK? Just enjoy your visit with your grandparents for now, share your new-found information with your Grampa, and we'll talk more when you get home, agreed?"

"_Yeah, that'd be great, Dad. Thanks. OK, I should hang up now, before I get in trouble for being on the phone for too long. Mom says it's rude to be on the phone while we're here. Thanks for letting me talk to Bones. I miss you, Dad_."

"I miss you, too, Parker. We love you. Have fun, OK? Try to enjoy yourself."

"_OK Dad, love you too. Tell Bones I love her, too, even though I told her already, would you tell her again for me? Take care of Bones, Dad. I know you will, but I know she's probably still hurting, and I hope that she's feeling better soon._"

"I will, Parker, don't worry; she's doing much better, son." Booth grinned at the woman sitting opposite him, sipping her coffee; he completely avoided telling his boy that he'd been recently shot… he refused to cause any more worry than his son already felt. "Goodbye, Parks; call anytime you want, son."

"_K. See ya, Dad._" Parker disconnected the phone, excited to go share his new knowledge with his family.

Booth grinned as he pocketed his phone and flashed his partner a toothy smile. "Parker says to tell you _again_ that he loves you, even though he said he already told you."

"Thank you," she beamed at the delivered message, feeling warmth spread through her body at the words from the eleven-year-old. "He is really a _very_ intelligent boy, Booth. He has an excellent aptitude for retaining information and recalling it as necessary. You should be very proud of him, you know." She smiled warmly at her boyfriend as she noticed he sat up straighter at her praise of his son.

"Thanks, Bones. That means a lot coming from you." He grinned as he drank his coffee. "He told me _again_, that he wants to be like you when he grows up." He tapped his fingers on the table as he looked deep into her blue orbs, hoping she would be receptive to the other portion of Parker's discussion. "He, ah…he also asked if he could spend more time staying with me…staying with '_us_.' He said he wants to have breakfast and dinner with us during the week, rather than just the weekends."

Bones was immediately eager to agree, "Booth! That would be wonderful. I know that you would enjoy having him more often. Do you think that Rebecca will agree to amend your visitation rights?"

"I hope so, Bones. I told Parker that I will talk to her when they get home. Would you, I mean, are you OK with the idea of spending more time with him? It wouldn't be every single day and night…but, you and I, we're just establishing this new aspect of our relationship, and I want to make sure that you're going to be alright with Parker coming over more often."

"Booth, I think it would be wonderful. I love Parker; I truly do…as if he were my own. And I _loved_ spending time with him, with all of us together… Besides, I want _you_ to be happy, Booth, and I know that having Parker more often would achieve that goal."

Anyone who thought Temperance Brennan had a cold heart or was uncaring, was insane. As Booth listened to her, watched the enthusiasm in her eyes, he saw the warmest, most loving woman he'd ever known.

"Have I mentioned to you lately, how much I love you?" He smiled across the table as he held her fragile fingers within his large hand.

"Well, you may have indicated, maybe, that you like me a little bit…" she grinned coyly and playfully winked in his direction.

Booth leaned towards his partner, keeping hold of her hand, and rested against the table, "Well then, I should remedy that, shouldn't I?" He met her eyes with a dancing look of his own, "I love you, Bones. I love you, I love you, I love you…" he kissed her fingers again, "and I think you're amazing, Bones. You're gorgeous. A genius. Warm-hearted. Incredibly and undeniably sexy. Irresistible. _Delicious_… and I am _gobsmacked_ that you are with me. I am so lucky to have you with me. Oh, and by the way, I love you."

Bones' cheeks flushed beautifully, the rosy color flooding from her neck to her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and she lowered her eyes in slight embarrassment. "Booth," she whispered, "stop… I am not all those things."

"Bones, you're all those things and so many more. I couldn't begin to tell you all that you are to me." The conversation took a very serious turn as he reached across the table and hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her to raise her eyes to him. "I want you to believe me, Bones. You are so many things to so many people… You are loved by such a diverse network of people, Baby, and one of the most beautiful things about you is the modesty that you possess that you don't even realize how important you are to us all." He raised his fingers from her chin to her cheek and touched her softly and his voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "_You're everything_, Bones. Absolutely and _unarguably everything_, Baby. And don't you ever doubt that."

Brennan was slightly breathless listening to him, and he left her speechless. "Booth…" She reached up and took his hand into hers, pulling it from her cheek and kissing his fingers in turn. "I don't know what to say, Booth…" She felt that she needed to respond, but he had truly stunned her.

"You don't need to say anything, Babe. Just believe me. Because it's all true."

"Thank you, Booth. Thank you."

She fought back happy tears as he rose from his seat, tossing a twenty down on the table. "C'mon, Bones. I wanna stop at my apartment before heading back over to Hodgins' place."

She rose and felt him place his hand on the small of her back, in a familiar and welcome demonstration of care. They made their way back out to the SUV and drove the short distance to his apartment building and rode the elevator up to his floor.

"I'm glad to see that they still have the agents posted outside," Bones commented as the elevator dinged, indicating the arrival to their destination.

"Yeah," Booth poked his head out of the elevator carriage and saw that Duke was still posted to hall-duty, "me too, Bones. C'mon." He ushered her into the hall and greeted his colleague. "Man, they still have you stationed here? Are you ready to go outta your mind yet?" The men shook hands and Duke nodded to Brennan in greeting.

"Nah, Booth, it's OK. It's a job, right? Your neighbor over there brought me some chocolate chip cookies and the older lady from down the hall fed me Chicken Pot Pie last night." Duke grinned as he recalled the offerings he'd been given. "Of course, they're all fishing for information which I'm not providing, but I gotta give it to 'em for trying."

Booth laughed, "Yeah, old Mrs. Johnston down there is a nosy one, but an excellent cook, right?" Booth unlocked the door to his apartment so his partner could go sit down, "I'll be right in, Bones." Once his girlfriend was inside, Booth turned back to Duke, "Has it been quiet? Have you seen or heard anything?"

"Nothing at all, Booth. Nothing unusual, no _one_ unusual, it's been dead quiet since your shooting, man." Duke wished that he had more to offer the Special Agent; not that he wished for more 'action' as such, but he knew that Booth must be going nuts waiting for a resolution.

"Yeah, OK. Well, we're only here to pick up a few things, we're still staying elsewhere. So, we won't be long. Thanks, Duke."

Booth moved into his apartment and found his partner sitting on the floor next to and staring fixedly down at a dried blood stain, just beside the small dining table he'd been using when he was shot.

"Oh my god, Bones -" Booth swiftly moved to her side and squatted down, "You alright, Baby?" He gave her a serious look and rested his hand on her shoulder, trying to gain her attention. "Bones, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about this still being here…I should have thought…I'm so sorry..."

She looked up with unshed tears shining in her eyes. "Booth, you lost a lot of blood…" she lowered her eyes once more to the floor where she sat and spoke quietly. "I'm still sorry I wasn't here with you. I know you're glad I wasn't here, but I'm not…"

"Oh, Bones," he moved from squatting to sitting 'Indian-style' and pulled her to him, "I've never been happier that you weren't with me. If you had been shot, Baby, instead of me, I would have gone ballistic – totally crazy, Bones. I'd rather take a bullet over seeing you do so, any day." He held her gently and let her cry, knowing she just needed to get it out of her system. Mentally he was kicking himself in the ass for letting her see this; he should have thought in advance… he should not have exposed her to his dried blood on the floor. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her slowly as quiet tears wracked her body.

"Shhh…Bones, it's alright, Babe."

After several moments, Bones pulled her head back from his chest and looked up into his deep eyes. "I'm sorry I'm still so emotional, Booth…I keep trying to gain control, and the more I try, the more I struggle." She was embarrassed, although she knew she shouldn't feel that way with her partner. "I just – I just wonder what would have happened if she'd hit your chest with the first bullet, rather than your shoulder." She trailed her fingertips down the front of his shirt then back up to his neck. "What if you hadn't moved the way you did…"

"Hey," he whispered as he palmed her cheek, "remember, no 'what if's'…? Remember we agreed that we would not dwell on what we couldn't control. I'm here, you're here, and that's all that matters anymore, Bones. We're together and we're going to be fine." He kissed her forehead. "And don't apologize for your emotions, Bones. I know they're bothering you, because, at the moment, you're not able to compartmentalize, like you're used to, but you don't need to hide them from me. You don't need to be embarrassed or shielded; it's just me, Baby…It's just me…" He kissed her gently and continued to hold her until he felt her body relax.

After some additional moments of solitude, Booth pulled back and looked down at his girl. "You feel better now, Bones?" His concern was evident in his eyes and she smiled up at him, wanting him to be once again at ease. She nodded and slowly pulled back from the cocoon she'd lost herself within when he wrapped his arms around her.

Booth could tell his partner was contemplating the best way to pull herself up from the floor. "Hang on, Bones," he spoke as he rose to his full height. "Let me help you, babe." He held his hand out to her and was grateful that she didn't fight him on it; instead she simply gripped his fingers and let him pull her to her shaky feet. Once she was stable and standing, she let go of his hand and simply leaned against him as he led them out of the dining area and into the living room. He motioned for her to sit and she did, without argument, without comment; he knew she was still inwardly upset and needed to work through these feelings on her own.

"Listen, Bones, I'm gunna just gather a couple things that I want to take back over with us to Hodgins' place. What'dya think, we'll be there another 2 days or so?" Booth wanted his partner involved in the decision making process, and he wanted to get her mind off the crimson stain that just caused her to start emotionally shutting down.

She cleared her eyes as she met his gaze, "Yes, Booth, that would probably be fine. We should both be ready to come home by then, right?" She flushed slightly, "well, 'home' as in _here,_ Booth. If that's what you were thinking."

"Bones, '_home_', to me, is any place where you are. So if you wanna come back here when we leave Jack and Angela's, then this will be '_home_.' If you would rather go to your place, then, '_home_' is there." He smiled as she relaxed into the couch cushion, obviously relieved to hear his acceptance that they'd still be staying together. "Sit tight for just a few; I'll be right back out." He started to retreat to the bed room, calling over his shoulder, "you need anything while I'm back here, Babe?"

"No Booth. Thanks," she echoed in response to him as she let her eyes wonder around his tiny, but neat, living room. _It's very homey_, she thought. _Not as big as my place, but more comfortable, in a way that mine isn't. What makes his apartment feel so much warmer?_ Slowly, she stood from where she sat and walked the perimeter of the room, looking at the things that Booth felt were worthy of display. _These are the items that he hold most sacred; cherished pieces. He must feel that way, for him to put them out, not necessarily for guests to see, but because he wants to see them every day_. It had been a long time since Bones walked through Booth's home; since before they went their separate ways. When he came home from the war, he brought Hannah with him, and that had put a stop to Bones' random visits.

She smiled when she saw a photo and the model car that he and Parker had spent an afternoon making; she had been with them that whole day. Initially, Booth wasn't going to have Parker on that particular Saturday afternoon, and he had called Bones to see if she wanted to come over for a beer and hang out; he was bored and wanted company, and she was happy to oblige. When she arrived, he was just hanging up the phone, and explained that Rebecca was in a bind, and needed him to take Parker. Booth had apologized and told Bones that he had to go pick up his son. Without really waiting for an invitation, she had invited herself along for the ride, never once thinking that she wasn't welcome or that Booth wouldn't want her to share in his precious father-son afternoon, also. He had just smiled at her; _that happy, wide smile that reaches all the way to his eyes_, she recalled; and he thanked her warmly. He thanked her for understanding about the sudden change of plans and he thanked her for wanting to spend the day with them, even though they wouldn't be sharing the originally planned beer.

Instead, they shared milkshakes at the diner and a trip to the hobby store. While the boys built the model sports car that Parker had picked out, Bones took over the kitchen and made a HUGE batch of mac and cheese; enough so that Booth would have left overs for several days and Parker would have some for his school lunches that week. When the car was finished, the Booth boys posed with it while Bones took a picture of them. She printed out and framed the photo, giving it to Booth the following day, and he pulled her in for a warm 'guy'- hug, thanking her. The boys were smiling so big, she could almost hear their laughter through the photograph. It wasn't until that moment, as she was standing in his living room reliving that day, looking at that memory, she noticed Booth wasn't looking at the camera lens like Parker. Instead, his line of vision was raised; his eyes would have been looking at her, rather than at the camera. _His eyes…his smile…How could I have been so blind? He loved me back then, and I was so closed-off, I couldn't see it; I refused to see it_… Tears threatened to spring loose, so she moved on, replacing the photo behind the car model, smiling gently at the fact that she could replace the frame in its exact space, because the shelf below was so dusty. _He doesn't like clutter, but he's still a stereotypical bachelor,_ she mused.

As she ambled along the built-in shelf unit, she noticed photos of Booth and his brother as children; some with their mom, several with Hank. There were countless pictures of Parker, ranging from the time when he was a toddler through the most current school picture, holidays, shots of summer vacations he spent with his son, a couple of which she favored and also had sitting on an end table at her apartment.

Then she came across a grouping that stopped her in her tracks. There were eight small, individually framed photos and a larger collage frame containing five; each holding random shots of Booth and herself. She could remember almost every single instance when the photos were taken; and if memory served her correctly, most were taken by Angela and a couple of them were shot by Parker. The largest photo, the one featured in the center of the collage frame, was one she didn't remember posing for, but it was beautifully centered. It was taken at her first Christmas Dinner; she and Booth were sitting on the floor in front of the lighted garland framing her doorframe. Their heads were leaning towards each other, and they were obviously sharing a joke. She remembered sitting on the floor, because she didn't have enough seating for everyone who attended, and Booth offered to sit down with her, even though she'd insisted he take the last available chair. But she couldn't remember feeling as happy as she looked. They were laughing, their smiles genuine and happy, and if she didn't know better, it looked almost as if Booth was leaning in for a kiss. Even through the fuzziness of a photo, she could see his eyes were focused on hers, and from the angle of his shoulder, she could only assume he hand must have been reaching over to hers, beyond the outer limits of the picture. She flushed at the sheer beauty held within that snap-shot. She didn't usually like photos of herself, but that particular one – she could see why Booth framed it; they both looked like they were glowing, they both looked so very happy… and she wondered why she'd never seen it…

She let her eyes dance over the other twelve pictures, two of which were of her alone. There were moments captured from various times throughout their near-eight year career: a past Halloween party; an awards ceremony; a fund raising function; Angela's first (failed) wedding; sharing a drink after their first solved case _as partners_; an afternoon at the Park with his son; a sunny day on the Jersey shore while taking a break from the case… She picked up and held in her hand one particular shot that brought a tear to her eye: it was taken at her high school reunion, as they posed under the hanging stars that turned out to be the murder weapons. They looked like a proper couple, not an undercover 'story'. She had no idea that he had framed so many memories. The fact that there was as much dust on the shelf below the frames verified that he had never put these away, even after Hannah came to live with him. But the lack of dust on the frames themselves proved that he frequently dusted them, just as he did with the ones of Parker; but unlike the ones with the rest of his natural family, which displayed a thin layer of dust overall.

She held the frame close to her body as she continued moving around his living room, reading his awards and accomplishments, trying to figure out different old sports memorabilia, and basically just reacquainting herself with the man she'd missed for so long.

Meanwhile, Booth was in his room, grabbing a pair of his more comfortable shorts to wear over at Hodgins' house. While he appreciated that Bones and Angela had gathered a few pairs of shorts for him to wear, they had chosen his least comfortable pairs, but he didn't want to tell them that, for fear of sounding ungrateful. It was obvious that Bones had selected his shorts from the dresser rather than the shelf in his closet, because that is where he kept his favorite pairs.

He went over to his safe and opened it, intending to remove and take along his back-up pistol. If they were called out to a scene, he wanted to make sure he had his ankle holster in addition to his service piece; and he contemplated his additional sidearm for Bones to carry. As he stood in front of the open safe door, his gun in hand, he paused to look at the small stack of blue velvet boxes contained within…the same navy boxes that he'd collected from his office safe just a few short weeks ago. Booth sighed, hemming and hawing as he pondered the possible opportunities. Biting the metaphorical bullet, he reached in and fisted the two stacked boxes, placing them carefully into his small duffel bag as a small smile danced across his lips.

Satisfied that he had everything he needed for the next couple of days, creature comforts really, he turned off his light and headed down the hallway to rejoin his girlfriend. When he reached the living room, he found Bones standing by some of his pictures of Parker, one frame held to her chest and another in her hand, which she was studying. He quietly approached her, not wanting to distract from her contemplation, but wanting to see what had captured her attention so completely. Walking up behind his partner, Booth placed his hands on her hips then wrapped them completely around her, bringing them to rest on her stomach. Booth brought his chest flush to her back and Bones leaned into his embrace.

"Whatcha findin', Bones?" Booth smiled against the smooth skin on her neck as he dropped a kiss there before bringing his cheek up beside hers.

She hummed in approval at the feel of his lips, "I'm just enjoying some of your mementos, Booth." She held up the photo of Booth and Parker on their trip to Yellowstone a couple years prior. "You look so happy here, Booth. And so does Parker – like you two were really enjoying yourselves." He smiled at the memory in her hand and reached up to touch the buffalo-shaped frame that held it.

"Yeah, that was a good trip, Bones. I don't usually get to take Parker on such a long-distance trip." He smiled and turned his lips to her cheek, "Maybe I'll get to take him someplace like that again someday, and you can come with us." He swayed her gently in his arms, rocking back and forth slowly as she silently considered his suggestion.

"I find the idea of going away with you and Parker intriguing, Booth. But I wouldn't want to be in the way, or take away from your time with him." She turned to meet his eyes, "do you think he would mind me tugging along?"

He kissed her gently, still holding her back flush to his chest, "I'm positive, Bones. Parker will not mind you _tagging_ along with us. And neither would I."

Her smile spread wide as she let her head fall to his shoulder, "then I accept your offer, Booth. I would be honored to _tag_ along with you and your son on vacation someday." She lifted her head back up and replaced the picture frame into its spot.

"What else do you have here, Bones?" Booth raised his hand from her tummy and pulled her hand so he could see what else had grabbed her attention. He pulled her tighter when he saw that it was the photo from her class reunion that she held so close. "Huh…" he breathed, "look at that, will ya? Here we are dealing with this case, and that's the picture you honed in on…"

She leaned into him further, pressing her forehead to the side of his neck, and spoke softly, "You gave me the prom I never had, Booth. Even though it was a difficult case for me to deal with, you made that evening really special."

Booth moved his hands to her hips and slowly turned her to face him, and she instantly brought her arms up to his wide, _perfectly proportioned_ shoulders. "I wanted to hold you so much closer that night, Bones. I wanted to dance with you until the sun came up. I never wanted to let you go; you know that, don't you?"

They started to barely sway to music heard only in their shared memory of that night. "I know, Booth. When you did pull me close, I could almost imagine that we were not partners; I could imagine that we really were the married couple we were pretending to be." She wrapped her arms completely around his shoulders, drawing herself deeper into his hold, and rested her head at the crook of his neck, breathing him in slowly.

"You were beautiful, Bones. You're always beautiful, but you looked so pretty beneath the flashes of light, the reflections from the stars. You had that - - that look of innocence that I love so much."

She wrinkled her forehead and raised her eyes to meet his, "what kind of look of innocence, Booth?"

"I dunno…it's a look that you sometimes get. Don't worry, it's a good thing…" he grinned when he saw her concern, and slowly tried to explain. "It's just… sometimes your eyes are so wide, and clear… and your cheeks get all rosy…you smile that small, close-lipped smile... Like I said, I don't really know what _kind_ of innocence, but it's just a look that you get. And I love it; just like I love all your looks." He bent his head and brushed his lips to hers, softly, as he trailed his hands up and down her back, feeling the contours of her body as she moved with him.

Unsure of what to say, she nuzzled into his neck when their lips drew apart and simply thanked him.

For several moments, they remained entwined together; their arms encircling each other; almost dancing, but not quite. They each let their fingers move along the body of their partner, touching and caressing. Until finally, Booth pulled back and smiled at his lover.

"You ready to go, Bones? I got what I came for, and we can head back out, if you want. I think that Angela will be upset if we end up staying here tonight, after telling her that we'd still be there. And if we stay like this, I know, very soon, that I won't want to leave…"

Bones nodded in agreement, "yeah, we should go." She moved to put the picture back where it came from and he watched her with love in his eyes as she moved. Holding out his hand to her, she took it and they headed towards the door. She paused momentarily, her attention once again drawn to the dark red blotch in the dining area. "C'mon, Bones. I'll worry about that before we come back home, but not today. Let's go." And she let him usher her from his apartment, back down to the SUV, so they could make their way back to their temporary lodgings.

"You know, Bones, we might be able to squeeze in the first episode of X-Files if you want, before anyone gets home to disturb us." Booth grinned from his driver's seat.

"That would be fine, Booth. I find that I am a little tired; not nearly as much as I have been lately, so I know I'm getting stronger. But I wouldn't mind lying down for a little while. Can we watch it while we relax?" Although Bones' condition had improved remarkably, she had yet to make it through an entire night without waking up from hellish nightmares, resulting in her needing a nap often times in the mid-day. Booth had been extremely understanding and explained that he had been months before he made it through a whole night, so she shouldn't be so hard on herself; but as usual, Temperance Brennan didn't like being 'normal', she strived for 'extraordinary', and wanted to be over this nightmare immediately.

"Absolutely, Baby, we can crash on the couch; munch on popcorn; snuggle a bit. I know you're gonna love it." He grinned like a little kid, his excitement infectious, and she found herself looking forward to an hour or so of 'snuggling' on the couch with her boyfriend.

B/B/B/B

The partners didn't make it through the first 20 minutes of the X-Files premier before Booth felt the weight of his girlfriend grow heavier, and he knew she was sleeping. He didn't mind, she seemed to have enjoyed what she saw of the show before she was just unable to keep her eyes open any longer; he knew they'd have the chance to watch the episode again. He clicked the power off from the remote and grabbed the light blanket from the back of the couch, pulling it down over them.

Booth was lying on his back with Bones resting on top of him, chest to chest, with her head planted just beneath his chin. He had parted his legs so she was nestled between his muscular thighs and he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm around her waist, enveloping her in his warmth and comfort. That was all it took for Bones to start sinking into slumber, although she fought it for as long as she could, wanting to watch the show that was so important to her partner. After all, he had endured hours of 'Taboo' for her, while being condemned to the hospital. But the sound of his heartbeat, the radiating safety he offered, the unconditional love she felt, all played into her immediate comfort and her body's need to rest, and before she knew it, she was oblivious to everything else around her.

Booth didn't begrudge Bones this time to sleep. Instead, he just enjoyed the fact that she was still open to being with him; that she was comfortable enough with him that she would lay on his chest and fall into a deep slumber. Most of all, he was simply thankful that she was here – she was alive and well and in his arms. He had lost track of how many prayers of thanks he had sent to the Big Man upstairs, but each time he recited one, he knew that 'just one more' couldn't hurt. He smiled at the soft snores that escaped as she slept and he memorized the balance on her body weight against his. He moved his hands lightly over her back, soothing her when she became restless, lulling her back to sleep without allowing her to actually awaken. Booth didn't know how long they had remained like this, he didn't really care, but he was surprised when a soft knock at the entertainment room door sounded through the room.

He raised his head from its pillow and smiled when he saw Angela's head pop into the small opening. Seeing that her best friend was sleeping, she was careful not to make too much noise as she came around the back of the couch to speak to Booth in a hushed voice.

"Everyone's coming to dinner tonight, Booth. Cam, Wendell, Sweets and Daisy. Are you guys gonna be up to joining us? Around 6:30?"

Booth nodded, "yeah, what time is it now, Ange?"

"It's just past 5:00. But if you don't think she'll want to, it's OK. I told them I didn't know if you guys'd be eating with us or not."

"No, we'll be there, Angela. Thanks. I'll start to get her stirring; besides if we stay here too long, she won't sleep at all tonight."

"OK, then. Come on over whenever you want. You don't have to wait until 6:30, you can come over earlier. That way Bren & I can chat a bit." Angela flashed him a big toothy grin of thanks as she quietly retreated from the room, leaving Booth to wake Brennan and get her moving.

Gently, Booth started rocking his body side to side and turned on the television, causing Bones to slowly emerge from her slumber. If there was one thing that Booth would never get enough of, it was groggy-sleepy-disoriented-Bones. He found her to be adorable whenever he watched her waking up, when being disturbed, versus when she woke on her own.

With a slight scowl and a wrinkled forehead, she raised her tired eyes to meet his, resting her chin on his chest. "Wasn't ready to wake yet, Booth." Her bottom lip protruded in a pout as she turned back into his firm chest, burying her face. "Schtill sschleepy, Booof…", she mumbled against him as she fisted the sides of his t-shirt, pulling it up to cover the sides of her face, blocking out the offensive light hurting her eyes.

He chuckled, the deep resounding echo reverberating through his chest in infiltrating her ears. Without raising her face, she growled gently, "whatsso funny?"

"You are, Baby." He kissed the top of her head, bringing his hand up to smooth her sleep rustled tresses. "Wakey, wakey, Bones. We have dinner plans with your best friend in just over an hour." He let his fingers of his right hand drift beneath the hem of her t-shirt, rubbing the soft skin of her waist and the small of her back. "Do you wanna take a shower before dinner? Wake yourself up a bit?"

Still without raising her face, she nodded against him "uh-huh…"

"Ooohhh-kay…" he waited for her to move, but, unsurprising, she didn't. With an ever bigger smile than before, he bent his head further, so he could kiss her temple, "well, that means you have to move, Bones… I can carry you there, but not from this position. I need to sit up, Baby."

She raised her bright blue eyes to him, blinking to clear her vision, "you don't need to carry me, Booth. I can walk." Then she got an ornery smile, cocked an eyebrow and in a sing-song voice proceeded to proposition him. "Do you want to take a shower with me? You can help _wake_ me up?"

"Hell yeah." He met her grin with a bigger one of his own. "I'm always willing to help wakey-wakey My Bones…" The mere thought of 'helping' her in the shower sent electricity to his nether regions…which she immediately noticed and wiggled against him impishly. "OK, OK, up!" He started to shift, forcing her to move, and he slid out from beneath her, then turned to lift her from the couch.

"Booth! I told you I could walk. Put me down." She was laughing as she spoke, but really didn't put up a fight to his alpha display. Instead, she focused on the slightly straining bulge of the Sternocleidomastoid muscle of his neck and lowered her mouth to it, trailing her tongue along the length and ending up at his ear.

"Boooones…." He intended to reprimand her; instead his voice came out in a loud whisper, as if begging for more.

As he entered the bathroom, he kicked the door closed with his foot and started to lower her to the floor, taking his time so she could gain her footing. He seized her lips with his the moment he could reach them and his hands slowly made their way under her t-shirt, pulling it slowly up her body, revealing her milky skin to his view, to his touch, to his mouth. He backed her up against the wall outside the shower, still kissing her, as he reached in and turned on the water, letting the steam begin to fill the tiny space while they continued to undress each other, kissing, nibbling and suckling along the way.

As soon as they were both completely naked, they moved into the large stall that served as a perfect shower-for-two. Bones turned her back to Booth, reaching for the body gel, intent to turn back and lather his chest, but he moved in behind her instead, pressing against her back and reaching for the gel she held.

"Let me," he whispered into her ear, sending shivers coursing throughout her body. She was powerless to do anything except nod in agreement as his expert hands spread the slick soap across her tummy, waist, and hips before working up to her perky breasts. "So beautiful, Bones…" his words were hushed, reverent… "Just….gorgeous…"

Bones leaned back into his larger frame, letting her head fall against his shoulder, her forehead pressed into the side of his neck. She was thankful for his strength, for he was holding her up, in essence, as he worked over her body. He shifted so one of his thighs was perched between hers, giving her a stable platform able to sustain her weight as she sank into him. Once he had completely washed and rinsed her torso, effectively turning his partner into putty in his hands, he indicated for her to turn towards him, which she did willingly, almost trance-like.

As he blindly spread shower gel across her back, she took her chance to lather up his expansive chest and shoulders. "You know, Booth," she whispered, "I find that I quite enjoy our shared showers." She smiled dreamily, "I never thought I would enjoy them as much as I do…"

"Good, Bones…that's good." He kissed her temple as he turned her, so her back was towards the shower spray, so he could wash off the suds. "I'm glad you enjoy them, because I do, too", he smiled as she let her head fall back into the steaming stream of water.

She dug her skinny little fingers into the flesh at his waist and leaned back into the streaming water as he washed her hair, but he didn't complain about the pinching sensation. Instead he watched her intently while his fingers did their magic-massage over her scalp, drawing tiny mews and coos from her throat. He watched as the sudsy bubbles drained from her locks down his arms, and transferred to her shoulders, so they could continue their path south over the heated porcelain skin of her breasts and torso. He was mesmerized at the way they dripped from her pretty pink nipples and ran down her stomach, catching in her cute little belly button enroute.

When he was sure he'd gotten all the shampoo from her hair, he pulled her gently upright and waited for her darkened blue eyes to meet his ebony depths. Without uttering a word, the partners turned slightly and Booth reached for the backs of his girlfriend's thighs. With the grace of a swan, Bones raised her legs and locked them around Booth's narrow hips as he pressed her gently against the wall of the shower. The cool of the tiles against her over-heated skin was a welcome contrast as he moved in closer. Without ever breaking eye-contact, he lined himself up with her and pressed forward, sliding home in one easy glide.

Once he'd pushed as deep as he could, Bones let her eyelids fall closed and her lips fall open as she gasped for breath, her head falling back against the white tiles. Booth latched his lips onto her exposed throat as he established a slow, passionate rhythm. He continued the loving pace until he felt his girl's inner walls begin to throb against his engorged cock.

Releasing her creamy skin from his lips, he pulled back and looked at her face. She was smiling, panting gently; her jaw was slack, and her cheeks were flushed with that special shade of pink that he'd grown to know so well. He squeezed her ass where he maintained her weight and picked up the pace just slightly, barely containing his own composure as he watched the eroticism that was his partner.

As her fingers tightened their grip on his shoulder and neck, where she held on for dear life, her breathing pattern increased and he pressed in harder. He spoke quietly, his voice thick with desire and awe, "let go, Bones… I've got ya…." Her leg, still wrapped around his hip, started to tremble, and he thrust even further. "Cum for me, Baby…I know you're there…Cum for me _now_, Bones."

With that, just like always, she was unable to disobey his gentle order and she shattered around him, grinding against his hardened body, riding out her orgasm on his rigid dick. Watching her splinter at his words, at his touch, was all it took for Booth… With just a few more unyielding pumps, he was emptying himself deep inside, immersing himself into her depths; giving himself, everything he had, to her completely.

"Oh, Booth…" Bones breathed against his neck, sending shivers down his spine. "Oohhh…" She started to go limp in his arms and he was suddenly grateful for the wall behind her; otherwise he may have dropped her, as he still hadn't regained his stability.

"Mmmm…I love you, Bones." He kissed her neck then drew his lips along her jaw, finally reaching her lips, where he fell into a deep, sensuous kiss.

Once the blood started flowing back into his outer extremities, he pulled back and smiled at her satisfied glow. The water was cooling, and Booth refused to have their moment shaken from them by the extinguishing hot water, so he reached over and turned off the flow completely. With a warm smile, he slowly let go of her thighs, permitting her to lower her legs to the floor. But he maintained his hold by gripping her waist, until he knew she was able to stand.

"I'm OK, Booth. Thank you," she said softly, recognizing his protective stance until she balanced on both feet.

He reached out and grabbed two towels from the rack, wrapping one around her shoulders before wrapping his around his hips and knotting it in place. He held his hand out to her, and she placed her much smaller one in his as they stepped from the shower stall.

They took turns drying each other in silence, exchanging glances and smiles, an occasional peck on the lips, shoulder, neck – whatever was within reach when the urge hit. Booth stood behind Bones in front of the full length mirror and dropped her towel to the floor. Their eyes locked in the reflection and Booth brought his wide hands around her waist and rested them on her hips; then he let his eyes wander along the length of her image.

"Look how beautiful you are, Bones." He kissed her neck and chuckled at the embarrassed flush that bloomed across her cheeks. "I'm serious, Babe. Look at you…you're the picture of perfection…"

"Booth, I look at myself every day. I admit that I know I'm attractive, but I'm not _that_ extraordinary. Not like what you say…how you say it." She smirked at his romantic notions, although she loved them almost as much as she loved him.

"You're the most extraordinary woman in the world, Bones." He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, "in the world, Baby…"

"Booth, you cannot possibly make that comparison…"

"Shh… You're ruining my image…" He interrupted her interruption and grinned at her eye-roll. "So… Bones… Are you awake enough for dinner, now?"

"Actually, Booth, I could nap after that." She laughed at his agreement, but pulled herself away from his chest and turned to look at him. With a new seriousness, she palmed his cheek, "Booth, I love you. I love you with everything I have inside of me."

Leaning in for a soft kiss, he spoke against her lips. "Thank you, Bones. Thank you."

B/B/B/B

Cam was already there when Booth and Brennan made their way over to Jack and Angela's half of the house.

"Hey guys, how are you doing? You're both looking good." It had been a few days since Cam had seen the partners, and she was pleased to see their progress.

"We're good Cam, thanks." Booth answered as Brennan nodded in agreement, moving to help finish setting the table.

Just then the doorbell rang, indicating the arrival of the next guests. Angela ushered in the remaining visitors as they'd arrived together: Sweets, Daisy and Wendell, offering drinks as they walked into the kitchen. Jack filled the drink requests and Booth helped Bones move the hot appetizers out to the table as everyone chose their seats.

The dinner conversation was light and enjoyable for everyone. They avoided the topic of the case, hoping to escape it for just an evening, and spend some quality time with friends. The wine was flowing freely for the ladies and the beer for the men, as they devoured the appetizers and entrees. Once dessert time arrived, Jack moved to set the coffee pot as Booth and Sweets cleared the table.

Everyone retreated to the living room with their coffee and tea and pastries, intent to enjoy the remainder of the night in each other's company. Booth's ringing cell brought a sudden silence to the room.

"Booth," he answered curtly, hoping that it was good news.

After listening for a few moments, he raised alert eyes to his Partner while speaking into the phone. "Yeah, OK. I'll be there in a few. Thanks, Charlie." Booth disconnected the call and looked at Bones as he moved to stand beside her. "They have confirmation that both Julie and Becky are at the house." He pinned her with a serious stare and prepared himself for the hurricane. "I'm going over there, Bones. I want you to wait here. I'll take Sweets."

"WHAT!?" She was instantly infuriated. "NO, Booth. I will not wait here. I am your partner, I go where you go." She refused to let him go in there without her, even though she understood why he wanted her to stay behind. She was still not as quick on her feet as she should be. And the confrontation might turn difficult, given her history with both the targets. But she wasn't backing down. "I'll be damned if you leave me behind, Booth. If you don't take me with you, I will drive myself."

It was an ultimatum that he couldn't avoid, because he knew she would do it. "Dammit, Bones," he pulled her aside, out of earshot of their friends. "I don't want to risk you getting hurt again, Bones. I can't go through that again." His stare was steely, cold even, as he tried to distance himself mentally from what he knew was inevitably going to happen – she was going to get her way.

"Booth. You won't let me get hurt. I trust you; you'll protect me." She placed her hands on his shoulders, squaring her look on him, just as stern.

"Bones, what if I can't? We don't know what we're walking into over there. _Please_ stay here with Angela and Jack." He knew his plea was in vain, but he had to try.

"No. I'm coming with you. Now, the longer we stand here arguing, the more time we're wasting. Should we go?" Her seriousness was infallible; her clinical detachment intact.

Booth grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom.

"Booth!" she started to fight him, pulling against his hand.

"C'mere, Bones. Stop!" He pulled her to his bedside stand and opened the top drawer, pulling out his shoulder holster and gun, then his ankle piece. Finally, he pulled out his small pistol, checking the ammo and ensuring the safety was on. "This is for emergency-use-only, Bones. Keep it hidden. The safety is set, but _DO NOT_ use it unless you don't have any other choice, Bones. Promise me."

"I promise, Booth," she swore to him as she tucked the gun into the back waistband of her jeans, covering it with her shirt. When she saw his deadpan look, she locked her blue eyes on his. "I promise, Booth. I'll be careful."

He kissed her softly, "you better be, Bones." He took her hand again and walked out into the main part of the house. "Sweets! I need you to come with us too."

"ME? Why me?"

"You always say you want some action, now's your chance. C'mon, Baby Duck." Booth left no room for argument as he gently tugged his girlfriend out to the SUV as Sweets said bye to Daisy. As Booth started the truck, Sweets jumped in the backseat and buckled up for the ride.

B/B/B/B

Charlie, Booth, Brennan and Sweets squatted in the middle of the floor in the stakeout shelter, looking at a video feed from the infrared camera.

"See here," Charlie began, "this group of eight came in the back gate all together, just as it got dark. There was confirmation that Becky and Julie were among them. Our lady on the street ID'ed them."

"They're all armed, Charlie. Look," Booth pointed to the figures, indicating the outlines of weapons. "Who the hell are all these people?"

"That I don't know, man, but I _do_ know who two of 'em are." Charlie met his superior's stare. "We've got a team of five downstairs waiting for your word. You're the lead, Booth, you call the shots." Charlie waited for Booth to say it, to give the go ahead to move in.

Booth looked from Charlie to Bones to Sweets and back to Charlie. "Gimme a vest, I'm going in, too."

"Booth, you don't need to, we can handle it, man." Charlie gently argued with the Special Agent, although, just as Booth knew it was fruitless to argue with Bones, Charlie knew it was so with Booth.

"Give me a fucking vest, Charlie, I need to make sure this is done." This case had turned way more personal than Booth liked to admit, but he was determined to see it through to the end. When he felt the soft touch of his partner's hand on his arm, he turned to meet her determined eyes. "Bones – I don't want to argue with you. I need you to stay here, watch this monitor and tell me what you see." He was already popping the earpiece into place as Charlie moved over to the chest containing the Kevlar vests, finding an XL for Booth to wear.

"Booth, I'm going with you. Sweets can watch the monitor; talk both of us through it. I don't want to argue, either and I'm not going to... There's nothing to argue about." She started to pull out an earpiece from the box and called over to Charlie to pull her out a vest as well.

Booth stood from his position and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her with him, standing the side of his colleagues. "Look, Bones, I agreed to let you come; but I didn't agree to let you go in there and get shot at. I _need_ you to stay here, Baby. Please, _please_ just do as I ask… this one time. You _never_ listen to me, but I need you to this time."

"Booth, I'm not going to stay behind. Why should I? I am your partner, I need to be there protecting your back as much as you need to protect mine. I can't find out from a distance if you've been shot, Booth. I need to be there with you, if it happens. I need to be at your side; don't fight me on this, Booth. You're not going to win." Her eyes were cold and still, her jaw locked and her fists gripping his t-shirt as she stood close. "Don't leave me behind, Booth. Not this time."

He crashed his lips to hers, but only momentarily; then he pulled back and fixed the hearing device that she had in her ear, so she would actually be able to hear with it, since she had put it on wrong. He spoke to her through clenched teeth. "You do as I tell you, Bones; you go where I tell you; you move when I tell you; you stay behind me when we move into a room; you stay beside me when we're walking the wall. When we're out there, you _don't_ argue with me. Agreed?"

"Yes, Booth." She was instantly subdominant to his leadership and orders.

"Good." His stern look turned momentarily warm. "If something happens to me, you get the hell outta there. You don't come back for me, you don't wait for me. You get OUT of there. Understood?"

To this order, she only nodded, slightly frightened by his intensity.

"Promise me, Bones. Promise me now, and don't break that promise. Promise that if something happens to me, you will get out."

"I promise, Booth." Her eyes were big, slightly scared, but honest in her promise.

Just as soon as she voiced her vow, he was back into team lead-mode again, turning to Charlie to take the offered vests. He affixed hers first, ensuring that it fit snugly and covered the vital organs as necessary. The entire time he adjusted her protection, she allowed him to manipulate her body so he could ensure she was covered; she searched his face, studied his features until he finally met her gaze. "We'll be safe, Booth. We'll have Sweets watching the monitor for us; we'll be fine." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him of that belief or herself, but she voiced it anyway.

He looked at her scared blue eyes, his own worry reflected back at him. "I know, Bones." He snugged into his own vest, ensuring its fit was correct before moving back over to Charlie and Sweets. "Charlie, do you have any more throat guards?" Booth was referring to the newest form of protection, the Kevlar guard that would protect their necks from a bullet impact, should one be aimed at them.

"Only one more, Boss," Charlie handed Booth the final wrap.

Taking the black, choker-looking-guard, Booth brought it to Bones' neck and wrapped it carefully; not wanting to make it too tight, but needing it tight enough to protect her.

"Booth, you should wear this; you're going to be in front of me." Bones tried to reason with her partner.

"No, Bones. You're wearing it or you're staying here. Period." He then turned and pulled a helmet out for her; they would be using night vision on their raid, and he needed to make sure she remembered the basics of how the scope worked. After a brief discussion, he was satisfied that she was ready.

"Sweets, we're going to need you to watch this monitor; talk us through what you see as we move in. You know the routine." Booth held the young doctor's stare firmly.

"Yeah, Booth. I know it." He turned a concerned eye to Dr. Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, are you sure-"

She cut him off before he could continue, "Yes, Dr. Sweets, I am certain. Just don't blink too often, you might miss something."

B/B/B/B

As the squad made their way around the block under the cover of night, Sweets let the team know what he was observing through the infrared monitor. There were two people upstairs, and everyone else was in, what appeared to be the living room, according to floor plans.

The power to the house was cut and the team lowered their night vision goggles as they stormed in, staying low to the ground and fanning out around the perimeter of the room.

"FBI! Drop your weapons and get on the floor! Hands behind your heads!" Booth's voice bellowed through the otherwise quiet house as they overpowered the unsuspecting six people in the parlor. There was some struggle, but the eight FBI agents handled the group expertly and without major cause.

"_Booth!_" Sweets' voice crackled through the wire, "_the two upstairs are moving to the third floor. They're both armed. Proceed with caution_."

After scanning the faces of the subdued group, he knew the two upstairs were the two they were after.

"Moving up," Booth whispered into his mic. "C'mon, Bones, stick close."

The partners slowly made their way up the front stairwell to the second story floor, where, just as Sweets had confirmed, they found no one.

"_Booth, they are in the room immediately above you -to the south corner of the room. Looks like there may be a closet or hidden area of some sort. Blue prints don't indicate anything there, but those two are definitely behind some sort of thin wall_." Sweets interpreted what he was seeing, letting his eyes become Booth's.

Keeping in front of his partner, Booth moved silently to the stairwell, and although the infrared monitor didn't show anything here, he scanned carefully and proceeded with extreme caution; not only looking for people who may have slipped below the radar, but also looking for traps. Hugging the wall are they approached the top of the stairs, he swung his arm back, ensuring Bones was pressed against the wall as well, and immediately behind him. Upon making contact with her, he was reassured and pulled her down low, to a crouch. Motioning for her to stay put until he scanned the area immediately before them, she nodded in agreement.

Booth soundlessly moved about the tiny area at the top of the staircase, satisfied that there was nothing here, he waved his girlfriend forward, indicating that she stay low to the ground. As soon as she was once again at his side, he tapped the wire, sending a silent signal to Sweets for an update.

"_Still in the same location, Booth. South-west side of the room to your east_." Sweets studied the floor plans once more, quickly, "_Wait, Booth. Wait_."

Impatient tapping came through the wires again, indicating that Booth didn't want to wait any longer, and that Sweets had better hurry it the hell up.

"_Yeah, yeah, Booth. Hold your horses. I'm trying to find you a better way in there_." Sweets cross referenced the 2 sets of floor plans he had been given. "_OK, Booth, you're gonna continue straight ahead, go into the second room on your right. There's a connecting Jack-n-Jill bathroom to the room that you want; but they won't expect you to come through there. These two are going to expect you to enter the room from the main door_."

Sweets could see on the monitor that the pair was taking his direction; he could see their movements glowing bright on his screen.

Booth entered the room as instructed and quickly ascertained they were alone, and indeed, there was a bathroom off to the side. Reaching back, he grabbed Bones' hand and pulled it to the waistband of his jeans, indicating that he wanted her to trail immediately behind him, mimicking his every move. She understood and held tight to his belt loop as they moved through the darkness, their bodies nothing more than shadows.

They moved slowly through the bathroom towards the room at the opposite end, cursing that the door was closed. Barely more than a whisper, Booth spoke to his team. "Need a noisy diversion, in 3… 2… 1…."

Immediately a thundering raucous roared up from downstairs as the team yelled at their detainees and fired warning shots. It was just want Booth needed to be able to open the bathroom door, and avoid the squeakiness that was bound to erupt from the old hinges. Once the door was open, they flattened themselves back against the bathroom wall, in case their movement had been noticed.

"_Booth_," Sweets' voice crackled once again, "_they're moving. Stay where you are. Hang on_." There as a pause too long for Booth's liking, and just as he was about to tap the wire, Sweets broke in. "_They're moving slowly towards the middle of the room, Booth…Towards the main door. They stopped; looks like they're flanking either side of the entrance. They're planning on jumping you as you come through that door, so your current situation is in the clear. Move quietly and quickly, though, I don't think there's much between you and them once you're out in the room._"

Booth wished he could look into Bones' eyes just once before heading out into the room. Instead, he settled for reaching over to her, finding her hand and squeezing it. Then he found her other one, the one holding the gun, and he felt it, ensuring the safety was off. He made sure she knew what he was doing and he pointed the gun downward, indicating her to her keep it lowered. She understood him completely and tapped his leg with her free hand.

Standing to his full height, Booth quickly moved into the room and immediate zeroed in on the two figures standing by the opposite door. "Freeze! FBI. Drop your weapons! NOW!" The two figured turned towards him, but didn't release their guns; instead they were trained in his direction.

The FBI had the benefit of night vision, whereas his two targets were aiming blindly; the latter was almost more dangerous than if they could see. He dropped to a crouch and pulled Bones behind him, using his body as a shield, while aiming his gun.

"Becky, Julie, drop your guns. It's over." His voice was one of authority and his order was clear.

Becky moved, flicking on a flashlight in the direction of his voice. Booth was just in time to flip his goggles so he wouldn't be blinded by the infiltrating light, and he shined a brighter light back at her.

"Becky Conway, you're under arrest. Julie Coyle, you are under arrest. Now, lower your weapons to the floor; otherwise we have to do this the hard way." Booth steadied his racing heart. This was a familiar outlet for him; he needed to calm himself. He knew his way around a stand-off. But he didn't know his way around a stand-off with the love of his life standing behind him.

Becky laughed at the order, "you really think I'm going to just surrender to you, Agent Booth? Really? You think I am going to lay down my gun and let you take me in? You're insane."

"Becky, c'mon. We don't need it to be like this. You're law enforcement. If you cooperate, you know it will be better for you. You know they'll go easier on you if you don't put up a fight." He tried to reason with her, using the techniques that she was sure to know, given her status with the Sheriff's Department.

"You're full of shit, Booth. They won't go easy on me, _because_ I'm law enforcement. They'll be happy to string me up for a flogging; I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way after all." Her eyes flickered and caught sight of Temperance in the background, causing her to move her target sight.

With an evil grin, she looked at Booth, "The question of the day is, Booth, how are you going to manage to take both of us out before one of us takes out your little girlfriend back there? Huh? You can't shoot us both at once… and by the time you've shot one of us, Temperance will be dead. And you'll have to live with that the rest of your life… That's the ultimate revenge for us…you knowing that you couldn't save your partner; your best friend; your_ lover_."

Bones spoke up, softly, "Becky, Julie, why are you doing this?" Her emotion was evident and it pulled at Booth's heart to hear her vulnerability as she faced her former class-mates who caused her such pain.

Booth's eyes darted from side to side, calculating the distance between the two felonious women. Movement behind the women caused them to go onto their guard, and caused Booth's hackles to rise.

"STAND DOWN!" his order rang out to the agents surrounding the outside of the doorway. "The situation is under control in here, stand down!"

He could hear the retreating footsteps of his colleagues as they backed away, as ordered.

"Becky, Julie, c'mon, now… Let's deal with this like civilized people." He tried to reason with the women, knowing this stand-off was going to end ugly, one way or another.

Julie, who had been silent until that point, decided to speak up. "You wouldn't understand, Temperance, why we did this. You wouldn't understand because it has to do with family. And you don't have any family, so you don't know what loyalty is, you uppity _bitch_." She raised her gun higher, ready to fire when Booth interjected, distracting her.

"No, no, now…Julie that is not accurate." Booth moved so he was stationed between Bones and Julie, but his gun was still aimed at Becky. "Bones here does, in fact, have family; and she knows more about loyalty than anyone I've ever met. So your logic is flawed."

"_Good Agent Booth, get them talking. Keep them talking; get them to lower their guard so you can move in_." Sweets' words invaded Booth's ears, uninvited, and he ripped the wire from his head; he knew how to handle a hostage type situation. But he had his own plans on how to handle this situation. And he didn't need a twelve-year-old telling him what to do.

It was Becky's turn to snort in laughter. "Oh, Temperance has family? HA! The family that abandoned her when she was a kid, so they could go on the run? A brother who didn't even love her enough to finish raising her? They left her to the care of foster families because they couldn't care less about their socially-awkward- Little- Temperance… that's the family you're talking about, Agent Booth? You're funny." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she steadied her sights on the woman who'd been a thorn in her side as a kid, always showing everyone up with her grades; the same woman who'd been involved with the case that locked Julie away; the same woman who was partners with the Agent who locked away Will. _Yeah_, she thought to herself_, Temperance is goin' down…And Seeley's gonna have to live with it_.

Booth spoke up, "NO, that's not the family I'm talkin' about. I'm talking about Bones' other family. I'm talking about _me_, you fucking bitch!" He fired a shot at Becky, hitting her in the throat, and immediately swung his aim towards Julie, as he fired off another shot, aiming at Julie's chest, but only taking out her shoulder. A second shot echoed into the small room just as Booth's second round left the chamber, and he felt instant pain and pressure in his chest as he was thrown backwards into Bones, pushing her out of the way. He raised his pistol, taking aim and his third bullet struck home, pinning Julie to the wall with its impact to her heart, split seconds before her lifeless body slid to the floor, leaving a trail of blood dripping down the wall.

Booth stubled backwards, unable to maintain his balance, and he felt his head caught and cradled by his partner before it hit the floor.

"BOOOOTH!" Bones' scream filled the room as everything suddenly went into slow-motion.

Three agents stormed in, using the doorway she and Booth had used. Charlie ordered his back-up over to the two suspected dead, on either side of the door, as he crashed to the floor, seeing their team lead's head cradled in his partner's arms.

Charlie ripped open Booth's shirt, revealing a flattened round buried deep in the Kevlar vest. He sighed I relief and looked up, expecting to see Booth's eyes closed simply from the impact of the blow. From experience, Charlie knew hits like this, at the very least, knocked the wind out of Agents; even the strongest among them could be injured. Instead saw Dr. Brennan's lips tangled with Booth's, as his boss fisted the long chestnut hair that hung down, like a soft canopy shrouding the partners.

"_Somebody talk to me! C'mon guys! Is everyone alright? What's happening? Agent Booth? Dr. Brennan? Hellloooo?"_ Sweets was whining over the wires, waiting for the outcome to be relayed.

Charlie shook his head with a small smile, "Everyone who matters is fine, Dr. Sweets. Good job over there; you're a great pair of eyes, man." He stood from his post next to the Special Agent and began barking orders to the subordinate Agents that were flooding the scene. He tried to stand 'guard' so to speak, over Booth and Brennan, giving them a few minutes, but when those minutes turned longer and longer, Charlie finally shuffled his feet, kicking Booth in the ass, and finally gaining his attention.

Darkened brown eyes looked up at him, as did fiery blues, giving him a look of '_what the hell?_'

"Sorry, Booth, but, uh, you're gonna be expected to give some orders here, man… I did what I can, but I'm not the lead. Unless you're out of commission, that is… and from the looks of it, you're doing pretty good…." Charlie grinned at the guttural growl her heard from his superior. "HA! You _do_ growl! I knew it!"

"Fuck off, Charlie; help me up!" Booth demanded with good humor as he turned to pull his partner to her feet. "C'mon Bones. Let's get this wrapped up. I didn't get to eat my dessert before we came over here." He pulled her in close, whispering, "are you alright, baby?"

She nodded against him, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill. "I'm fine, Booth. I'm OK."

He pulled back and smiled, then turned hard as he faced his team, "Alright! This is what we're going to do-" And he proceeded to give orders to his team, until everything was finally wrapped up, at which time he turned to find Sweets sitting with Bones. Walking over to her, he extended his hand, "let's go home, Bones. I'm hungry."

She met his smile with one of her own, "Angela probably put the desserts away already, Booth; it's been a couple of hours. We may have to stop for something on the way."

"Nah, what I want can't be bought at a store. C'mon…" he winked at her as he pulled her towards the exit, kissing her cheek on the way.

"Aw, man! C'mon, guys, did you have to go there? I wanted dessert too, and now all I can picture is what Booth _really_ wants…" he pouted as he followed the partners back towards the SUV, shoving his hand in his pockets with a frown. "Now I probably won't even get dessert either…"

The ride back to Hodgins' was fairly quiet. They all knew that everyone would still be waiting for their arrival, so there was never any question about returning to Jack's. Booth held onto Bones' hand across the console from the time they left the scene until they reached the house, unwilling to let her go for even a second. As they pulled through the gate, Sweets broke the silence, "Hey guys, I got the seating arrangement for the Fund Raising and Awards Gala, I meant to tell you earlier. I'll leave it in your office tomorrow, Booth."

Booth didn't care. Bones didn't care. They had other things on their minds, and it was _not_ the Awards Gala; but they had to see their friends before they could have any time alone, so they silently agreed to make it a quick debrief, and they entered the house, receiving hugs from all.

**Postscript A/N**

**OK, so like I said, it was a long chapter, but I think that if I ended it where I originally intended to end it, I would have had an email Inbox flooded with hate mail…My original intention was to end it when Booth fell backwards into Bones' arms during the shoot-out…but that would have been mean, right? And if jazzyproz is anything, she isn't mean. LOL **

**SO - - - Did you like it? I've never really written a full blown shoot-out scene, and I hope it was alright. I tried to relay to you, what I saw in my head, and how I imagine it would have played out on a TV or movie screen. Hope I got the point across. **

**PLEASE (yes, I am begging again) Review! **

**Like I said, we're not done yet! We still have some more cuddly B&B time coming up, the Fund Raising gala, Parker's return and whatever else my crazy little Muse conjures up… And WHO were all those armed people in the house, anyway!? **

**Thanks, as always, for your loyalty and support. **

**Peace and love, my friends**

**~jazzyproz **


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N Hello and welcome back! THANK YOU so much for helping me to reach my goal of 800 reviews! WOW! I'm humbled (as is my Muse) every time I hear from one of you. Thank you. **

**So, here we are with chapter 53…I immensely enjoyed writing this chapter and the sweetness held herein, and I hope you do, too! Please R hearing from you all not only fuels my muse, but helps keep me in line with what you want to read! **

**Disclaimer: can you believe that I STILL don't own Bones? For real? Haven't I earned the rights yet? Hahahahaha I crack myself up… LOL **

Booth and Bones stumbled into their room, both shaky on their feet after celebrating long into the night with their friends.

"Uh, I thought we were going to make it an early night, Booth…" Bones giggled as she tumbled onto her side of the bed, barely kicking off her shoes in the process.

"Hey, they're _your_ friends, Bones… it was your job to tell them to go the hell home…" Booth flopped down to his side with a deep, chesty chuckle.

Bones rolled onto her left and looked at her partner. "Booth…Angela and Hodgins _are_ home… _this_ is their home!" She smacked his bicep playfully. "Wait a minute… whattya mean '_my friends'_? They're your friends, too!"

"I _know_ this is Hodgins' place, _genius_… I'm talking about the _other ones_ who wouldn't go away… _And_, they wouldn't be _my_ friends," he pointed to himself dramatically, "if they weren't _your_ friends first…" he pointed to her with similar flair. "Therefore, the responsibility rested on _you _to tell them we wanted to have celebration sex and they needed to go A-W-A-Y." He laughed as he attempted to sit up, but simply didn't have the energy.

Bones giggled and looked up at Booth's handsome profile, "Oh, so since they didn't go home earlier, does that mean you don't want to have celebration sex anymore? Aren't we still celebrating?"

The genius-half of the team squealed as Booth quickly and efficiently rolled her onto her back and instantly covered her body with his own. His movements were lighting fast and she never even saw it coming… her hands were pinned on either side of her head, beneath his wide palms, and Booth was immediately nestled between her thighs, his weight pressing against her torso intimately.

"Oh-My-God…Temperance Brennan… Did you just _squeal_? Did I actually make you _squeal_?" His face was centimeters from hers; she could feel Booth's lips _almost_ touching hers, and she puckered up, trying to reach him, but he pulled back with a huge smile. "uh-uh… Nope… that was too fucking adorable… I made Dr. Brennan squeal…" He gloated as he held her hands strong, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I have to bask in this glory for a few minutes, Baby…" Instead of kissing her on the mouth, like she wanted, he lowered his head to her neck and started to nibble, smiling against her creamy skin.

"Squeal for me again, Bones…C'moooonnn…. You know you wanna…" He pressed his lips against his skin and blew a loud, obnoxious raspberry at the crook of her neck, eliciting the very sound he was looking for, as she wriggled beneath his weight. He grinned smugly and moved up to her ear, breathing his words rather than speaking them. "That is so _fucking_ sexy, Bones…I don't think I ever heard you squeal…And _Goddamit_, I wanna hear it again, and again, _and again_….for the rest of our fucking lives…"

The several servings of expensive bourbon Hodgins had served him allowed his swearing-sensor to falter…and hearing his raw desires immediately caused Bones' cheeks to flush in anticipation.

He pulled back and looked down at her, noticing how the alcohol she'd drunk earlier caused her eyes to appear to have difficulty focusing. He raised a comical eyebrow at her and flashed that crooked, goofy smile that always made her heart (metaphorically) melt and the sleeping butterflies in her abdomen awaken with a flurry.

Defiantly, she raised her own brow in response, mocking insult, "Just what are you grinning at, Agent Booth? Do you see something that humors you?"

That sexy smile turned to a genuine smile of adoration, "No, but I see something that certainly turns me on…and I am grinning at the most beautiful creature that ever walked the face of this earth…"

Her playful boldness disintegrated as her eyes softened, "Boo-"

He cut off her rebuttal with a full-on, solid kiss to the mouth, soft and strong, full of promises and hope. After several moments of dueling for dominance, neither partner winning, Booth pushed himself up, slightly, so he could look down at her. It was then that Brennan noticed how wet Booth's eyes were, filled with unshed tears.

Untangling her fingers from his, she brought her tiny palms up to his stubbly cheeks. "Booth? What's wrong, Booth?" Her immediate concern was evident, marring her perfectly smooth forehead with wrinkles.

Sitting up, perching himself on his knees, he pulled her hands so she would sit up as well, facing him. "Bones, I-" he stumbled, surprised himself at his sudden flood of emotions. "Bones… I love you so much. Tonight… in that house…with the gun fire and yelling…" Booth let his head hang, looking down at their re-intertwined fingers where they rested on her thigh. "Bones, all I could think about was getting you out of there safe…making sure you weren't hurt…And I know you were wearing a vest…and so was I, but…all I kept seeing and thinking about was that Becky was law enforcement; she _knew_ we'd be wearing vests; she could have taken a shot at our heads…at _your_ head…and I would have lost you. For good, Bones. If I had lost you…" He let his sentence drop off and raised her fingers to his lips, kissing them softly. "I'm just so happy that we're both safe; that we made it through tonight, Babe. And now…_now_ we can really begin to move on." He searched her eyes for understanding, and found complete and utter openness staring back at him. Barely whispering he continued to speak his thoughts aloud. "We can move on with our lives, Bones. Our life together."

As Bones studied Booth's face, listened to his words and felt his touch, she, too, was thankful that tonight's raid was a success. It easily could have gone the other direction; she had heard of plenty of busts that went wrong, and in her heart she knew she had Booth to thank for the successful completion. _OK_, she corrected herself, _there were other Agents involved, but Booth, my-Booth, kept me safe and alive_. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. "I find that I am very much looking forward to that, Booth…To my life with you." She smiled when she saw his happiness and she knew she'd said the right thing.

Once again his mouth was on hers, demanding entrance which she granted. She could taste the bourbon that he'd been drinking with their friends, the cigar which he'd smoked with Hodgins (which, she thought, she could have done_ without_…), and then just him…the distinct taste that was Seeley Booth. He, in turn, could taste the wine she'd had with the ladies, the 'fancy-schmancy' chocolates they'd eaten and _his-Bones_…that same taste that he fell in love with nearly eight years ago outside that dingy pool-hall where she left him standing in the rain.

He pulled back and untangled his fingers from her mussed hair, dragging his fingertips down her cheeks as he did. "Bones-" she noticed he looked hesitant, so she raised her eyebrows in unison. He started again, "Bones, I have something for you…" He rose from the bed and walked over to his duffle bag, keeping his back to her. Rummaging through the bottom of the bag, his hands found what they were looking for, and after another moment of thought, and finger juggling the two boxes, he pulled out the larger. Turning back to face his girl, he noticed that she'd moved to the center of the bed and was sitting upright, Indian-style, and watched him with wide, doe-eyes, clear as the morning sky. Her cheeks were flushed, a healthy rose color adding to her beauty, and her lips were swollen from their heated kisses just moments before.

Keeping his hand, and its contents, down to his side as he walked over towards her, she noticed he was displaying evidence of nervousness; not her typical cock-sure Booth, she mentally notated.

'Bones…I know that…" he swallowed hard, then looked into her eyes, immediately finding a sense of calm. He continued on his path and sat down on the edge of the bed before sliding over to face her, also choosing to sit in a lotus position. "I know that you have some really nice stuff…And I know that you can buy whatever you want…But this….this is something really special, and it has a really special story that I will share with you…" His nerves returned, with a vengeance, and she could hear it in his nervous words and slightly shaky voice. He was looking down at his own hands. "If…. If you don't like it…. Or if it's not something that you _want_….then…"

She could see that he held a small, navy blue velvet jewelers box in his hands, resting in the empty space created in his lap. Her heart suddenly leapt and she felt a small lump in her throat. But, she stilled her features, and rested a calm hand on his knee, the heat from her skin penetrating through the denim jeans. "Booth, whatever it is…just…relax. OK?"

He looked back up and met her deep blue eyes, and without another word, he raised his hand and passed her the thin box. A moment passed, maybe two, before he spoke again, still extending his hand towards her. "This is for you, Bones. I hope you like it. I hope you'll accept it. I love you with everything I have, Bones…"

With shaking fingers, she took the present he was offering and smiled at him, fighting back nervous tears that threatened to spill forth, "Thank you, Booth." Her words were whispered as she looked down and started to open the present. Staring up at her was one of the most beautiful sets she'd ever laid eyes on. It was a baguette-cut diamond chain necklace and heart-shaped pendant, with matching dangle-earrings, complete little hearts adorning the bottoms. The diamond outlined heart was filled with multiple sparkling sapphires, nuzzled together in a tight setting, creating a breathtaking look that shimmered with prisms. The tiny hearts on the earrings each featured classic cut sapphires. The set took her breath away. "Booth… They're… _gorgeous_." She looked back up to him, now her eyes were the ones wet with tears.

She knew these were expensive; she _knew_ jewelry… and _this_ was a _nice _set… And she knew Booth didn't have a ton of money, so she could only imagine that the set put a big ding in his pocket. That he would buy her something like this astounded her. "Thank you, Booth…Thank you so much… I don't know what else to say…" She looked back down at her treasure as her tears started to fall.

His smile grew when he saw that she really liked it; genuinely and truly. "Actually, the earrings are from Parker, too. He has to do chores for the rest of his natural-born life…" He chuckled and hooked his finger under her chin, drawing her eyes up to meet his. When he saw the tears, he thumbed them away quickly and gently, "Don't cry, Bones…please don't cry."

"I can't help it, Booth… No one's…. No one has ever given me something like this… Something so beautiful…" Her sniffles filled the room and he leaned in for a soft kiss before pulling back again.

"You deserve it, Bones. You deserve everything, Baby." He rested his forehead against hers and looked down at the jewelry with her. He was quiet for a moment, and then wanted to explain the story behind the set.

"Bones, do you remember the photo of Parker and me at Yellowstone? The one that you were looking at when we were over at my place?" When he received her acknowledgement, he continued. "Well, while we were out West, we went Sapphire mining. A _real working_ mine, Bones… It was AWESOME. We had so much fun. We were there in the morning, when they blasted a new grid and brought in the dirt and rock, and we spent the whole day mining…and we were _absolutely filthy_ as the afternoon progressed. By the end of our 'adventure', you may not have recognized us… We loved it." His memory of that day was obviously fond, because she could see his excitement build from within. "Well, anyway, these are the best of the stones that we mined. Not the diamonds, it wasn't a diamond mine; just the sapphires. The earrings were the ones that Parker mined. The rest of his, he is saving for his future…Becca has them in her safe deposit box." He grinned at the idea of his son saving his treasured gems for his future bride… "But he wanted to contribute when he found out what I was doing with my stones. And so, there you have it…"

Bones let her fingers trace the large heart shaped pendant that was filled with the bright sapphires, all different sizes and shades, and all cut elegantly, expertly faceted. She was still slightly speechless.

"In total, you have about 7 carats of sapphires; I don't remember how many in diamonds… All the paperwork is in my safe at home." When she still didn't speak, he continued. "Sapphires can be found in nature in several different colors; that's why the heart is so many shades. In fact, the only color that you _won't_ find in a sapphire is red; a red sapphire is actually what they categorize as a ruby. But the various shades are all natural. The jeweler offered to chemically alter them, to make them all match, but I didn't want them changed; I only wanted them faceted and set. That way you could enjoy them as they were meant to be seen. We did try to find the two closest in color and size for the earrings…but I think they might be a shade off…" He looked down at the box, slightly concerned that the variation may bother his girlfriend. He smiled, and pointed to the large pink one at the point of the heart. "That one, there…that was the only pink sapphire found at the mine that whole month…Everyone was quite excited when I was having my stones analyzed. Apparently, it's pretty rare to find a pink one…especially a pink one that size. I think that is, like, 0.77 carats alone. Well, it was before it was cut, anyway."

OK, so now it was nervous talk, because she still wasn't speaking. She was just staring down at the thin box she was holding tightly in her fingers. She had told him it was beautiful. She thanked him… but he couldn't figure out if she wanted it or not…was she having second thoughts about accepting it? Was it too much, too soon? _Dammit, Seel, why didn't you wait for another day or week or something?_ He mentally berated himself for moving too quickly… He was scared of pushing her too hard…too fast…

Then she looked back up at him. Her smile was plastered across her face and her eyes shone with love and gratitude. All his worries were washed away with just that one look of appreciation.

"So…do you…like it? It's OK?"

She crashed forward, snapping the box shut, but keeping it in her tight little grip, sandwiched between their bodies. Her lips assaulted his, and this time, it was she who was demanding entrance, to which he readily agreed. He was bodily bowled backwards, as her weight was thrust in his direction and she landed on top of him, kissing him like it was the last time she'd ever get the chance. He unfolded his legs, with a great degree of difficulty, and finally let her settle in the "V" formed by his spread thighs as he lay beneath her. He splayed his wide hands around her waist, holding her close and as soon as he had the opportunity, he flipped them over, so she was then beneath him.

He smiled into the kiss when she growled in retaliation of the dominance-reversal, and he let her roll them again, so she was back on top. When she pulled back, smiling triumphantly at besting him, he cupped her neck and pulled her back down for more. Booth never thought he would ever love kissing a woman as much as he loved kissing her. Of course, he loved doing everything with her… but kissing her was on his top 5 activities list. After several more moments of heavy petting and making-out, Bones pulled back once more. "I have to use the bathroom, Booth. And I want to try on my new jewelry." She smiled excitedly and rolled off of his firm body, standing slowly, and still a bit drunkenly, before making her way towards the ensuite restroom.

Booth admired her as she made her exit from the bedroom, studying the way her body moved. She was standing nice and straight, much straighter than she had been since he rescued her from that horrid basement. Her jeans were snug and hugged her curves in all the right places, causing his mind to go places that he used to only dream about…Now, with the knowledge of what was actually concealed by that pair of pants, his imagery was much more vivid, and his cock immediately followed his brain down that gutter…

Shaking his head, he pulled himself out of his daydream stupor and up from his lounging position. Standing at his bedside, Booth peeled off his tight FBI t-shirt and popped the button to his jeans, wondering if, after all the alcohol they'd ingested that evening, they'd even be able to enjoy celebratory sex; he was hoping against all hope that his little guy would cooperate, but knew what bourbon did to him sometimes…

With a dreamy smile on his lips, he let his mind wander. He thought about everything they'd been through to get them to the point at which they currently found themselves. He thought about how many years he'd longed to be able to call Bones 'his', and not get his ass kicked for it. He thought about how perfect it felt when they were together; whether they were sitting in the SUV, at the diner, in her living room or making love, they were perfect together. Just as he was about to push his jeans to the floor, the bathroom door opened, revealing, to his exceedingly thankful eyes, the woman of his dreams, standing proudly in all her naked glory, adorned only in the set of jewelry he'd just given to her. She'd swept her hair up into a messy bun, allowing a few wispy tendrils to fall down, framing her face in a picture of perfection.

Brennan stood in the darkened doorway connecting the bathroom to the bedroom, her arms hung loose at her sides and her hip cocked to one side as she paused. With a seductive smile and tilt of her head, she met Booth's gawking stare. "Do you see something you like, Agent Booth? A necklace and earring set, perhaps?"

_Oh my God_, Booth thought, as he felt himself growing hard. _Thank you wine and chocolate for the inhibition you provide... Thank you bourbon for __not__ impeding my little guy… Thank you sapphires for bringing out the amazing color in Bones' eyes… Thank you God for creating such a fucking beautiful woman. Sorry for the swearing, God, but you know… she __is__ fucking beautiful…Even as the Big-Guy upstairs, you couldn't deny that…_

Booth walked around the foot of the bed, aiming directly for his partner, as if in a trance. "Bones…" He reached her with just a few long strides, and stood before her, nearly touching her inviting skin, but wanting to admire her just a moment longer. Taking her hand, he pulled her gently from the doorway and to the middle of the room, where he could walk around her completely.

Bones didn't shy away from Booth's examination of her body; instead she stood, pleased with herself for being the cause of the intense look in his eyes. As she stood perfectly still, her shoulders squared and her gaze hungry, Booth circled her, trailing his fingertips lightly along her skin. Sometimes he was touching her face, sometimes her shoulders, other times her waist. He let the roughened pads of his middle fingers each run the length of her arms, as they hung at her sides, and when he reached her hands, he took them gently in his own, pulling her arms straight out from her body, giving him an eyeful of her all-natural gifts. She could feel her nipples harden at his ravenous stare and her mouth went dry when she saw the impressive bulge trying to break free from his partially-opened jeans.

Innocently, she widened her eyes and with a saccharine-sweet tone, asked him, "do you like my jewelry, Booth? Do you think it looks pretty?" She waited for his eyes to travel back north, and when they did, he sighed in appreciation.

"They pale in comparison to you, Bones. They don't come close to matching your magnificence, Baby." He closed the minimal space between them, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against his body. He noticed that when she was in the bathroom, she must have sprayed some of her jasmine perfume, because he became intoxicated as he breathed her in. He nuzzled his nose against the side of her head, in her loose up-do, and just held her. "Bones…if it's possible of dying from too much sex…I think you're going to be the death of me…Because I plan on making love to you all night long, Baby. _.Long_…" He lowered his lips to the velvety-soft skin of her neck and started to suck, soothing the hard sucks with gentle licks and kisses. "And I _am_ going to mark you, Bones…I just thought I should warn you…"

"MMmmm" she hummed her consent as she dropped her head back, knowing how much he loved it when she bared her throat to him. "I don't think, Booth, that there's ever been a case of anyone dying from too much sex…So I think we're safe to proceed…"

He growled quietly as he changed sides, giving the opposite side of her throat as much attention as he had given to the first.

"And I find that I am quite aroused at the prospect of you marking me again, Booth…It's been over a week since you did that." While he held onto her, around her waist, letting his hands splay wide across her lower back, she brought her tiny fingers to his waistband and pushed them between his pants and his smooth, olive-tanned skin. Once she had gotten her hands into his pants, she pushed them down. "You're wearing too many clothes, Booth…"

Without breaking contact with her neck, Booth stepped out of his pants and brought his hands down to the shapely globes of her ass, squeezing roughly. With a deep, throaty rumble, he pulled at her, and she understood, hooking her legs up around his hips, she let him carry her to the bed.

Before lying her down, Booth brought his lips up to her ear, then to her jawline and finally to her lips, speaking against them before kissing her passionately. "All night, Baby… You're _mine_…"

She smiled against his lips, understanding that by presenting herself to him, like she did, naked except for the adornments he'd bestowed upon her, she had basically offered up her body to him, encouraging him to satisfy his masculine needs however he saw fit. Bones found that she was quite pleased with herself and with the outcome of the deal, remembering back to the night he first claimed her as his.

Temperance Brennan 'belonged' to _no one_.

No one _except_ Seeley Booth, that is.

And that was exactly how she wanted it.

B/B/B/B

As the morning light shone in through the drapes they'd forgotten to close the night before, Booth scowled at the sun for being so frigging bright. The pounding in his head was a not-so-gentle reminder of the mass amounts of bourbon he'd drunk, bringing a groan to his throat; the throbbing ache in his lower back was, on the other hand, a very happy reminder of the activities he'd shared with his partner after having drunk said-bourbon.

He turned his head to see his partner's hair spread out around her head like a halo, fanned across the pillow to his left. She was lying on her stomach, with her face turned towards him; one of her arms was tucked beneath the pillow that cushioned her head and her other arm was down at her side, holding his hand while she slept, their fingers intertwined. The light sheet they'd used as a cover was pushed down to her hips, allowing him to admire the elegant curve of her back, and his gaze settled on those two back dimples he'd fallen in love with just weeks ago. Booth wasn't sure at what point they'd detangled themselves from each other, because he knew they'd both fallen asleep wrapped around the other's bodies. He rolled slowly to face her, against his back's protest at movement, and carefully swept a stray curl from her cheek. He smiled as a beam of light caught the earring that rested against her creamy white skin, sending prisms of light reflecting to the ceiling above.

At the memory of her standing in the doorway of the room, bare except for his gift, he felt a familiar stirring in his nether regions, and a tugging sensation at the base of his spine_. Jesus Christ… this woman is going to be the death of me… But, oh what a way to go_, he thought with a growing smile. He knew they'd been going at it like rabbits… worse than horny teenagers, but he just couldn't get enough of her. And, it seemed, his girlfriend also enjoyed their sexual activities, because she certainly wasn't complaining when he brought her to the completion of her 5th orgasm in the wee hours, before they both collapsed into heaps of gelatinous flesh and muscle, falling into satisfied sleepy stupors after mumbling their love for each other.

At one point he was going to suggest she remove the jewelry, so they didn't accidentally damage the necklace or lose an earring, but she looked so fucking sexy while she rode him, wearing just her diamonds and sapphires, that he couldn't bring himself to utter the suggestion. Inwardly, he longed for the day when he would offer her a different, more permanent form of jewelry… and he pondered when that moment might be. And he hoped that when he finally did, she wouldn't run; he prayed that she wouldn't push him away, but instead, accept it with grace and beauty, just as she did this trial-run-set.

His quiet musing was disturbed by the vibration of his silenced cell phone, coming from somewhere across the room…probably on the floor someplace. _Let it go to voicemail_, he thought_, I'm taking the day off_… After just a few seconds, the vibrations stopped, only to be followed by another sound, indicating that the caller had, in fact, left a message. It was that second sound that disturbed the slumber of the sleeping woman at his side.

He watched in silence, as her eyes started moving rapidly behind her closed lids. Her forehead started to get that disgruntled crease that comes along with waking up unwillingly. From her throat, he heard the most adorable whine he'd ever heard in his life, as she quietly complained about the interruption. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned at the bright light infiltrating her wine-induced, post-extremely-satisfying-sex- hang-over.

"Gggrrrr…Ugh…" she moaned and turned her face into her pillow, effectively shutting out the light, but not the sounds of morning that invaded her ears.

"Mornin' Beautiful," Booth's normally-soothing voice filled her ears. He placed a kiss on the side of her head, inhaling her scent as he did so.

"Go to your metaphorical Hell, Booth. Stop staring at me while I sleep." She mumbled into her pillowcase, but he could see her cheeks rise in smile. "Why the frig are you so chipper this morning, anyway? You didn't get much sleep either…"

Booth _loved _grumpy-sleepy-Brennan, and he knew she was only playing, for the most part. Yes, she was grumpy, and she was sleepy, but she wasn't upset with him.

"I am chipper, Dr. Brennan, because I woke up next to the most beautiful woman in the world… again… and I plan to do that for the rest of my life… So get used to Chipper-Special-Agent-Seeley Booth from now on, huh?" He leaned in and planted another kiss into her messy hair. "And I will watch you all I want while you sleep. You didn't know any different." He chuckled as she rocked her shoulder against him, playfully pushing him away with yet another adorable whine.

"Hey, you want some cheese with that _wine_, Bones? Oh wait…you drank all the wine last night, didn't you?" He grinned, waiting for her to catch on.

She raised her eyes and pinned him with a deadpan stare. "_Not_ funny, Booth. I do not _whine_. I bet you didn't think I'd get that one, did you?"

"I'm very proud of you, Bones. You _do_ have a steep learning curve." He rolled further, so half his body was covering half of hers, while she remained on her stomach. "I love you, Bones." He kissed her temple, "but you _definitely_ whine!" He pushed himself up from the bed before she could pinch him, and she grumbled when she realized he was just out of reach.

"One day, Booth, I will get hold of you when you're least expecting it, and I will pinch you really, _really_ hard in retaliation for all the times you've escaped my grip." She giggled sleepily as she rolled over to her side, wiping her across over her eyes.

"Nuh-uh… you gotta do the pinching when the time calls for it; you can't randomly just pinch me one day and say '_oh, that's for the time 6 months ago that you pissed me off_…'. It doesn't work that way, Baby." He shook his finger at her as he retreated into the restroom. "Face it, Bones, I'm just too quick for you…" he teased over his shoulder.

With lightning quick reflexes, Bones jumped from the bed and ambushed Booth from behind, before he knew what was happening. She grabbed his ass cheeks, one in each hand, and pinched as she pressed her chest to his back. "What was that you were saying, Agent Booth?" She spoke against his shoulder with a toothy grin before biting down gently and moving her hands around his waist, bringing them to rest on his tight abdomen. "Too fast for Temperance Brennan, you say?"

He brought his hands to meet hers and twisted his head to look at her over his shoulder. "Well, well, she _does_ move fast… look at that…" He chuckled and turned in her arms, bringing his around her body, trapping her upper arms beneath his, pulling her close against his chest.

"Yeah, Booth… I can move when I want to, you know…. I've just been letting you win all this time…" She smiled against his skin as she planted tiny kisses across his chest, moving from shoulder to shoulder across his collar bones in the process.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I hear ya, Bones… _Letting_ me win, huh?" He kissed the top of her head and looked down at her in adoration. "Well, how about letting me be a winner again, and taking a shower with me, huh?"

She smiled, "That makes us both winners, Booth, so I believe I can acquiesce to that request."

He laughed, "Why can't you just say 'yes'? Is that so difficult?"

"That's what I said, Booth. Do you no longer understand the English language? Would you like me to say it in Spanish? German, maybe? Oh, no… I know… _Latin_!"

"Shut up, Bones. Nobody likes a smart-ass." He mocked insult.

She nuzzled against his chest, "Nobody except you, that is, Booth…"

"Yeah, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment." Bending down for one more kiss, he released his hold on his partner and turned to the shower, fixing the water to the right temperature.

When he turned back to his girl, she was standing in front of the vanity mirror, removing her gift and smiling at him in the reflection. "I really love my present, Booth. You made a good choice." She turned back towards him, and he smiled as he admired his handy work from the night before, seeing the tiny love bites he placed on the lower curves of her breasts and down at her waist. She had made him promise not to mark her neckline, given the fact that they had the Fund Raising Banquet in just a few days.

"I'm glad you like it, Baby. It looks great on you…but then again, everything looks good on you." He grinned and stepped into the shower stall. "Especially my mouth imprints!" His voice echoed in the tiled room as did her chesty laughter in reply. He gave her a smug smile as she joined him in the shower and brought his hands to her waist. "But you know what my favorite thing on you is, Bones? Nothing…Absolutely nothing."

They washed each other in a repeat performance of the previous day's shower, complete with enjoying another round of passionate, steamy morning-bathroom-sex; something they were both quickly learning to anticipate _and _appreciate.

B/B/B/B

While Bones prepared scrambled eggs and oatmeal, Booth checked his voicemail and returned the call to Cullen. His boss wanted to have a meeting, to discuss the events of the night before with him directly, versus through Charlie and written reports. Cullen asked Booth to come in to the office that day, and they made an appointment to meet later that morning.

"What's on your agenda today, Bones?" Booth asked as he entered the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee for himself and warming the cup she was already nursing along.

"Angela and I are going to go shopping. Sort of a celebration shopping spree, I guess you could call it. Then I think she's planning on torturing me some more; she was going to plan a trip to the spa and who-knows-what-else…" She smiled. Brennan didn't particularly enjoy shopping, but over wine and chocolate the previous evening, and to Angela's shrieking delight, she had foolishly agreed to accompany her to a local boutique in search of a gown for the Fund Raising gala. Now, she knew she was in for an entire day of Angela-rated 'fun', including a trip to the spa, mani/pedi's, and countless trips into and out of dressing rooms, all in the name of making themselves even more gorgeous than they already were, for the impending party, just a few nights away.

Booth chuckled as he poured some orange juice for Bones and milk for himself, "Oh, c'mon now, you know you girls'll have fun… you always do, Bones."

"Booth... Angela has fun… I just go along with her out ofbest-friend-obligation." Bones tried to play down her many shopping trips with her friend, although she knew she would end up enjoying the day.

"Yup, tell me that tonight, Baby…" Booth laughed as his girl joined him at the table, placing a plate full of food before him. "Awww…Bones, you made me bacon. I knew I loved you for a reason…"

"OH, you love me just because I make you bacon?"

"Yup, it's aaaallllllll because of bacon, Babe." He leaned over and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, grinning the whole time, loving their play time. "And…. The shower sex. Bacon and shower sex, Bones… That's what makes Booth a happy camper."

Bones laughed at his cheekiness and rolled her eyes in his direction. "Eat, Booth…before it gets cold. Smart ass."

He mocked shock, "Bones! I'm amazed you know when to use that term. I'm so proud of you, Baby." He playfully leaned over giving her another kiss, and then tugged her chin in his direction. "Thank you for breakfast, Bones. I do love you, ya know… And it's not really just for bacon…" His eyes turned ornery, "it's just the sex."

She reached out and pinched his bicep playfully.

"Ow! You have pointy little fingers, lady… you know that?"

"Yup. And don't you forget it, mister." She leaned into him that time, and kissed him before turning to her oatmeal. "Do you have to go into the office?"

"Yeah. Cullen wants to see me. I was gunna take the next 2 days off, go back next Monday, but I guess that's not gunna happen." He huffed, "Oh well…That's life, huh?"

"Maybe he'll give you the time off anyway. Cam told me and Ange to take the rest of the week, unless something comes up. But I have a lot of stuff to do, so if you go back, maybe I'll go back tomorrow, too. We'll see."

Booth nodded as he ate, realizing that Bones was anxious to get back to a normal routine. "Do you think you wanna go back home tonight, Bones? Not that I'm not enjoying staying here, but I'd like to go back home… you know, if you're ready." He really did want to get back to his own place, but he didn't want to rush his partner if she wasn't ready.

His concerns were eased immediately when she shook her head in the affirmative. "Yes, Booth. I would like that. Will we be going to your apartment?"

He nodded, "Unless you wanted to go to your place... I mean, we can alternate if you want, you know, share time between the two places."

She just smiled at him; she knew he was worried about pushing her. His tone of voice carried the same quality of caution it always did when he was hesitant about saying something that might upset her or scare her away. "We can go to your place first, Booth. We'll figure it out from there. I find I feel quite at home in your apartment." As soon as she'd said the words, she knew he felt better; she could see the tension release in his shoulders and neck as his smile spread wide across his chiseled face.

"That sounds great, Bones. I'm glad you feel at home there. As far as I'm concerned, my home is your home, and anything therein is yours as well, Baby." He leaned in to her and pecked her cheek before returning to his scrambled eggs.

The rest of their breakfast, and its subsequent clean-up, were completed during idle chatter. Now that Becky and Julie were out of the way, Booth felt much more comfortable with Brennan going out with Angela on their own. He still had a slight pang of anxiety, worried that she'd be alright, but he knew he had to give her the space she needed to be with her girlfriend. He did, after all, have a meeting with Cullen, and it really didn't require Brennan's presence unless she wanted to be there. Hell if he didn't have to be there, he wouldn't want to be, so why in the world would she want to go… so he didn't invite her. He simply let her keep the plans she'd originally made and he would move the rest of their belongings back to his place later, on the way back from the Hoover.

Booth noticed, as they were both preparing to leave for their first day apart in weeks, that Bones had grown increasingly quiet. He reached for her, pulling her upright from where she was zipping up her boots over her jeans.

"Hey, what's wrong Bones? You OK?"

She looked up at him, her eyes big and almost vulnerable. "Booth…Is it always going to be like this?"

He cocked an eyebrow and squinted his eyes, wondering to what she might be referring…after a few seconds of unfounded speculation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned back, looking into her blue pools. "Is _what_ always going to be like _what_, Bones?"

Blushing at the realization that she had just expected her partner to read her mind, she smiled as she looked down in slight embarrassment. "Heh, sorry…. Can't you read my mind?" She cocked an eyebrow and flashed him that special crooked smile. "I mean… are we – the passion, the intensity that we feel for each other, is it always going to be like this? And when we're going to spend the day apart, is it always going to feel like the first day of school – all nerves and jitters?"

He grinned down at her, "Well, Bones… I would like to think that we won't lose the passion; but logically speaking, it will probably, over time, become less intense. I mean, this is almost eight years of pent up attraction finally breaking loose, and frankly, I can say that I have never been in a relationship with such a strong…sexual appetite, I guess is the description I'm looking for. I mean, in all my adult years, I've never been this insatiable with any other woman, Bones… It's like I just can't get enough touching you, kissing you, loving you…I don't foresee those feelings going away, babe." He bent and kissed her softly, before pulling back to address her other concern.

"Now, as far as that nerves and jitters? Bones, this is the first time in weeks that we are going to be apart for _any_ length of time. We are not going to always be around each other 24/7; so the separation-thing…that will definitely get better." His voice was confident and his words made perfect sense to his uneasy partner.

She looked into his eyes and saw complete honesty and openness, but wondered more… "But, Booth… Do you feel these things too? I mean, am I the only one here experiencing these anxious emotions?" She was truly out of her element; even though Brennan had come miles and miles in her ability to openly admit her emotions, she still had many more questions than answers.

"No, babe, you're not." He pulled her close and just held her to his chest as he continued speaking. "If I thought I could get away with following you and Angela around, just keeping an eye on you for safety's sake, I would…But that would never happen, for a couple of reasons… One: You would kick my ass from here to Virginia if I did that. Two: You need your time away from me; not _a long time_, mind you… But you definitely need your space, and I know that; I respect that. Three: Angela is your best friend, she needs her time with you too, and she hasn't had much of that lately. Four: I am sure as hell _not_ going to go _dress_-shopping with you, so you need someone to go with…. Might as well be Ange." He ended with a cheesy smile as he looked down into her vulnerable eyes, but then turned serious again. "But, Bones, I feel the anxiety too; I worry about you, both of you. I worry that you're safe. I know I will miss having you right here, where you are now; even though I know you'll be back in my arms later. I want you to have fun, baby. Go to the spa and do your girly-things that women do to feel pampered. Go find yourself a dress that will knock my socks off. Go gab with Angela and tell her all the things I don't want you to tell her, because I know she'll weasel them out of ya… Just, you know, use _some _discretion… Do me a favor and don't give her dimensions…or specific techniques, huh?" He kissed her cheek loudly and playfully as she rolled her eyes and laughed. "Just remember to come home to me tonight, okay? Promise?"

"I promise, Booth. Should I just have Angela bring me straight there when we're done?"

"Yeah. Text me when you're on your way, but I would imagine I'll already be home. I am sure I'll be done long before you two are through with your spree. But in case, here," he dug in his pocket, "here's a key to my place, I don't know if you know where your copy is. I have a spare at the office in my safe, so I'll grab it while I'm there."

"Thanks, Booth, but I have my key for your apartment in my bag... I - I never took it off my key ring; I figured, even though you had Hannah there, if anything ever happened, I needed to have access into your place without waiting. I didn't think you would mind…" When she looked up and saw that he was smiling down at her, his eyes full of love, she knew that she had just made him very happy with her admission. "And, thank you Booth… For… well, for everything… I'm sorry I'm so bad at understanding relationships." Her insecurities had returned, if even for a moment.

"You're _not_ bad at relationships, Bones; don't be so hard on yourself. You're great with me…" he wagged his eyebrows playfully as he jostled her waist. "And, that's all that matters, Babe."

She sighed in appreciation and rested her cheek to the front of his shoulder as she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. She relished the feeling of his wide hands running up and down her back in soothing circles, and she leaned against him further for just a few additional moments. When she raised her face to look at him, she pecked his chin and smiled. "I love you, Booth. I hope your meeting with Cullen goes well. Call me if you get any important news, ok?"

"Sure, Babe. Go have fun with Ange," he kissed her in return. "I'll see you tonight." He let her slowly pull back and watched as she made her exit, before he returned to packing up their few things that they'd unpacked while staying with their friends.

B/B/B/B

"Sir," Booth entered Cullen's office right on time for their meeting.

"Hey, Booth," Cullen rose with an outstretched hand in greeting to his top Agent. "Thanks for coming in. How is Temperance feeling?"

"Oh, Bones…she's doing amazingly better, sir. She really has improved 'exponentially', _that's her descriptive word_, since you last saw her. Thanks for asking."

Cullen smiled; he was glad to hear that the prettier-half of his number-one-team was recovering well. "Good to hear, Booth. And how are _you_ doing today? Charlie filled me in on the bullet your vest halted last night."

"I'm fine, thanks. A little sore, as is to be expected, but it's worth it, because it means this shit is finally over."

Cullen nodded, understanding exactly where Booth was coming from. "Well, I spoke with Dr. Sweets and he advised me on his views of how you handled the situation. Booth, you did well, and you'll be happy to know that, although there were bullets exchanged, given the testimonies from Charlie, Sweets and the rest of the team, you can continue in full service, the FBI will not be requiring an inquiry into the shootings." Cullen could immediately see his subordinate relax at his words. "Booth…. I must say, on a personal note, that I am impressed. I don't think I would have seen such a situation handled as well if I was watching another Agent working it. Your professionalism and integrity are beyond reproach. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind to say so."

"Yeah, well, I recognize greatness when I see it, Booth. So, really, I just wanted you to come down here so I could let you know not to worry, because I figured you'd be expecting a formal inquiry."

"You're right. I did…"

"So…You and Dr. Brennan are attending the Fund Raising event, right? And your families and the rest of your squints?"

"Yes sir." Booth beamed. "Sweets said he was going to drop off the seating assignments into my office today, so we could review them and make any changes that we see fit." Booth paused, "Have …" he sighed, almost afraid to ask, "Sir, have you heard from Caroline, yet?"

Cullen took a deep breath; here was the part of the conversation he _wasn't _looking forward to…

"Well, yeah, Booth… That's the other reason I wanted to have a word with you today." Cullen folded his hands on his desk and looked at one of his favorite people. "Booth, Caroline is still in Louisiana, but she's been working while she's been there."

Booth didn't like the defeated look or the tone of voice from his superior, but he remained silent, waiting for Cullen to continue.

"She, ah…Well, Booth, listen. She's found several loopholes that she thought would work, but in each instance, as soon as she researched further, each and every hole had been closed by one case or another. Look, Booth, I'm sorry, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we just don't see a way to make this work within the parameters of the policies put forth by the FBI. If you and Temperance are going to remain partners, you cannot openly engage in a romantic relationship. If you two choose to embark on that path, then the FBI is going to have to sever the partnership, partnering you with another Agent and taking Temperance out of the field. She would still remain a contracted liaison, a consultant per se, but she would no longer be permitted to accompany you or any other agents into the field, as such." It broke Cullen's heart to see the deflated body language that the normally-sure agent displayed; he hated to be the one to tell Seeley Booth that he couldn't have both things he loved: his job, to which he was endlessly dedicated, and the woman for whom he carried more loyalty and love than any man had ever carried for any woman in Cullen's experience. "Booth – I want you to go home tonight and talk to Temperance. Don't make any decisions today, and for God's sake, don't make the decision on your own…This is a resolution that you'll need to reach together."

He allowed Booth to process what he'd just said, allowing silence to settle over the office. When Booth raised his eyes from where they had been studying the fibers of the carpet beneath his feet, he met his boss's look with renewed determination. "I won't work with another partner, sir. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Bones is the _only_ one I work with." He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his thighs. "And Bones won't work with another FBI liaison either, you know that, right?"

Cullen swallowed, hating to admit that he knew this was coming; he dreaded the kick-back he knew he'd receive from the strong man in front of him. "Booth-"

"No, Cullen, I listened to you while you spoke, now, please...let me…" Booth took a deep breath. "Look, Cullen, I know that you're just doing your job, but Bones and I… We're partners, in every sense of the word, and we are the best team you've got. Sir," he scooted forward in his seat, "I know we've just started this _particular_ aspect of our relationship, but we've been 'more' than partners _for years_. Nothing has changed, sir, in our working relationship, nor will it. I would lay down my life for her eight years ago, just as I would lay it down for her today. We work best when we're together, we complete each other's thoughts…we feed off each other's weaknesses and strengths." He raised his hand and ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "Sir…_Sam_… There _has _to be something you can do…I don't _want_ to find another job at this point in my life… We're good at this; there _must_ be something you can do…_please_…" Booth's determination turned to pleading, "Please don't make me go home tonight and tell my girl that we have to make this choice. I'm telling you sir, if we're forced to choose one _or_ the other, the FBI'll end up on the losing end of that decision… I don't intend that as a threat, sir; that's simple and complete honesty. We work as partners, _with each other_, or a lot of cases go unsolved…just like before we entered the scene…"

"Now, look, Booth," Cullen painted on his firm face; he had expected a struggle, but he certainly didn't expect Booth to loosely threaten to quit, especially before he even spoke to the partner-in-question. "Booth…You're being rash…Don't make your choice yet; talk to Dr. Brennan. Take the next couple days off, come to the banquet on Saturday, and on Monday, the three of us should have a meeting."

Booth nodded once, a curt agreement to his boss's order.

"Look, Booth… I really hate this, too. I know you two belong together; hell I've known since the day you sat in that very seat and vowed for her character, taking her under your complete responsibility. I knew _then_ that you were in love with her; I've known through-out your entire partnership how you two play off each other, I know that you are each better together than you'd ever be individually. But Booth, if Caroline doesn't see a light down that tunnel, our hands are tied. Policy is policy, you know that."

Booth shook his head, "Policies can be changed, Cullen. You have that power; you're the Deputy Director! Don't you make the rules?"

"No, it doesn't work that way." Cullen sighed in frustration at the situation; he was about to lose his best team and he was far from happy. "Look, just - - just wait. OK? Don't say anything to Temperance if it's going to upset her; not yet. Let me make some calls. _I_ don't make the rules, _I_ can't change the rules; but I know who can." He pinched the bridge of his nose, dreading what he knew he had to do if he wanted to keep Booth on the payroll.

Booth stood from his seat and swiped his hand across his now-stressed face. "Sir, I _am_ going to go ahead and take Thursday and Friday off; I need some time."

"Give me a couple days to see what I can do, Booth. Hopefully I'll have an answer before Saturday. If not, I'm sorry, you're still going to have to appear as partners only, Booth. But I'll make some calls." He rose and extended his hand towards the man he fondly considered a friend, rather than merely an employee. "Give my best to Temperance, will you?"

"I will; thanks." They shook hands, "Good bye, sir. I'll see you Saturday."

B/B/B/B

Booth knew he had several hours before the girls would even _think _about heading home. After he'd collected their belongings from Hodgins' house, he made a phone call and took off for a little ride.

Knocking on the door at the tiny apartment, Booth smiled at hearing his grandfather's chipper voice call out to him.

"That you Shrimp? C'mon in, kiddo! I'm almost ready!"

After leaving their temporary home-away-from-home, he wasn't ready to go back to a quiet apartment and dwell on the conversation he'd just had with his boss. Realizing it had been almost 2 weeks since Pops had unexpectedly stopped by his place to check up on Bones, he decided to call his grandfather and invite him for lunch. Opening the door, Booth called back to the man who was more of a father than his actual father. "Yup, it's me, Pops! Take your time, no rush." Booth sat on the loveseat in the cozy living room of his grandfather's Assisted Living Adult Apartment, listening to the sounds of shuffling feet and the opening and closing of a closet door, just on the other side of the entrance to the bedroom.

Pops smiled widely at his handsome grandson as he exited his room. "There's ma'boy. C'mere, Shrimp, give your old Pops a hug." Booth immediately stood and embraced the elderly man warmly, noting how fragile his father-figure's shoulders seemed to have gotten in recent months.

"How ya doing, Pops? You feel alright today?"

The eighty-five year old smiled and firmly patted his grandson's biceps. "I was doing good… now I'm doing great, though! Thanks for calling, kiddo." It was only then that Pops realized that Booth was alone. With a wrinkled forehead, he questioned Seeley, "Son, where's Temperance? You didn't make her angry again, did you? Did she kick you out on your ear?"

Booth chuckled at the familiarity between his partner and the man who raised him. "No, Pops, I didn't make her mad… She's having a 'girlie day' with Angela… No men allowed." He winked as his smile spread across his face. "They're dress shopping for the banquet this weekend. You're still planning to join us, right? I got your seat reserved right next to mine."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Seeley. But since it is a fund raiser, shouldn't I be paying something to be permitted entrance to this shin-dig?"

"Nah," Booth shook his head and followed Hank out to the kitchen so the man could sit and put on his shoes. "You're coming as a guest, Pops. You don't pay a thing. I wouldn't be making you come to this thing if it was only a Fund Raiser; you know that…"

"Yeah, I know, I know. Have you figured out this Award-thing yet? Are you two getting the award or is it your team of 'squinty-people'?" Pops squeezed his eyes in an imitation fashion, joking about the team that had become like a family to his own.

"Don't know the details, Pops …But I have to assume that we're receiving something, since our invitation was more an order than an actual invite." Booth smiled at the memory of Bones' reaction to the quality of the paper and the money wasted on such events.

Pops recognized the far-away look in his grandson's eyes and quiet smile. "How is Temperance? Is she feeling better, Seeley?" Pops' concern for the prettier-half of his grandson's partnership was evident as he sat back and caught his breath after bending over to tie his shoes.

"She's remarkable, Pops… in every sense of the word… in her entire being… she's _absolutely_ remarkable." Booth blushed at his own romanticism. "Her body has bounced back amazingly, and she's almost completely healed. She has slight discomfort still in her ankle when she gets up or tries to walk too fast, but other than that… and the additional scars… you'd never know." Booth grew quiet, a seriousness taking over. "She worries so much, Pops, about her scars. I told her what you told me years ago, that scars tell our stories, but she's so self-conscious about the markings…"

"Seeley, she's a woman… of course she's self-conscious."

"Pops, she is 'Bones,' and Bones doesn't get self-conscious about things like that. She knows there's nothing rationally to be concerned about, but I catch her sometimes, looking in the mirror, scrutinizing herself… You know, like, she'll hold a little mirror in her hand with her back to the bathroom mirror, and study her reflection. And her eyes get so haunted…so sad. I wish I could just take away all her pain…"

"Aw, son, give her more time. It's still fresh. I know she's your rational-to-a-fault forensic genius, but hell, she's still a young and beautiful woman who wants to look nice for the man she's in love with."

"But, Pops, she _does_ look nice. Hell, she's gorgeous… and I tell her every single day…" Booth's face broke out in a goofy grin, "Pops, I've never known anyone like her…I mean, I learned long ago that she's the one for me… but spending every day with her….more than just working alongside her…I love being around her, I just can't seem to get enough, Pops… it's crazy…it's like my gambling addiction, but so much better…so much bigger."

"I know what you mean, Shrimp. I felt the same about your grandmother. I _knew_ the day I met her that we were meant for each other, and we made a great life together, kiddo…Just like you and Temperance will…Be patient, be honest and love each other…always. And, never ever go to bed angry, Seeley. Always talk through your differences, and never lose your sense of humor, son. You two will be fine. I feel it in my bones… Heh… in my _bones_…" Hank chuckled at his own goofy joke playing on the pet-name he knew his grandson had long ago bestowed upon his beloved partner, and stood slowly from his seat. "C'mon, we can talk over lunch; I'm starving." He waited as his grandson stood to his full height, and he smiled proudly at what a strong and brave man he'd grown into. As he patted Booth's broad shoulder, he continued, "Edna, the cutie down the hall, told me about a new BBQ joint she and her daughter went to… wanna have some ribs?"

"BBQ sounds awesome, Pops," Booth smiled, then paused in his tracks. "Edna '_the cutie'_, Pops? Something you wanna tell me, young man?" Booth playfully teased his grandfather, raising his eyebrows as the elderly man.

"I plead the fifth…" Hank's face broke out in a smile that Booth immediately recognized his own resembled, "but I have to be back home by 4:30; she's saving me a seat for the mahjongg tournament this afternoon." His grin turned impish and his eyes twinkled.

"Mahjongg, huh? Is that what they call it at your age?" Booth draped his arm around his grandfather's shoulders loosely, jostling him gently in a teasing fashion.

"Hey, now, I'm old… I'm not dead, you know!" Hank shook his finger as his much taller grandson as they exited his apartment; he was truly looking forward to spending a few quality hours with the man who'd been a model 'son' to him. And he could tell said 'son' had more on his mind than just lunch. It warmed Hank's heart to know that 'Special Agent Seeley Booth' would still seek advice from an old man such as himself; and he intended to share, to the best of his ability, his life-experiences, in hopes that he'd be able to ease the obvious concerns hiding behind the dark brown eyes of his grandson.

**Postscript A/N**

**Awwww… I adore Hank. He's such a sweetie. **

**So, how did you like it? I wonder what kind of dresses Brennan and Angela are going to buy? And what kind of award might be given that night? AND….who else, besides the obvious – squints and family – is going to be at the banquet? HHHmmm….. **

**Please leave a review! I'm striving to get as many as possible before the end of my story! You all helped me make it to 800…. Do I dare hope to exceed 900? That's up to YOU, my friends! **

**I have to warn you, I may be incommunicado for the next week or two…we have a lot of stuff happening. I will do my very best to post a new chapter next week, but I thought I should give you fair warning that it may be 2 weeks between now and the next update… but fear not, behind the scenes, I will certainly be working hard! **

**As always, thank you. **

**Peace & love my friends**

**~jazzy **


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N Hi there! Welcome back! I am sorry for the delay, but I did warn you all that it would be a couple weeks between postings this time… and here we are, 2 weeks later. ****Here is Chapter 54, I hope you like it! I wrote it all by hand while out of the country and had to type it up today. (we just got home last night). I feel pretty good about it. Not a whole lot of earth shattering things happen, as you will see, but it's one of those chapters necessary to move the piece along. There is a lot more dialog in this one than most, something that just seemed to happen this time. Hope it's OK. And... there's a bit of smut tossed in to help it out... :) **

**As always, I do not own Bones or any of its characters… Boy I wish I did. **

**PLEASE read and review! My Muse needs stimulation in the form of feedback in order to function. She's quite needy. LOL**

Booth's stress, which had been spurred on by the meeting with his boss, was greatly reduced the end of his afternoon spent with Hank. As he moved about his apartment, cleaning and running laundry, he felt more at ease than he had in quite some time. Bones had texted earlier in the day, letting him know she planned on being home in time for dinner, and that brought a smile to his face and put an extra little bounce in his step.

His first focus was to get the blood stain cleaned up in the dining room; he didn't want Bones to be traumatized at the memory, like she had been fixated on it when they stopped by his place the few days prior. Then, as he had the bed sheets churning in the washer, he set about fixing a dinner he knew she would enjoy. On his way home from Pops' apartment, he had stopped by the all-natural-all-organic store that his girlfriend preferred, even though he despised spending $12.00 on a single plum tomato… _Ok, not quite $12.00, but they still charge too much, _he mused…

Booth smiled to himself, pondering a time long ago, when Pops taught him to make his first cooked-meal: grilled cheese sandwiches. It was a simple lesson, but one that every Booth-boy loved; something in the genes influenced their affinity with the simplistic feel-good-food, he was sure… But he could remember standing on a stool, much like Parker's stool that Booth had recently pulled out of closet storage for Bones to use until she could stand at the sink on her own. Booth was young, and Pops told him that one of the key foundations to any good relationship, whether it was a familial relationship or romantic relationship, was mastering the ability to provide food for said loved-ones. Booth chuckled to himself, understanding now, that it was merely the family-Booth's love of eating that was the driving factor behind Pops' culinary adventures. Nevertheless, the man passed on his love of the kitchen to a very young Seeley, and although that young boy was all grown up, he still loved to spend time cooking for his loved ones. Of course, until recently, he mostly just cooked when Parker was spending the weekend at his place, or on the very rare occasion that he could finagle a way to convince his partner to spend an evening with him that didn't include take-out Thai.

His chuckle turned to quiet musing, realizing that he would have a future filled with opportunities to cook for Bones now. He thought about how awesome Bones was in the kitchen… _Especially when it comes to mac 'n cheese_, he thought, _no one else's mac 'n cheese on the planet compares to hers…And her homemade pizzas are out-of-this-world, even if they don't contain meat...And her Oh-My-God shrimp scampi always has me coming back for more…And her quiche…OK, 'real men don't eat quiche'…but if 'real men' tasted Bones' quiche, that saying would become as outdated as 'women belong in the kitchen' had years ago…Yeah, Bones is friggin' amazing_, he smiled to himself, _and I wanna give her something special; a sort of welcome-home dinner. _

_Home… _He couldn't have wiped the broad smile off his face if he tried. For so many years, Seeley Booth had dreamed of falling in love with a woman who would love him in return, simply for who he was… No glamour, no glitz… Just a guy, who grew up in Philly, did a stint in the Army and was now trying to set the cosmic balance sheet straight by being the best FBI Agent he could be. And through all their arguments, bickering, ups and downs over the years, he was finally attaining his dream with the one woman with whom he thought he'd never have a snowball's chance in hell.

"_You two complement each other perfectly, Seeley_", Pops had told him earlier that afternoon, and Booth let his mind relive his afternoon with his grandfather... "_You have to remember, though, you're not always goin' to have smooth sailing, Seeley; you're both stubborn as mules and you both hate being wrong…You're bound to have bad days…But don't let them define who you are, as a couple; don't let those gray days darken the many, many brighter and happier days you're destined to have. You two will make it, as long as you don't kill each other first. Give and take, son…always give and take_." Pops had laughed gently, keeping the mood light, but Booth understood that his grandfather was giving him advice that only someone who'd been through thick and thin could do. "_Pick your fights, Shrimp; learn to recognize when it's not worth the argument, versus when it's appropriate to stick to your guns. You already know each other's professional strengths and weaknesses; but you're about to embark on an exploration of uncharted territory_." Pops took a slow drink of his iced tea as Booth nibbled on BBQ riblets, listening to the knowledge being shared. Much of this he already knew, he'd heard it before, but it was always reassuring to listen to the wisdom of age, when offered by Hank Booth; the younger just never knew when he'd hear a new morsel of knowledge to cling to, or a fresh piece of his own family history.

"_Now, I'm not naïve, Seeley, I know you've been with a lot of women… But Temperance is different, you know it and I know it…So be patient, be honest and just love each other every day. I used to wanna have the final say when your Grandmother and I were first married; but I quickly learned that it's not necessary to always have the last word. In fact…there were times that it was just plain fun for me to let her win some arguments… those were often the times she got a little, shall we say, frisky…_"

"Whoa, whoa, Pops… that's something that I _really_ don't need to know." Booth almost spit out his own iced tea at Pops' admission to manipulating his grandmother's 'friskiness'. Booth had to draw the line somewhere…

The elderly man beamed at his ability to still cause his handsome and oddly prudish grandson to stammer. "_Now, c'mon, Shrimp, you do know that your Grandmother and I actually had s-e-x…_" Hank spelled out the word in a whisper, teasing the Agent. "_Do I need to have the-birds-and-the-bees talk with you again…to help you understand it?_"

"OK, OK, now you're having a _little too_ much fun, there Pops… Of course I don't need the talk, for crying out loud… But I can certainly do without the visual you two doing the horizontal mambo simply because you let her win an argument! Thank you very much…" Booth shook his head in humor, knowing that Pops was purposely trying to get a rise out of him.

"_Are you going to ask her, Seeley?"_ Hank grew serious, and hopeful. He wanted Seeley to be happy; if anyone deserved to finally find true happiness, it was the man sitting opposite him.

Booth knew without further clarification to what his father-figure was referring. "Oh, I dunno yet, Pops… You know where she stands on the whole marriage issue… and I don't want to scare her off with any pressure. I used to think that I needed to be married in order to be happy. But, if I can just be with her, share my days and nights with her, even working through those hard times you were talking about…If we're together, I know that we can be happy. I want to make her happy. More than anything, I just want her to be happy."

Pops smiled as he finished up his ribs and dug into his coleslaw. "_You will, Seeley. You'll both make each other happy. And you know what? If you're happy, and she's happy, then I'm happy too. All I've ever wanted out of life was to see my boys in relationships that will bring 'em peace. Jared finally seems to be settling down with Padme; she's been good for him. And you…Well, you know how I've felt about Temperance since the first time you introduced us. So, it pretty much goes without saying that I am very, very, happy for you, Seeley. I am happy for you both; I know she's had a difficult life, too, and you two deserve the joy that a rewarding relationship will provide._"

B/B/B/B

Satisfied that he had done enough straightening and cleaning for the afternoon, and happy that dinner was on schedule to be ready by the times Bones got home, Booth grabbed a beer and made himself comfortable in his lounge chair, turning on the tail end of a Rugby match replay on Fox Soccer Plus. Two and a half beers later, Booth's phone chirped with an incoming message. He smiled when he saw that it was his partner contacting him.

Bones: _On my way home. Do you need anything?_

Quickly, Booth typed out his response

Booth: Just U. xoxo

Bones: _Xoxo? I don't know what that means_.

Booth chuckled and started to type his answer, but was interrupted by another incoming message.

Bones: _Oh, never mind, Angela just explained the meanings of the xoxo. I find that I wish to xoxo you too, Booth. See you in approximately 18 minutes, at which time we will be able to fulfill our mutual desires to xoxo_.

With a smile, Booth replied.

Booth: We need 2 wrk on ur txtng skills Babe. C U soon.

Bones: _What is the matter with my texting skills, Booth?_ _At least my words make sense._

Booth: Love u Bones :)*

Bones: _Your use of the colon with close-end parenthesis and an asterisk makes no sense, Booth_

Booth hopped up with a laugh, shaking of his head.

Booth: Ask Ange :)*

A few short minutes later, while Booth was pouring her wine, his phone chirped again.

Bones: _I think that the concept behind using the colon, closed-parenthesis, asterisk symbol is charming, Booth :)* I love you too. Love, Bones_

Booth: U don't sign a txt Bones; I no its frm U

Bones: _We need to work on your use of grammar and your spelling, Booth. I am quite surprised at your lack of said skills_

Booth: Shhh. C U in a few. We'll talk then.

She must have been satisfied with his reply, because his phone remained quiet, and he was humorously thankful.

Only Bones would turn texting into a full-fledged written conversation, complete with corrections and lessons. _It's just one more thing that makes me love her so much_, he thought to himself, as he pulled the cheese and Portobello stuffed shells from the oven, ensuring they were ready. He moved quickly, taking the wine and bread sticks to the table, lighting the candles while he was in there. He then continued finish his preparations by lightly drizzling balsamic vinegar and olive oil over freshly cut mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes, garnished with basil, before making one last trip to the kitchen, where he grabbed the stuffed shells and moved them to the trivet in the midst of the intimate setting he'd arranged around his dining room table. Happy with the final outcome, Booth trotted off to the bedroom, knowing he only had a few more minutes. He grabbed his light blue button-down shirt, _the one she said she likes_, he thought, and pulled it on over his gray FBI t-shirt, and rolled his sleeves to his mid forearm, _again, just the way she likes_. Patting the front pocket of his jeans, he smiled, feeling that he still safely carried the item causing a flurry of butterfly excitement in the pit of his stomach.

As he was walking back down the hallway, he heard her key turning in the deadbolt and he found he was surprised when his heart skipped a beat, knowing his Bones was coming 'home.' He mused at the fact that, although he and Bones had been together for weeks, not spending any marked time apart from each other during those days, he felt nervous and excited that she was coming home to him, to his place, to the space he would share with her for as long as she would stay.

He met her as she opened the door, and immediately, he reached out and grabbed a handful of the bags that were weighing her down. She thanked him with a smile, the kind that melted his heart time and again; the smile she only ever flashed to Booth.

"Thanks, Booth," she said softly, "I guess I did a little more shopping than I had originally planned." Her grin turned playfully guilty, knowing she had stressed to him earlier that day that the only reason she had agreed to going out with Angela was for the sole purpose of finding an acceptable dress for the banquet.

Booth stifled a gentle laugh, "I guess you had fun after all, huh…?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I did," she smiled shyly, unsure suddenly how she should approach him, having gone back on her word of not looking forward to going out with her best friend.

He relieved her of her indecision as he leaned close, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before ushering her into the apartment, his empty hand finding its rightful place on the small of her back. "Glad you had fun, babe."

As she moved into the living room, the aroma of dinner assaulted her senses. "Booth, something smells wonderful. What _is _that?" She placed her bags on the couch unceremoniously, and he followed suit, setting his parcels down as well.

He wrapped his arms fully around her waist and turned her towards him, pulling her tight against his solid frame. His mouth grabbed hers in a deep, passionate kiss before answering her question.

"C'mon, Babe," he pulled her gently, guiding her to the dining room.

Bones gasped lightly at the scene before her; Booth could set a beautiful table, complete with linen napkins, something she never would have expected he even owned. She turned to face him, coming nose to nose with him as she did an about face.

With whispered words, she breathlessly spoke, "Booth, what is this?"

"Welcome Home, Gorgeous." He kissed her gently, "it's your welcome home dinner, babe. C'mon, sit." He pulled her chair out, silently asking her not to fight him on his male chivalry actions.

With a blushing tilt of her head, she allowed him to push in her chair as she observed what he'd done for her. He took the seat immediately next to her, sitting close as he raised his wine glass, encouraging her to do the same. Understanding his motion, she reached forward and picked up her glass of red wine, turning slightly towards him.

Booth spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I wanted to make you something special, Bones. I want you to know how much I love you; how much I will _always_ love you; how much I love that you came home to me tonight. I've dreamt about this for years, Bones. Dreamt about having you in my life…in a way much more intimate than 'just partners'. I fantasized about coming home to you in the evenings; and vice versa, with me waiting for your arrival from the lab on the nights you insist on working late. I want you to always feel at home here, Bones, every day, any day." When she began to blush at his endearing words, lowering her eyes slightly, he reached over and hooked his finger under her chin, stopping her from looking away. "I want to be with you forever, Bones, and I hope you'll let me. I know we've talked about it already, but I want you to know that I really mean it. I love you, and I can't wait to work out our living arrangements...Because I don't want to spend a single night away from your arms. We're going to make a wonderful life together, Bones, I just know it… Just like I knew from the very beginning…I promise you."

Brennan's eyes filled with emotion as she listened to Booth's confession. In her mind, she reviewed their shared history; she thought about all the time she'd run from this man, and silently she chastised herself, having been the reason they'd lost so much time already. As she watched her partner's own emotions play across his face, his eyes meeting hers and saying so much more than the words his voice communicated, she felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes. He was completely open with her, holding nothing back, and it was so obvious that even a blind man would be able to see the devotion Booth was offering to her. She had loved him for a very long time, and only in that very moment did she realize just how much she would've missed if she'd followed her instinctual fear, and run as soon as she was healed enough from her kidnapping.

There were a few recent moments, fleeting though they were, when she felt overwhelmed, almost too dependent on the man currently vowing his love for her. She still did not understand how someone like him could love her, but here they were, sitting at his tiny table with candles lit, about to enjoy a meal that he'd very obviously worked hard to prepare. For her. He cooked for her, for them… She had never before been catered to by a man, the way Booth did for her, every day. Through all of her 'relationships', as they were, she never had a man go to such extremes to make her feel special, and she suddenly couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Fearing he had hit her with too much, too soon, Booth silently panicked at her quiet tears. He hurriedly put his glass back down in its place and turned to face her. He had, in the back of his mind, feared this would happen. She had spent the entire day out with Angela, suddenly realizing that she was, once again, perfectly fine and capable of being on her own; she was no longer in need of his constant assistance; she had once again regained her independence and was going to pull away, just like she always did. The tiny item in his pocket, which had nearly burned a hole against his leg, suddenly became cold, inappropriate, and too much…he knew that everything was too much, and _far_ too soon, obviously. With worry creases forming across his forehead, he slowly reached up and palmed her cheeks, lightly pulling her face up, forcing her to look at him, drying her falling tears with his thumbs.

His words were hushed; he was suddenly filled with trepidation, a fear of saying the wrong thing, after having apparently said too much already. "Bones… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you; I didn't mean to say too much. Please…please, Baby… don't be upset with me."

When her eyes darted up and met his, she could see his concern written clearly in his deep chocolate browns. _He misunderstands_, she thought… _No, thinks I'm upset!_

"Booth," she spoke quietly, "No, Booth…No. I'm not upset with you. Why would…" She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling thick, her voice uncooperative. "Booth, how could I be upset with you after you did this for me? No… this is… this is all so beautiful, so generous and kind… it's just… I've never had anything like this prepared for me… and what you said…it's still just so amazing to me that you actually love me…you _love _me and I feel it, _in here_." She held her hand to her chest, just over her heart. "Despite the fact that I don't believe the heart can actually feel, I have been experiencing things…emotions… feelings that my science cannot explain. I can only imagine this is what you experience when you have a 'gut' feeling; although, technically, your gut would be down here, not up here," she suddenly turned squinty, her brow creasing in thought as she prepared to give a brief biology lesson, but when she saw his tension ease slightly, all she could do was smile.

"You're not… you're not upset with me for saying too much, Bones? You would tell me, right? If I say too much, or overwhelm you, you'll tell me, huh?"

"Booth," she smiled, suddenly feeling proud of herself, that she would be the one to ease the tension in the room, rather than simply being the cause of it. "Booth, you didn't say too much; what you just said… all of it… it was…lovely; I can't say enough how much I appreciate hearing those words. And I want it too, Booth. I want to be in _your_ forever…I just… I never thought, Booth, that we would have this. I honestly never thought _I_ would have it. And suddenly, after a day away from you, then coming home to this, it's amazing to me. I'm not crying because I'm upset or sad. I'm crying because you stun me…You make me feel things I never let myself feel before…things that I didn't think I was capable of feeling….I'm sorry I'm crying, Booth, I just have so much happening emotionally, I don't know how to stop these eruptions lately."

He crashed forward and covered her mouth completely, still cradling her head in his large hands. She moaned and he swallowed the guttural sound, allowing his own to echo into her throat. They lost themselves momentarily, before pulling back and staring into each other's eyes, their devotion to one another silently conveyed in their gently growing smiles.

She broke the silence first, "I love you, Booth. I've loved you for a long time, and I love the idea of coming home to you. I told Angela tonight, when she was driving me here, how much happier I am, now that I know I can come home to you; not to an empty apartment like was always the case before." Her grin grew, "she's very happy for us, Booth. She kept telling me, over and over, how happy she is."

"Everyone's happy, Bones. All the people who matter, anyway…We're good together." He kissed her nose. He was relieved beyond words that she had not pushed him away, but instinctually, he knew that this was no longer the right time for his original plan. No, that little item would remain right where it was… in his pocket until he could lock it in his safe once again. Now was the time to enjoy an intimate dinner together, and for him to ask her about her day. "C'mon, Bones. Before this gets any colder," he uncovered the pan holding the stuffed shells. "I hope you like it; it's a recipe Pops told me about today." He smiled warmly and her heart metaphorically melted a little more.

"Booth – it looks amazing… and smells even better." She reached over and palmed his cheeks softly, "thank you, Booth… Thank you."

"My pleasure, babe. Here, pass me your dish," he reached for the serving spoon and scooped up two stuffed shells, transferring them to her dish before serving himself the same. She, in turn, added the sliced cheese and tomatoes to his plate before getting her own.

"So," Booth began, between bites, "you two had fun, then?"

His partner smiled brightly and nodded, "Yes, despite the fact that I had only planned to do my shopping and be done, we did have a good time, Booth. Angela made appointments for us each to have a pedicure and manicure followed by a mini massage." She flashed her fingernails in his direction, showing off her neatly trimmed nails and light polish. "And I actually found that I was quite relaxed by the time we were done. However, while I would never tell Angela, for fear of insulting her good intentions, I find that I much prefer _your_ massages over the ones given at the spa." She smiled as she took another bite of dinner.

"Aw, gee…thanks, Bones. Maybe I missed my calling, huh? Should I change professions, ya think?" He smiled at her admission.

"Absolutely _not,_ Booth. I do not approve of the idea of _other_ women enjoying your massages. Never again. _Mine_…your massaging fingers are only mine…" She grinned defiantly at her own possessiveness and took another mouthful of stuffed shell.

"Awww… Bones… you're _claiming_ me… I told you, didn't I, how much I love Possessive-Bones…?" He teased as he finished off his own shells.

"Don't let it go to your head." She took a sip of wine and winked over her glass in his direction.

He loved the playful side of her that he was finding more of every day. He knew they'd always had good banter back and forth, and he could always count on her to be honest with him. With that knowledge, he felt happy that she must truly enjoy his massages, because otherwise she never would have said a word about them. She never would have compared them to the one that she and Angela had, undoubtedly, spent too much money for at the upscale spa Angela frequented.

She changed the subject, "Booth, this is _really _good. Where did Hank get the recipe to give to you?"

"His _lady-friend_, Edna, from down the hall… they play _mahjongg_ together…" Booth smiled as he finished his wine and refilled his glass, topping hers off in the process. "He says hi, by the way, and he loves you and missed seeing you today." He smiled into his glass as he took another drink. "I decided to give him a call when I got finished at the office, since it had been a couple weeks since I saw him. He was happy to get outta his apartment for a few hours, but was worried that I had pissed you off when I showed up alone."

She laughed, imaging the lecture Hank would have given to Booth if he _had_ pissed her off enough to send him away for the afternoon; she knew that Hank had wanted them to be together 'in a relationship', almost since the first time they'd met. He was always telling Booth, even when Bones was sitting right there, that they should be more than 'just partners.' When Hank had stopped by Booth's apartment, the week following her kidnapping, he was horrified at her injuries and situation, but simultaneously ecstatic to know that the partners had dropped their metaphorical shields, and agreed to enter into a monogamous relationship.

She was the one who actually told Pops. Booth had been out in the kitchen getting drinks, while Hank sat in the living room, keeping her company. He asked about her ordeal, and while she was hesitant about saying too much about what had actually happened to her, she praised Booth and their team on their skills at finding her, and proceeded to tell him that she and Booth had decided to give their long-overdue relationship a chance to grow. She will never forget the way Hank looked at her; his eyes grew wet with tears, which she later learned were, in fact, happy tears, and his smiled grew wide, reminding her of Booth's whenever she did or said something of which he approved. When Booth re-entered the room, carrying iced tea for all, he knew immediately that she had spilled the proverbial beans.

Hank had stood up and taken his much larger grandson in a big bear hug, whispering how happy he was for the pair, and Booth's eyes had met hers over the top of Pops' head. "She couldn't wait, huh? Couldn't even wait for me to be in the same room before she spilled?" Booth laughed and winked at her as Pops embraced him.

She mouthed her apology, hoping that he wasn't upset with her for telling Pops about their relationship before he had a chance to do so. But the twinkling glint in his eyes told her that he was fine with her confession to his grandfather.

Bringing her mind back to the moment at hand, she smiled at her boyfriend. "How is Hank doing? What did you two do today?"

"Ahw, he's fine. He wanted to eat at this new little BBQ joint not far from the home, so we ended up there. That was also something that_ Edna_ told him about." Booth grinned at the memory of his grandfather's happiness when the elderly man spoke about hanging out with his lady-neighbor. "It was pretty good; Pops enjoyed it. Oh, and he said he will definitely be there on Saturday. I told him if he wanted to ask Edna along, that would be fine." Booth then looked at his partner with an eyebrow raised. "So besides manicures, pedicures and massages, what other trouble did you two get into today? Did you actually get anything accomplished?"

"We did, Booth. And it wasn't trouble…" she smirked at his cheekiness. "I found a dress for the banquet that Angela said will leave you shoeless; but I didn't know what that meant." Bones shrugged and looked to Booth for the explanation.

"Shoeless…" Booth cocked his head to the side, "she said _shoeless_?"

Bones nodded nonchalantly as she took her last bite of mozzarella, patiently awaiting Booth's explanation.

He pondered for a moment, allowing his mind to venture into Angela-esque-territory_, scary though it was_, and then he smiled. "You found a dress that is going to _knock my socks off_, didn't you?" Proud of himself for _interpreting_ his partner's _mis_interpretation of the colloquial phrase, he beamed when Bones' face lit up in recognition of the common saying.

"YES! _That's_ what she said; I knew you would know. But why would I want to leave you sockless?"

Booth leaned forward in his seat, chuckling at the typical-Brennan-confused look his girl was giving him. "It must be a pretty hot dress, huh? Somethin' really sexy?"

She blushed at his deduction, "Well, I believe that you will be pleased, Booth…" Her smile alone was enough to melt Booth right then and there; but the thought of that smile in a drop-dead sexy little piece nearly made his head explode. Inwardly he prayed that they would be able to attend the banquet together-_together_, and not just as partners.

"Well, that's all that Angela would have meant, then, Babe. That your choice of dress would please me…immensely. So… When can I see it? Do I get a private fashion show later?" His eagerness made her laugh.

"Absolutely not. In fact, Angela was so sure that you would ask, they she took the dress with her. I am going to get ready for the banquet at her house and meet you there. She said that way we can make a grand entrance… whatever that means…" She smiled and reached for his hand. "But I promise that you will like it. You won't be disappointed."

"Bones, I'd never be disappointed… You could show up in a burlap sack and I wouldn't mind. As long as you're there."

"Why would anyone wear a burlap bag, Booth? A sack is hardly appropriate for such an occasion and the material would not only itch incessantly, but it would also be a very impractical choice of clothing, in this modern day, when other materials are readily available." She frowned at his choice of comparisons; her dress was far from a burlap sack.

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Babe, I just mean that you could wear anything and it would look good on you; I'd be fine no matter your choice of clothing…But I find that I am definitely looking forward to the idea of seeing you make a grand entrance… BUT I am _not_ looking forward to arriving there stag, Bones…"

"_Stag_?" She gave him the usual Brennan scowl and mumbled, "why do you people always say such strange things…?"

"_Alone_…I don't want to go to this thing _alone_. I know Angela, she likes to be late to these functions, so everyone sees her arrival; that means I'll be there _alone_ waiting for you…"

"No you won't. Hodgins will be with you. She's planning to send him over here to get ready with you."

Bones' matter-of-fact tone of voice made Booth chuckle. _Poor Hodgins is getting thrown out of his own house_, he thought. "Well, if that's Angela's plan, then I am sure that's what'll happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that she pretty much wears the pants in that relationship, and Jack will do whatever Angela tells him to do. She knows how to work it and she _does_." Booth smiled at his girlfriend's confused look. "It's nothing, babe. They're just a funny couple, that's all. They're good for each other." He leaned in and kissed her. "Just don't make us wait all night for you ladies to arrive, ok?"

Brennan smiled. "We won't. I will be anxious to see you in your tux… I love to see you dressed up, Booth." She kissed him in return then pulled back, searching his face, "did Cullen hear anything from Caroline yet? Can we, you know, do more than just sit together when we're there?"

Her voice was so hopeful and sweet that he didn't have the heart to let her down yet. "No, nothing yet, Bones. But no matter what, you and I will know we're together. Our friends and family will know. We just have to be careful, you know, when we're dancing and stuff. We won't be able to get down and dirty or anything," he grinned as he winked at her. "_But _you can't dance with other men…Well, you can dance with your Dad or Russ; and our friends if they ask…but no other, you know, single guys who'll likely be eye-balling you…. deal?"

Her answer came with a squeeze of his hand and a smile. "Deal," she whispered, inwardly loving that he was indirectly laying claim to her.

"Good. I know some of the guys from the office will try to get you to dance with them when they see that you arrive unescorted by a date… Often times, before these functions some of 'em try to get a rise outta me by taking bets on who you'll agree to dance with, if you don't already have someone there… I think, for the most part, it's just them trying to get me to admit to being more than partners. But nonetheless, they will try." He took a drink of his wine before continuing. "You know, these past few banquets, it's been harder and harder for me to keep my temper in check when they would talk like that…Even, you know, when I was with Hannah, I got pissed off at them for talking about you. One thing is for sure, I don't think ole' Jonesy 'll be bothering you… I threatened to shoot him in the knee caps last time."

"Booth! You have to stop threatening to shoot people. You're going to end up in therapy again…" She lightly admonished him with a ghost-of-a-smile. Booth's admission brought on sudden mixed feelings within Brennan. On one hand she _loved_ that he was so possessive… on the other hand she hated that he was so _possessive_… She completely understood, though, about his frustration with his co-workers; on the few occasions when they both brought other dates to these gatherings, she always felt a pang of, what she now understood was, jealousy. It was especially difficult when he'd brought Hannah to the most recent ceremony. It was right after they'd each returned, and Booth was still so focused on his new relationship with the pretty blond that he had hardly even noticed when Brennan joined the table, _alone_. He did, eventually, say hello and tell her she looked nice, but it was well into the evening before he did so, and the compliment had felt empty. At the time, she knew it was her own fault that she was there alone; she had turned down the man who offered her everything he had, the same man who was at that function with a bright and ambitious journalist; and in Brennan's depression that followed her return to DC, she had distanced herself from anyone else who would have asked her to accompany them to the dinner. So, she had arrived alone that evening, sat at the table, alone, while her friends danced and went home early, alone, only to cry herself to sleep late into the night. She wouldn't let that happen, ever again. She planned to leave every future function at the side of her partner. Whether it was public knowledge or in secret, she would never again fall into her bed, still fully dressed in her gown and slip into a restless sleep in between quiet sobs.

When Booth saw that his partner had turned contemplative after her comment, he reached up and tipped her chin towards him. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it, Bones. I just don't want people talking about you; about us." He smiled when her eyes met his. "I promise, I won't really shoot anyone for asking you to dance; but I can't promise to let them dance with you."

She laughed a little, having been brought out of her daydream, and changed the subject, suddenly feeling the need to show him that she had been thinking about him while she was out with Angela. "I bought you something, Booth. A gift." Her smile was so innocent and eager that he had to chuckle.

"Really? As if this sexy dress wasn't enough?" He teased her in return, feeding off her quiet excitement.

"Booth, my dress can hardly be considered a present," she started to say, but then wrinkled her forehead as she raised her forefinger. "Although, if what Angela anticipated comes true, this weekend, you will become misguided, and apparently _suddenly stupid_, because you will think that Christmas will be somehow rescheduled to this Saturday rather than the traditional date of December 25, which is when you and _your kind_ typically celebrate the inaccurate birthdate of the fictional character who stars in the mythological book from which you like to read on a weekly basis. A book, might I add, that is said to have been written hundreds of years after the death of this character, by people who didn't even have contact with the man. How could they have possibly transcribed what Jesus said, when they weren't even there! That would be like you or I writing the dialog of a group of soldiers during the civil war…I don't understand your religion, Booth… You're a smart man, but still… I just don't get it."

She was shaking her head as she went off on her little Atheistic rant, and he just let her. He would often dispute her religious challenges, but not this time, his mind was far from his bible as he imagined what she would look like, if Angela suspected he would think Christmas had come early, by the dress she'd purchased.

"You know, Bones, I'm not even going to argue religion with you tonight. You can have your atheistic ways, and I'll keep my Catholic beliefs." He smiled and leaned over the table, still holding her hand and dragging his thumb across the smooth skin of the back of her fingers. "I am just going to enjoy the anticipation of my present…What is it?" He smiled as she slowly stood from her chair.

"I'll be right back," she said as she retreated towards the living room to rifle through her bags until she located the one she was in search of.

Booth stood from his chair and called in to her. "Make yourself comfy, Bones. I'll just put this away and we can sit in there together. We'll have dessert later, after our dinner has settled a bit." He put the dirty dishes in the sink until later and poured the leftover shells into a plastic container. He then moved to join her in the living room, carrying what was left of the wine and their two glasses.

Bones had emptied most of her bags to show off her shopping-spree haul, and was seated on the middle cushion of the sofa, holding a small gift box in her hands.

"You may not be as excited about your gift as I was about mine when you gave it to me, Booth." She was apprehensive, suddenly unsure if he'd even like what she'd picked out for him. Bones didn't generally buy gifts for people, especially for men, because she struggled too much with choosing just the right item. Usually for her gift exchanges with Booth, it was simpler – hockey game tickets, Flyers merchandise, once she even gave him passes her agent acquired, so he and Parker could meet the teammates of his favorite hockey team. She didn't understand the affinity he had for the sport, she only liked hockey when she watched _him_ play; but she was excited for him when she saw how happy he had been with her offer. Today, though, Angela had assured her that she'd made a good choice, as they spotted the item she now held in her lap, through the window of the store as they passed. Still, her nerves were suddenly rearing their ugly head as she waited to give him the tiny box.

"Hey, Babe, if you picked it out, I'll love it. No matter what." His smile reached all the way up to his eyes as he sat down beside her, placing their glasses gently amongst the array of items she's sprawled out to show him.

Stiffly, awkwardly, she jutted her arms out from her body, in his direction, extending her offering into his own hands. He opened the small box to find a pair of cufflinks, sapphires surrounded with diamonds, very reminiscent of the jewelry set he'd given to her.

"Oh, wow, Bones. These are great... We can match." He smiled then thought for a moment, "well, I assume you're planning to wear the jewelry to the ceremony…?"

"Absolutely, Booth. I love my set. And yes, that was my thought as well – that we could match. Is it… was it a stupid idea?" Her insecurity spoke volumes to him and he moved to immediately put her at ease.

"Bones, no, it is definitely not stupid. I think it's great. I like them very much. I don't have a really good pair of links…Thank you, Baby." He leaned in for a kiss, and moaned in appreciation when she instantly opened her mouth to his, her tongue hungrily greeting his in return.

The innocent 'thank you' kiss quickly turned heated as he clicked the jewelers box closed and left it sitting on his thigh, to bring his hands up to cradle her face in his palms. He pulled her deeper into the kiss and swallowed the adorable kitten-like whimpers that escaped her throat. Booth shifted in his seat, moving his gift without looking, over to the table, then settled back, silently encouraging her to fill his now-empty lap.

Immediately understanding his desire, and not wanting his thighs to remain vacant for long, she swung her leg over his, settling into a straddle position over his strong legs, in a now-familiar and very much appreciated, seating arrangement. She loved when they made out like this. She could feel his impressive manhood pressing against her core as she ground down against him, rubbing her core harder and harder against his growing erection.

He moved his hands from where they cradled her head, down her shoulders and arms before he moved them to her waist. Once he reached his temporary destination, he allowed his fingers to dance beneath the hem of her fitted t-shirt, finding silky smooth skin below. He slid his mouth from hers, kissing along her jawline before settling his lips to the crook of her neck, growling quietly and biting gently; not enough to mark her, but enough to ensure she knew what he wanted.

Instinctively, she let her head fall back as he sucked on her throat, alternating between gentle nibbles and wet licks with the flat of his tongue. When his lips travelled back upwards, towards that special little spot just below her ear, she groaned in appreciation and he moved his hands to splay across her back, beneath the soft material of her shirt.

"Take it off, Booth," she breathed, "I want to feel your mouth on me."

He was quick to comply with her wishes, and smoothly peeled the shirt from her body as she held her arms up to aid in its removal. The only time his lips lost contact with her skin was to allow the shirt to be pulled over her head, and he immediately returned to his focus-point on her neck. Brennan rotated her hips against his and he spread his hands around her rib cage, trying to pull her down harder against him, increasing the pressure that was building up between them. When he felt her fingernails biting into his shoulders through his double shirts, he knew she was eager.

In between whimpers, she spoke to him, her words breathless and heady. "I find that I missed you immensely today, Booth. It was only an afternoon, but I missed having you there. That's very illogical…"

He smiled against her porcelain neck, "I missed you too, baby… I always miss you when you when you're not with me. Logic be damned…" Expertly, he flicked the latch hooks on her bra and hooked his fingers beneath the straps, pulling them away from her body slowly. He loved undressing her… He loved it when she was completely naked, of course, but the fact that she allowed him to remove her clothes meant so much to him – it demonstrated the amount of trust she held for him. On one of their first evenings together, she confessed about her anxiety when he had first disrobed her - she had never before let a man take off her clothes; she thought it meant she was losing too much control, and she felt too vulnerable and embarrassed about her scarred body. But she admitted that her anxiety quickly disintegrated when she allowed herself to look into his eyes as he did it; she could see the love, feel his love for her radiating from his body into hers. She found that the calmness he brought about in her everyday life crossed over nicely to the moments when she allowed her partner to peel away her clothing. She told him, also, that she had become fond of the idea of him controlling the speed at which her clothes were shed. That, of course, played right into Booth's cockiness, but she let it slide, she found that she liked that, too…as long as he kept it in check, and didn't let the alpha-cockiness get _too_ out of control.

"Booth, we've spent… days apart in the past…weeks…months…and… I didn't miss you…. as much… as I did today. I don't think that's _normal_…" Her words were breathless, and broken by tiny moans and whimpers, signs of appreciation for what he was doing to her.

She could feel his low growl before she heard it; it radiated through his chest and into hers before he spoke. "Before we weren't as aware of what we were missing when we were apart, Bones. Now, every second that we spend apart, I'm thinking of this…" and he nibbled her earlobe. "And this…" he pulled her hips tight against his as he thrust his own upward, increasing the pressure of his hardness against her warmth. "And definitely, this…" he brought his hands up to the globes of her breasts and squeezed them gently, but firmly, drawing a groan from deep in her throat. After rubbing her skin for moments and sucking on her neck, he pulled back and waited for her to open her eyes to greet his. When she did, she gave him that crooked smile that always melted his heart. "But mostly, that…" he grazed his fingertip over her smiling lips. "I miss that more than anything whenever you're _not_ at my side, Babe."

She crashed forward and captured his lips with hers, still feeling amazed that this man loved her so much. She sucked his upper lip into her mouth before moving to his lower lip and finally just demanded entrance to his mouth with her tongue. He didn't deny her silent plea; he simply opened and tasted her in return. She pushed her hands down his chest and found the few buttons that were fastened. Quickly, without hesitation, she opened them and began pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He felt her smile into the kiss as she mumbled, "you wore this shirt on purpose… you wore it for me, didn't you?"

He nodded in response, grabbing her lips again, unwilling to lose her taste just yet. "Mmm-hmmm…"

"Thank you for dinner, Booth," she whispered into his mouth as he moved his lips over hers.

"Thank you for my cufflinks, Baby." His response was a mumble, but she understood.

He pushed her body away from his slightly, so she would lean back, allowing him access to her pert breasts. His strong arms supported her torso as she arched backwards, and he immediately latched onto one pretty pink nipple, pulling it into the warmth of his mouth and tracing the roundness with the tip of his tongue before sucking it hard. He spent several moments lavishing attention before moving his lips over to its matching twin and doting upon it, the same attention. As Brennan became more and more aroused at the devotion Booth was providing to her breasts, she rotated her hips against his, harder and harder, allowing the bulge of his erection to provide delicious pressure on her clit as she ground down on him. The roughness of her lace panties against her slick core was almost enough to send her tumbling, but she wanted to feel more; she wanted to feel him.

Recognizing her increased breathing pattern and the rapidly erratic rotation her hips were making, Booth knew his lover was struggling to maintain bodily control. And the last thing he wanted was for her to maintain control when he was trying to make her lose it. Ready to face the challenge directly, he began meeting her rotations with movements of his own, increasing the friction he knew she must have been feeling. The tightness of his denim was almost painful, but he was determined to make her cum before they even removed their pants.

Thrusting one of his large hands down the back of her tight jeans, he fisted her panties and quickly yanked them up, effectively pulling them into her slick folds in the process, and tugging them tight into the crack of her ass. Her guttural moan was almost enough to make him cream his own pants, but he locked his jaw and fought off the urge, intent to accomplish his personally assigned task first. He kept a tight grip on her lacy underpants and used his other hand to pull her body further into his, increasing the speed of his upward thrusts.

Bones leaned forward, wrapping her arms completely around her partner's shoulders as she allowed him to take control of her impending orgasm. Inwardly, she wanted to fight it; her desire was to cum while he was deep inside of her, but her body had other plans.

"Booth-" She breathed against his neck where she'd tucked her head. "Oh God, Booth-" She pressed down harder, relishing the feeling of the intimate contact her panties were making mixed with the pressure of his impressive bulge hitting all the right spots. "Don't stop, Booth…whatever you're doing…. Don't stop…"

He twisted the wrist of the hand that was holding her underwear, causing the pressure to increase against her clit and he thrust his hips harder, almost pounding against her as she nearly went airborne with each rotation. "Let go, Bones…Don't hold back…C'mon baby…"

"M-M-More…" She cried out loud as she threw her head backwards.

He brought his free hand up and pinched her tit, grabbing the pointy pink nub firmly between his forefinger and thumb and squeezing. "_Now_, Bones….Let me hear you… let me see you cum for me…Cum for me like you've cum for no other man, Baby…"

With a strong final tug on her panties, causing the flimsy lace to tear, she shattered at his order, screaming his name in the process. She dug her nails into his shoulders, wishing her hands were on his smooth, masculine flesh rather than his t-shirt, but she enjoyed the feel of his muscles beneath her fingers all the same. She slowly decreased the speed of her hip rotation as she let her head fall to the crook of Booth's neck, inhaling his musky scent deeply.

He moved his hands up to splay across her back, holding her close to his body as he slowed his own thrusts to meet her decreasing rotations. The expansiveness of his palms and long fingers covered a large portion of her skin and she felt traces of fire tingling everywhere he touched as she came down from her high. His fingers sent electricity bolts through her body, little glittering star bursts erupting with each heartbeat.

She wanted to tell him what his touch did to her, but she couldn't form the words. She could only sigh and fall against him harder, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, kissing his neck as she nuzzled against his olive skin.

"Bones, you're so fucking gorgeous…I will never get enough of looking at you, touching you, kissing you…Jesus Christ, you're beautiful…" He rubbed along her ribcage, feeling goose bumps erupt as he moved. Smiling against her neck, where he suckled gently, he spoke, his warm breath causing more chills to invade her body. "Are you cold, Baby?"

"nuh-uh…" was all she could manage with a slight shake of her head as she regained her normal breathing pattern slowly. "Not cold…"

"Mmmm…Good… then that means I did that to you…" he teased as he trailed his fingertips up her sides, towards her underarms.

Immediately, she clamped her arms to her sides, effectively trapping his hands between her biceps and her body. "No tickling, Booth…That's not fair…. Bastard." She smiled against his neck and nipped him playfully, knowing that _he_ knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Chuckling, he wiggled his fingers free and wrapped her tightly in his embrace. "Why, Bones…" he began innocently, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

With a smile she pulled back and looked deep into his eyes. "If you have so much pent up energy still, take me to bed…Make love to me, Booth." Her words were whispered as her smile grew sweet and loving, "let _me_ make love to _you_… all night…"

With a growl of approving appreciation, he scooted forward in his cushion and let her wrap her legs around his waist completely before he stood, carrying her to the bedroom, murmuring words of endearment against the shell of her ear as they went. When he laid her gently in the middle of the mattress, he pulled back and looked at her, slowly letting his eyes trace the contours of her face, neck, throat and shoulders before coming back to lock onto her darkened blues.

"I'll make love _with_ you, Bones. _With_ you, for the rest of our lives… you have my word, Bones…" He kissed her fingertip as he held her hands. "Forever…Forever together... You're my soul mate, Baby… and I will _always_ be _with_ you." He desperately wanted to reach into his pocket and pull out that shiny little present that was calling to him. But he fought the temptation, he didn't want to do it in bed…He wanted them both to be completely aware of the enormity of his offer…Whether she accepted or not, he didn't want it to be in their bed, so he simply shucked his jeans, letting them fall to the floor, careful to keep the pockets upright, so his gift for her wouldn't come tumbling out onto the hardwood floors. As he moved across the bed and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her jeans, he never took his eyes off hers. After peeling the denim slowly down her long slender legs, he moved up to settle between her thighs and he palmed her cheek before kissing her softly.

The emotions he felt in his own chest were so strong that he found himself fighting back gentle tears. He finally had the woman of his dreams; and, for the past several weeks, he'd hoped and prayed every single day that he wouldn't wake up and find that this had all been a figment of a brain tumor. In that very moment, seeing his love returned in her gaze towards him, he knew that if this wasn't real, when he finally _did_ wake up, he would slowly curl up, shrivel and die. He _had_ to hang on to what they had built…He _needed_ to keep this love alive for the next 30, 40, or 50 years…

"_With_ you, baby…I will make love _with_ you…" his words were lost as she swallowed his vow, sliding her tongue smoothly over his, and he pressed his hips forward, smoothly sliding home and settling into an easy, loving rhythm as old as time itself.

As Bones move her lips along his stubbly jawline, kissing and nipping, she came to settle just below his earlobe. Breathing her words more than speaking them, she made her own promise to her lover, "_Forever_, Booth… Don't give up on me…please…Help me believe in _forever_ and I will follow you anywhere…"

B/B/B/B

"You know, Booth," Brennan began quietly as she lay snuggled against Booth's naked chest, "I should probably call Russ…" She had been dreading this topic and Booth had purposely avoided bringing up the subject.

He nodded and kissed the top of her head, fighting the urge to sleep that had overtaken him since they settled down from their loving, nearly 20 minutes prior. "Yeah, you should, Bones. Especially if you expect him to show up as one of your guests on Saturday."

Thinking back to that day in the SUV, when she'd said such terrible things to the man who seemed to love her unconditionally, she couldn't fight the tears that stung the backs of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Booth," her voice was small, barely more than a whisper, but her words were crystal clear to Booth's ears.

He felt her tears as they landed on his skin below her cheek and he held her close. "Shh…" he rubbed her bare back gently, his rough, calloused hands gliding over her satiny-smooth skin. "That's long past, Bones. Emotions were running high; you were frustrated with your situation; I was afraid of pushing you too far…" He held his lips to her hair and buried his nose in her errant waves, loving the scent he found. It was a combination of her fresh shampoo mixed with their conjoined scents, brought about by their love making. "No more tears, baby; we're alright now." He felt her nod against him and he kissed her head once more.

"Why don't you give him a call and ask him over for dinner tomorrow; he can bring Amy and the girls if he wants, or he can come alone if he'd rather. It's still early, he's probably still awake. We can cook dinner and he can see you with his own two eyes…and you two can iron out some of the _issues_ that came up in your last, _abruptly ended_, phone conversation." He nodded towards where his phone was docked on its charger. "And tell him I promise not to shoot him."

She raised her head from its place against his warm skin and met his deep brown eyes. "Thanks, Booth. If you'd rather him not come here, we can meet him someplace, like a restaurant or even over at my place…?" She wasn't sure how the meeting would go; Russ was dead set against her staying with Booth, dead set against her relationship with Booth, and she was dead set against leaving the one man she knew would never purposely hurt her.

"It may be easier to talk here, Bones. A restaurant won't offer much privacy. Your place would be fine, but I wouldn't mind him seeing that I do, in fact, live in a decent place and I'm not putting his little sister in danger by having you here."

She was satisfied with his answer and stretched up to peck him on his cheek before turning and grabbing the phone off the night stand. "My phone is in the other room." She thought for a moment. "Maybe I should bring my charger in here too. Often times our calls come late at night or early in the morning, so it will make more sense." She looked at him in question, hoping he'd be alright with her setting up a permanent charger alongside his.

"That's fine, Bones. You can plug it in anywhere you want. Oh, I forgot to tell you…well, I guess I didn't really forget…we just got _distracted_…" he grinned, "I cleared out some space in my closet and the top three drawers over in that dresser for you." He shrugged, almost shyly, and she grinned in unexpected excitement. "I just thought, you know, if you're gunna be here for a while, even as we rotate living arrangements, you should have a place for your things. Whatever things you want to bring… And that single drawer over there, the one that you've recently claimed, wasn't going to cut it, I figured."

"Thank you, Booth." Her smile made his stomach flip. "That means a lot. And when we get to my place, I will do the same for you; I want you to feel as at home _there_ as you make me feel _here_."

His toothy smile stretched across his face and she was happy that she'd said the right thing. As she dialed Russ's number, she snuggled back into Booth's side, allowing him to pull her close and kiss her temple.

"Hi, Russ. No, it's me", Booth listened to the one-sided conversation.

"Yes, well I'm using his phone. Mine is in the other room and I was quite comfortable; I didn't want to get up to get it."

"No, I'm still staying with Booth."

"I don't know. Until I'm ready to go home, I guess. But even then, he'll be staying with me. We're going to be sharing time between our two places for now."

Booth felt her stiffen and he knew instinctively that Russ was giving her a hard time about their relationship and/or arrangement. He rubbed her upper back and held his lips to her hair, silently telling her that he was here if she needed the support.

"Well, Russ, I didn't call you to argue. We wanted to know if you wanted to come over tomorrow evening for dinner."

"Of course '_we_' as in Booth and I. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Look, Russ. We just want clean air."

Booth whispered, "We want _to clear the air_, Bones," as he grinned against her temple.

"Clear the air…that's what I meant."

The pause on her end lasted longer than usual, and Booth felt her, once again, stiffen in his embrace.

"Listen, Russ, you said you were worried about me; we want you to know that I'm alright…Booth says that when you see me with your own two optical orbs that you will feel better."

She wrinkled her forehead and Booth didn't bother to correct her, knowing that Russ was doing it already.

"That's what I said, Russ! When you see me with your own eyeballs…"

"OK, OK, eyes! When you see me with your own two eyes… What the hell's the difference? You knew what I meant!"

"Well, anyway, when you see me, you'll feel better… And besides, _I _want you to know that I am fine – and happy. Dad's OK with this, why are you being so difficult?"

Finally, Booth couldn't take it anymore. His partner, his girlfriend, was getting more and more upset; he could hear it in her voice and feel it in her body language. He leaned in and whispered, "Bones, can I talk to him?"

Without saying a word to her brother, she simply handed the phone over to Booth, apparently while Russ was waiting for an answer from his sister to a question that Booth hadn't heard.

"_Tempe?_ _Did you hear me? Did you two discuss __that__?"_

"Russ, it's Booth."

"_Oh._" Russ's voice was flat. "_Well, do __you__ want to answer for her?_"

"No. I didn't hear the question; and besides, no one answers for Bones except for Bones. I don't speak for her, Russ." Booth smiled as he felt her snuggle into his side; it was a movement that felt as natural as breathing; they were perfectly in tune with each other and they fit together perfectly. He smiled, despite the fact that he was talking to her brother.

"Listen, Russ, whatever questions you need answered can be done in person. Why do you come over, bring Amy and the girls if you want. We'll make pizza or something; we'll talk – all of us. It will make Bones feel a helluva lot better. Me too, and I suspect you too."

"_Don't assume to know what will make me feel better, Booth. You're not the right guy for her. No offense, you're a nice guy, but your job is too dangerous. You're going to end up getting hurt or shot or whatever, and she's going to get hurt again. I don't want that for her_." Russ was at least sounding more like a brother than a douchebag, and for that, Booth was appreciative.

"Listen, man," Booth squared his shoulders, even though Russ couldn't see the gesture, and Brennan smoothed her hand across his chest to calm him. "Russ, like I told Max, I love Bones; there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep her from getting hurt. It's true, I do have a dangerous job, but so does she. We're in the field together and we've got each other's backs. Always. I'm not gunna hurt your sister, man. I've loved her for far too long to hurt her."

Booth's honesty stunned the man on the other end of the phone. He was at a loss for words, so Booth continued.

"Look, Russ. I'm asking you for a favor, here. Come for dinner; we can even call Max too, if you want. Bones wants this all smoothed over. She wants you guys there for her on Saturday, for the awards presentation; it would mean a lot to her if her blood-family was there as well."

"_I'll call our Dad - I'll pick him up on the way over. Amy's taking the girls to Brownies, so they won't be able to make it. What time should we be there, Booth?_"

"Well, we're both taking the day off tomorrow, so we can have dinner ready early. What's your schedule look like?" Booth wanted to make it as convenient as possible for Russ and Max to come over. He wanted his Bones to be happy.

"_Well, in that case, can we do lunch? I know Dad's got bowling tomorrow night_. _That way Amy and the girls will come too. The girls really love Tempe, and since Amy is home-schooling them, we can adjust their lunch break a bit_."

"Sounds good, let's say, 1:00?"

"_See you then. Can I talk to Tempe again?_"

"Yup, hang on."

Booth handed her the phone and whispered against her ear, "we'll do lunch with them and your Dad tomorrow." He kissed her temple as she raised the phone to her other ear.

"Hello?"

"Yes, of course I heard what he said, I was laying right here."

"Well, Russ, it's true. All of it. We've always watched out for each other; and I wouldn't want another partner in the field, why would I want another partner in my personal life? Booth understands me; he forgives me when I do or say stupid things; he is patient with me and teaches me the things I don't understand."

"No! Of course not; Booth would _never_ call me stupid – I'm saying that about myself." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Russ, I am an awkward person… I know that about myself…but Booth doesn't mind it; he helps me learn the things that I didn't have the opportunity to learn in my formative years. Foster care doesn't exactly produce well-balanced adults for the most part… I'm an exception to the normal."

"Norm/normal, whatever. The point is, he loves me and I love him. And I would like it if you would accept that…"

"Alright, well I guess we'll see you tomorrow, then."

"No, he already promised not to shoot you."

"You too. Bye."

Bones disconnected the call and hooked the phone back up to the charger before turning back to Booth's chest. He simply opened his arms to her and let her lay quietly while she processed the phone call she'd just completed; he knew she'd talk when she was ready.

While Bones curled her body around his, Booth continued stroking his hands up and down her back, offering her the comfort she needed. After a few long moments of silence, she spoke.

"He's afraid that you're going to leave me. Whether it's on your own accord or by force, like by being shot or killed in the line of duty or whatever. He thinks that this is all temporary, based on my kidnapping." She raised her eyes, suddenly questioning herself. "It's not, right? All of this is not just temporary because you felt bad for me, or because you have guilt over Hannah, or anything like that, right? This is real?"

"Nothing's ever been more real to me, Bones. I love you; you _know_ I do. And 'us'? We are _not_ temporary. This relationship hasn't been temporary from the very beginning – _ever_ – and it never will be, either. I gave you my word earlier, Bones. And you know I don't make promises, vows, if I don't believe in them."

His gaze locked hers, unwavering as he spoke; his hands stilled on her back, cradling her to his body, holding her gently, yet firmly. He lowered his lips to hers for a gentle kiss.

"Now, you tell me; do you think this is temporary? _You_ know me better than anyone, Bones…Do you really think I'd be all-in if all this was temporary? Do you believe in your heart – your metaphorical, emotional heart – that I don't love you?"

She shook her head slowly as her big blue eyes searched his. "No, Booth. I know you love me. And I know I love you, too. This is not temporary. This was not because of my kidnapping, but my kidnapping was the catalyst that led you to confess to me, and allowed me to truly embrace my feelings for you. But this is definitely _not_ temporary."

His smile told her that she'd made the right deduction. "I love you, Bones. Like I said, I always have, and I always will."

She snuggled down, nesting her face back into the crook of his neck. "I love you too, Booth." She smiled as he resumed rubbing her back.

After several quiet moments, she raised her head once again, "So, how about that dessert you promised me?" She smiled, wondering what he'd made to finish off their romantic dinner.

He smiled in return. "You stay here, Baby… I'll be right back." He scooted out from beneath her and trotted out the bedroom door, not bothering to cover his nakedness. He smiled to himself when he heard a contented sigh escape her lips as she remained in his bed. His bed? _Their bed… It was their bed now_.

He made his way to the kitchen and put coffee on to brew while he retrieved his homemade dark chocolate mousse from the fridge. Ensuring it was set to the proper thickness before spooning it into dessert cups, he smiled in gratitude of his own culinary skills. He was startled when two tiny hands wrapped around his waist from behind.

"Hey! You're supposed to be waiting in bed while I bring you this delicious dessert," he smiled as he looked over his shoulder at her, appreciating that she, too, felt comfortable enough to enter the kitchen without dressing.

"Well, I missed you, so I followed you," she smirked as she snuck a taste from the big bowl of mousse, sucking the sticky goodness from her fingertip before turning to kiss her _soul-mate_. "Delicious," she mumbled against his lips as she maneuvered herself to stand between him and the kitchen island.

"Yes, you are…" he chuckled as he grabbed her waist and hoisted her up so she once again wrapped her legs around his narrow waist. "We've got a few minutes before the coffee is ready," he spoke against her neck as he walked them back down the hallway towards the bedroom, already feeling the effects the close proximity of her bare body had when next to his. "Let's have _dessert_ before dessert, huh?"

She met his lips as she lowered her legs to the floor, turning him so his back was to the bed, and she pushed him onto the soft mattress before crawling up and straddling him. "You really know how to show a girl a good time, Agent Booth… I'm having quite an enjoyable evening," she grinned against his lips before taking control of his mouth, plunging her tongue deep and swallowing his groan.

And while the coffee brewed in the kitchen, Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth spent time in the bedroom, ensuring that they both understood there was nothing temporary about their relationship. Words of devotion, terms of endearment and promises of love filled the room and neither of them worried about the meeting with her family the next day. This night was theirs, as would be every night in the foreseeable future, and they were going to make the most of it.

**Postscript A/N**

**So… Whatdya think? Please let me know what you thought of chapter 54. The next chapter should be posted much faster than this one was… unless some crappy catastrophe happens with work, interfering with my creative planning. **

**As always, I truly appreciate all the comments I've had during the course of this story. Some of you folks out there who are reading and not reviewing, why not take a moment and type a little somethin'-somethin' to let me know you're out there? What do you like? What don't you like? Like I said last chapter, we're in the final stretch, so if you have an opinion that you'd like heard, these final few chapters would be the time to do it….! **

**Thanks again to you all.**

**peace & love**

**~jazzy **


	55. Chapter 55

**Hi there! Welcome back! Here's chapter 55; and it's longer than chapter 54 was! I must be a glutton for punishment! **

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Thank you for all the kind reviews and PM's. You all still humble me with the generosity you offer in your messages. Please review this chapter when you're done as well! ((Maybe we can reach… dare I say… 900?)) **

**We have a long hiatus in front of us until Bones is back...in the meantime, I am going to do my best to crank out another chapter or two, bringing this to a finish before I begin on a new B&B adventure. **

**This is another chapter that is pretty heavy in dialog. I'm finding that I like experimenting with conversations; it's a different kind of writing challenge than plain narrative. What do you think?**

**Disclaimer: Nope… still don't own anything… I can't understand why… Oh, wait… now I know! Because HH would hate my writing! :) But I am sure having fun manipulating his characters! **

Bones was disturbed from her peaceful slumber by a beam of sunlight that had rudely its way through the slats of the closed venetian blinds on her side of the room. It was at the perfect angle to hit her in the eye as she squinted and rolled her face into the pillow with a disapproving groan. She was usually a person who could wake early with ease; but she had found, during these past weeks, that she quite enjoyed staying in bed later than usual, and she could only attribute her changed routine to the fact that she was in Booth's bed. As she grumbled quietly into her pillow, she noticed the distinct lack of body heat she had become accustomed to feeling beside her in the mornings. She woke up on her right side, with her back had been to the middle of the bed. Normally, when she rolled over in the middle of the night, Booth followed her and would spoon in behind her, wrapping his ever-present warmth around her often-chilled body. But this morning, he wasn't spooning her, and she found that she was disturbed by the missing heat that radiated from his large frame.

Without raising her face from her pillow, she rolled onto her stomach and grabbed the sheet that was draped over her, pulling it up higher to her shoulders. She then reached over to Booth. Well, she reached over to where Booth should have been… but she found only cooled bedding in his place. Raising her head and brushing aside her wayward curls, she frowned at his absence.

_The sheets where he sleeps are cool, so he must have gotten up a while ago_, she thought. _Bathroom light is off, so he's not in there. He told me we were sleeping in this morning…where is he? He LOVES sleeping in, _she mused, _he is as bad as Parker when it comes to sleeping. If I let him stay in bed all day, I think he actually would._

With a grumble, she rolled over and pushed herself up into a sitting position, shivering in the early morning chill. Washington DC had been getting unseasonably cool weather for early October… On average, they should be enjoying temperatures in the low 70's during the day and 60's at night, but the past few days had brought in a cold front, and on this particular morning, Brennan could feel the arrival of autumn in the air. From her perch on the bed, she looked around Booth's room briefly, and then smiled at the memory that he'd made room for her in his home. Bending over to and opening the drawers in her bedside stand, she found them void of contents.

_Maybe after lunch, we can go to my place and I can pick up some more things to bring over; we only got a few things when we were there last time_, she thought. _And most of what I brought is not going to keep me very warm if it gets much cooler outside_…

She then rose from the bed, feeling comfortable enough to remain bare, and moved into the closet in search of a top that would warm her torso and keep the chill off until she could find the arms she was missing. When she opened his closet door and started looking through his clothes, she thought back to a conversation she and Parker had when he was still at home with them.

~flash back~

_Parker eyed Bones as she lay on the lounge, and, much like whenever Booth observed her, she could feel the little version doing the same thing. When she turned to face the boy, he smiled at her, not at all shy about looking at her, like some people would be. _

"_Bones? Can I ask you a question?" Parker began quietly, not really wanting his dad to hear this conversation from where he was, as he sat at the opposite end of the living room, speaking on the telephone. _

"_Of course," she smiled at the boy's tone. _

_He stood from the couch and walked to stand next to the chair. "How come you're wearing Dad's clothes? Don't you have any of your own?" _

_His delivery was frank and to the point – she had always loved that about this little boy. His candidness was heart-warming and refreshing for Brennan as she chuckled at Parker's observation. _

"_Yes, Parker, I do have my own clothes, but right now, with my wounds, your Dad's shirts and shorts are more comfortable for me to wear. They don't rub against my sores." She thought for a moment, squinting at the boy, not entirely sure the point from where Parker's concerns were stemming. "Does it bother you to see me wearing your Dad's t-shirts? I don't want you to be upset, Parks."_

_He shook his head immediately and without hesitation. His deep brown eyes smiling at her. "Nuh-uh. It's fine. It just makes me laugh a little… Can I tell you something? Something that you won't tell Dad?" _

"_Well, Parker, if you have something you want to share, I will do my best not to betray your trust. But I have to tell you, up front, that your Dad and I don't keep secrets from each other. We have a very open relationship. And if you're bothered by something, and I think Booth needs to know about it, I will feel obligated to tell him." She considered the young boy standing in front of her; she knew he had a great relationship with his Dad and that Booth would do anything for him. She wondered what he would want to tell her, but not tell Booth._

"_Oh, it's nothing major…just an observation, really. But I didn't want Dad to think I was eavesdropping before." Parker's innocence shone through and Brennan knew she didn't have to worry about whatever 'secret' Parker wanted to share with her. _

_She nodded in acceptance of his preface and indicated for him to continue. _

"_You know the shirts you've been wearing? The first day you were here, you were wearing Dad's Pink Floyd shirt; then yesterday his Flyers shirt; today his Phillies shirt… Do you know they're his __favorites__?" Parker smiled at the shared news; a smile a little bigger than Brennan would have expected at simply revealing that she was wearing his Dad's favorite shirts… she wondered if there was a joke she was missing. _

_She nodded slowly, "Yes, I know. He told me to pick whatever shirt I want. And each day, he's affirmed that I have excellent taste in clothing because I keep picking his favorites." She smiled at Booth's sentimentality; he had actually told her that they've spent so much time together in the near-eight year partnership, that he was __finally__ having an influence on her choices. "In fact, he offered to let me keep any of them, if I found them particularly comfortable." She looked down at her Phillies shirt. "I was torn this morning, between this one and Foreigner. They are both very soft, and obviously well-worn, making them excellent choices to wear against my sores." _

_Parker's eyes sparkled, reminding Bones of Booth whenever he was excited about something. "So, he told you to go ahead and pick out whatever you wanted? From his t-shirt drawer? The one next to his side of the bed?" _

_Again, Brennan nodded; this time she also raised an eyebrow at the boy's growing smile. _

_He stooped lower, leaning against the over-stuffed arm of the lounge, wearing a conspiratorial grin. "He wouldn't even let Hannah fold them…forget about letting her wash them and __really__ forget about letting her __wear__ them. One time she came out here, wearing his Pink Floyd shirt, the one you were wearing the other day, and he told her that she had no right to go into his drawer and he wanted her to go change, leaving his shirt on the bed so he could fold it the way he likes." He glanced over his shoulder to see that his father was still talking on the phone to his Uncle Jared, and then turned back. "So…it just goes to show, Bones…Dad really does love you. A lot. A whole lot. He only gives me his shirts when they get too small for him to wear." Parker giggled at his observation of his Dad's leniency with his long-time partner. _

"_Well, Parker," Bones was careful not to read too much into the little morsel of information. "I am in a very different situation; you know with my injuries, I really needed something soft against my skin." _

"_Dad has lots of shirts, Bones…Tons…The T-shirts in the bottom drawer of his big dresser are his not-favorite-ones… he could have let you choose from them… But he didn't. He let you choose from the second drawer next to the bed. Dad's always loved you, Bones. And I am really glad that you're letting him, now." He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he heard Booth saying goodbye to Jared. He finished with a whisper. "I just wanted you to know…Maybe it's not important to you, but it seemed important to me…" He shrugged, almost shyly. _

_Bones reached out for his hand and whispered back. "I'm glad you told me…It is important, Parker. Thank you." She winked at him as Booth's shadow started to come upon them from behind where Parker stood. _

"_Hey, you two, what're ya whispering about over here?" Booth playfully scooped his son up and slung him over his shoulder, in a game they were obviously accustomed to playing. Bones cringed at the idea that Booth's back could be further injured by his rough play, but she couldn't help but laugh along with the giggles filling the room. _

_Parker squealed with delight that his Dad could still wrestle with him. Once Hannah had come to live with them, the wrestling stopped, because she complained. Parker wondered if he had gotten too big for his Dad to spar with now, but when Booth had so easily lifted the young boy, Parker beamed at the strength of his father. Someday, he thought, I wanna be like him. _

"_Soooo?" Booth shook Parker playfully, "What's all the secrecy going on?" _

"_Daaaaad! Daaaad!" Parker's breathless laughter rang throughout the apartment, "stoooooooop!"_

_Chuckling, Booth moved to place Parker down on the couch, gently, careful not to hurt his boy. "What's the matter, Bub? Your old man too much for ya?"_

"_No, Dad! I was afraid you'd throw your back out again…. THEN who's gunna help Bones!?" Parker retaliated in humor before failing to duck out of the way when Booth locked him in a loose head-lock. "OK! OK! Mercy!" Parker giggled happily, "We were just talking, that's all. No biggie, dad!"_

_Booth winked at Bones, knowing that if it was something important, she would share it with him when the time was appropriate. He just felt suddenly happy beyond words, seeing his son and his girl sharing a moment. He hadn't seen Parker say much at all to Hannah when they were together…but now, since Bones had been staying there, Booth couldn't shut his kid up. He was elated, however, and wouldn't discourage it by any means. _

"_Yeah, yeah…I hear ya," he joked, "Probably planning something against me, weren't you? You two were scheming again, I'll bet…Conspiring to make me do the chores…" Booth flopped down on the couch next to a still-chuckling Parker and threw his arm over his boy's shoulders and smiled. He grew serious for a moment, "I'm glad you're happy Parks; it means a lot to me to see you smile and hear you laugh again." _

_Not one to get too mushy with his son, Booth let his sentiment hang in the air without further prodding. He was glad when Parker settled into his side, like he used to do when he was little, allowing Booth to hug him. "I am happy, Dad. And it's good to have you back, too." Parker smiled up at Booth before gently pulling away and trotting off into his room on a mission for something unknown to the two adults. _

_Booth looked over at his partner where she lay in the chair. "Everything OK, Bones?" Booth's raised eyebrow questioned not only her own well-being, but also the conversation that appeared so serious between her and Parker. _

"_Everything is fine, Booth. We were just chatting, that's all." Her smile put him immediately at ease and he went on to tell her about the conversation he'd had with Jared. _

~end flash back~

With a slight smile, knowing that Booth did give her free reign of his clothing if she so chose, she stepped further into the closet and perused her partner's belongings as they hung. She felt another shiver and she mentally berated herself for standing naked in a closet full of clothes, shivering. Then she spotted his Fed Cases hockey jersey. She reached out and took it from the hanger without a second thought, pulling it over her head while experiencing a flurry of excitement in the pit of her stomach. The shirt was entirely too big for her, the sleeves covered most of her arms and the bottom hem rested mid-thigh, but she found it comforting. She suddenly felt the need to go find her mate and wrap he arms around him. She didn't like waking up without him at her side, not after having grown accustomed to it over the past several weeks. And, the flash of memory of him, wearing a jersey just like the one she currently donned, lying unconscious on the ice, brought on even more chills.

She quietly closed the closet door and peeked in the bathroom, just to make sure he wasn't in there without the lights on. She padded down the hallway and stopped when she saw him sitting at the dining room table, with his back to her, wearing just his boxers and a pair of slippers. His shoulders were tight, she could see the muscles in the back of his neck were tense, and she knew that posture well; it was the same posture he carried whenever he was upset. Hurriedly, she thought back to the previous evening… Had she done something to upset him? Did she say something to hurt him? She knew she sometimes talked in her sleep and she hoped that she didn't reveal something that made him angry. In the pit of her stomach, she felt a weight growing heavier and she knew she had to find out what was wrong. Why was he up so early when they'd planned on sleeping in? Why didn't he wake her? Why was he mad at her?

If Booth heard her enter the room, he gave no indication, but when she laid her hand on the back of his bare shoulder, he was not surprised.

"Booth?" she addressed him quietly, hesitantly.

He turned his head and smiled up at her; it was a tired smile, almost forced, and that made her heart beat a little more erratically. "Mornin' Bones," his voice was soft, depressed somehow…almost deflated. But then he bent his head and kissed the fingers that were resting atop his shoulder, pausing momentarily to rub his morning stubble against her soft hand. "Mmm…" He hummed his approval of her touch, and she became a little more at ease, but not completely.

"Booth? Did I upset you?" She had determined that the direct route of questioning was the only way she could go at that moment. She needed to know what was wrong with her partner, and if she had been the cause of it.

"What!? Why would you think that, Bones?" He reached up and took her much-smaller hand in his, pulling her around to stand in front of him as he turned in his seat, meeting her halfway. He tugged lightly on her arm, drawing her down onto his lap, where she sat sideways across his thighs, his right arm hooked around her hips to hold her in place. His face was full of concern as he eyed her, waiting for a response. He palmed the soft flesh of her hip and pulled her close, hoping to appease whatever concerns she had unexpectedly woken up experiencing.

She shrugged self-consciously. "Well," she was quiet and instead of looking at him, she ducked her head, placing her forehead at the crook of his neck and tucked her left shoulder under his right arm as he held her. "Today was the first time in weeks that I'd woken up alone, Booth. And it's not just that you weren't there that made me wonder where you were, it was your cold sheets that told me you'd been up for a while." She let her fingers outline the muscles in his chest and abdomen as she leaned into his warmth. "Then, when I came into the room, I could tell, from the way you were sitting, that you were upset. You tend to hunch your shoulders when you're upset…you roll them forward slightly...And your neck was also very tense; I could see the strain all the way from the hallway."

She swallowed thickly as she mentally spoke to herself, preparing as best she could for something she didn't understand. _He didn't actually say he wasn't upset with me…he just asked why I thought he was_… She started stammering, "I didn't know if I did something last night or if I said something in my sleep that upset you… or if you're changing your mind…maybe I didn't do something right last night for our romantic dinner that you prepared…" Her worries were almost instantly washed away as he curled his left index finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him and essentially stopping her from concocting any more stories that held no truth.

"Bones," he kissed her nose, "I'm not upset with you, Baby." He kissed her cheek as he rubbed his right fingers against the bare skin he found beneath his hockey jersey, once again humming in approval, this time at her lack of panties. "And you were wonderful last night, Bones…absolutely wonderful." He kissed her jaw lightly, just below her ear. "I'm sorry you woke up alone, Bones. You were sleeping so peacefully, I hated to come back in and disturb you again; you stirred when I got outta bed to begin with, and I wanted you to get some more sleep."

She raised her own hand to his stubbly jaw as her bright blue eyes locked onto his much darker ones. "Then what has you so upset, Booth?"

He grinned in response, "Since when did you become an expert at reading body language, Bones? I thought that was my territory." He was skirting the topic, but she wasn't going to let him avoid it for long.

"You taught me everything I know…I have a very steep learning curve… I've been telling you that for years, Booth." She smiled softly, "besides, I've been good at reading you for a long time. I may not be able to understand anyone else, or tell when a suspect is lying like you can; but I _always_ know when _you're_ upset, Booth." She flattened her hand against his chest and grew serious, "Please talk to me. Please tell me what's wrong."

"Aw, Bones… I didn't mean to make you worry. It's nothing, really… I guess…" He tilted his head and stared at his cell phone, which was sitting in front of them, on the dining table. "Rebecca called. I left her a message yesterday and she was calling back. She apologized for waking me; she figured I'd be up and heading into work already." He shrugged his right shoulder. "Anyway, when I was talking to Cullen yesterday, he told me that this banquet, it was something that Parker could come to, if I wanted him there." Booth raised his eyebrows as he spoke, visibly pleased with the idea of being encouraged to include his son at a function that the boy normally would not be allowed to attend. "So, I called Rebecca to see if she expected to be home by Saturday; or if not, could we ride up and pick up Parker and bring him home, so he could come with us to the dinner. But she called back morning and said they had already made plans for Saturday morning, with all of Parker's cousins, and she doubts she'll be able to get him back down here in time for the ceremony. Her plans were to head home Saturday evening, so he could see us on Sunday and go back to school on Monday." He absently trailed the fingertips of his left hand along her bare thighs, making little circles and spirals, generally just enjoying the feel of her skin beneath his hand. "I guess it's no big deal, I mean, I wasn't initially planning to take him, and so we're at the same juncture as we started… But when Cullen suggested it, well, I just got my hopes up… You know, I can't normally bring him, so this award must be pretty good, right? For Cullen to tell me to invite my eleven-year-old kid, it must be _something_, don't ya think?"

Bones listened carefully, unsure of how to react to this news. She felt bad for Booth; he often lost out on special events with his son, and it ate away at him a little more each time. She knew he valued every minute he had with his boy, and that was one of the reasons why she was always so humbled that they invited her to spend time with them so often; by her being there, she sometimes felt like she was taking away their father-son time. But still, they always insisted that she was welcome. If it wasn't Booth calling to invite her over, it was Parker. And she could never really deny either one.

"I'm sorry Parker can't be there, Booth." Her words were genuine, and he could hear her own disappointment at learning that they could have planned it all along, had they known… "But, maybe, on your next weekend with him, we can all go out to dinner and celebrate whatever it is we're getting…What do you think? We can even invite the rest of the team, make it like a real party."

He allowed her words to sink in, and slowly, a soft smile grew across his face. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, Bones? Any idea at all?" He chuckled at her confused look and pulled her closer, tucking her shoulder under his arm again, so he could wrap around her as tight as possible. "You just… you stun me sometimes, Babe… To have you suggest _and welcome_ the idea of having a dinner for the sole purpose of including my son… just… Thank you, Bones." He leaned in and kissed her softly, lovingly, and she kissed him in return.

He splayed his left hand wide, covering a large portion of her bare thigh beneath his strong fingers, and he squeezed gently. When he pulled back, he let his eyes travel along her delicate features; he took in her creamy skin, her clear blue eyes, her kiss-swollen lips… His gaze danced down her slender neck and he sighed as her silky skin disappeared beneath the V-neck of his jersey, which looked adorably oversized draped on her fragile body. He brought his fingertips up and traced the neckline of the shirt and spoke, keeping his husky voice soft. "You look good in this… I like it…" He gave her that sexy, half-smile that she loved and Bones felt her heart flutter.

She let her own eyes travel across his masculine face, admiring the deep set eyes that danced when he teased her, his strong lips that made her weak in the knees, his sharp jawline, so strong... And his thick neck...She let her fingers graze over the rough skin of his neck, brushing his bulging Adams apple with her thumb, causing him to gulp in reaction. She dropped her hand to his chest, lightly resting it over the still-visible scar covering his heart. She hated to see that scar - it reminded her of a time when she'd lost him. But on the same note, she was thankful for the scar...Had he not protected her, she'd be dead, and she would have missed out on the happiness she was finally allowing him to share with her.

In response to his statement, she kept her voice soft, "I was chilly when I got out of bed. I wanted something a bit warmer than a t-shirt." She lowered her eyes and blushed, "I hope you don't mind, Booth."

"What's mine is yours, Bones. Help yourself to anything you want." He smiled and bowed his head, bringing his lips to the silkiness of her neck. "Isn't the material a little rough against your skin, though?"

She found that when his lips were on her neck, or any part of her body for that matter, she had difficulty forming sentences. "uh-uh…Feels good."

He smiled against her softness and pulled back with a cocky grin. "Well, my clothes have never looked sexier than when they're hugging your curves, Bones…I love the way you look."

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, replaying the recalled conversation with Parker in her mind. "Booth? Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded the affirmative, "Of course; you don't have to ask permission, babe, just ask."

She stood from his lap and extended her hand to him, silently asking him to follow. He didn't deny; he interlaced his fingers with hers and followed behind as she pulled him into the living room. Her aim was the collection of photographs he had on display; the ones of her.

When they reached her destination, they stood side by side, still holding hands. She raised her large eyes to his questioning one and took a deep breath. "Booth…These pictures… They've been here for a long time, haven't they?"

"Yeah, Bones." He was unsure why she was questioning his collage; he figured she had seen it long ago. "Why?"

She reached out and picked up the one from her Christmas dinner and held it in front of him. "You loved me then, didn't you?" Her question was innocent; he knew she was still struggling with the depth of his devotion to her. She knew she loved him, but she feared that she was so bad with relationships, that he would tire of her and one day she truly would wake up alone. And he wouldn't be waiting for her at the table, like he was this morning.

He took the frame from her hands and smiled at the image, remembering the evening. He could remember the dinner, the sounds of her apartment filled with friends, the token presents he'd helped her pick out for their friends when she didn't know what to buy…he remembered the way she looked…the way she smelled… When he looked back to her, she could see the answer in his eyes and in the gentle curve of his lips, before he even spoke the words. "Yes, Bones. I loved you then. I loved you so much that it scared me."

She reached over and picked up the photo that she had snapped of him and Parker; the one with the model car. She held that one in front of her own eyes. "You loved me here, too…Didn't you…?"

Without hesitation, he gave her the answer she was looking for. "Yes. I loved you then, too." He let a chuckle leave his chest as he recalled that day as well. "Do you know what Parker asked me that day?"

She wrinkled her forehead, not knowing to what he referred.

"He asked me when I was going to take you out on a date. And if he could come, too, because he loved you as much as I did…" He shook his head at the memory. "I never even mentioned to him that I cared for you, Bones. I wouldn't have discussed that with my kid… but he saw it. When you were making the mac 'n cheese, he caught me watching you, and he giggled himself silly - I thought he was going to pee his pants. But that's when he said that he loved you, _too_."

She smiled at his confession; she suddenly felt so foolish that she had missed all the signs. She looked at his handsome face, studied his features for a few moments before continuing her quiet interrogation. "You left all these photos up, even after Hannah moved in, didn't you." It was more a statement than a question, and he knew that she already knew the answer.

"Of course. I saw no reason to put them away, Bones. These times…" he indicated to all the photos, "these were _our_ times, our _memories_, Bones. I didn't want to store them in some cabinet to forget." He raised his fingers to her cheek and touched it gently. "I'll tell ya, though, Hannah was less than thrilled to have to look at what she referred to as my 'Temperance Shrine' everyday, but I didn't care. Somewhere deep down in my soul, I still knew, Bones…I knew we belonged together." His words were quiet and careful. "She tried to replace one of the photos once…And _only_ once…" Replacing the large frame in its dedicated spot, he looked at one of his favorite random shots of his partner, before picking it up. It was a picture he'd taken at the last Jeffersonian family picnic that they'd all attended together. She was laughing, her hair was pulled up in a wild pony tail, and her beautifully pale face was free of make-up. "This one here…She took this one out of the frame and replaced it with one of herself, then put it on my night stand." His brown eyes found hers again. "Her action was the cause of some serious contention that night. At first she wouldn't tell me where she'd put this, she just yelled at me that I didn't have any photos of her framed and displayed … That was towards the end, Bones …That's when I_ finally_ started to realize what a total ass I'd been. That's when I realized that I had missed my chance with you." He carefully put the frame back on the shelf and turned to face her fully.

"Why are you asking me these questions, Bones?" He wondered where her concerns were; why she needed to know about the pictures.

"There is dust on the shelves outlining the frames, so I deduced that you had never put them away. But they were dust-free, themselves. That showed that you took care to clean them, like you did the ones of Parker." She wasn't sure exactly why she was saying all this. She really wanted to talk to him about his comfort level of her being in his space, in his closet… "That showed me that you never really gave up, Booth. Even though I had been stupid and blind and stubborn, you never gave up on me." Her eyes filled with sudden, unshed tears, which she didn't understand, but she was determined to continue. "Booth, are you really OK with me, you know, helping myself, as you put it, to your belongings? I mean, if I do anything that you don't want, or that you are opposed to, you'll tell me, right?"

Booth considered her visible anxiety; he didn't completely understand her concerns. "Bones," he rested his wide hands on her hips, "I never did give up; I never will give up; I believe in us, Bones. I believe that we are meant to be together. You don't believe in destiny, but I do – I believe in it every time I see you next to me. And I will forever carry guilt in my soul for hurting you the way I did—for coming back from war with a woman at my side. I know you said you forgave me, Bones…but I don't know if I will ever truly forgive myself for my desperate actions." He tightened his hold, moving his hands from her hips up to her waist and wrapping them around to the small of her back, where he laced them together, holding her in place. "And as far as you helping yourself to anything here? I mean it, Bones. Whatever is in this home is yours as much as it is mine. I have no secrets; I have nothing to keep from you. So, to answer your question, yes, I am perfectly fine with you rummaging in my drawers, through my closet…anywhere. And you don't have to worry about overstepping any boundaries, because I haven't built any." He could see that she was physically relieved at his words, but he still didn't understand why her worries had suddenly crept up upon them on this morning.

She smiled brightly, her eyes wide and shining, "thank you, Booth." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her body against his, drawing strength from him. "That means so much, Booth. Honestly, it means so much to me." She drew a deep breath and pulled away from him, "I think I loved you back then, too, Booth. I just didn't understand it…" she looked from picture to picture, letting the memories flood through her brain. "I depended on you; I enjoyed our time together; I looked forward to working with you and missed you terribly when we didn't have a case that brought you to see me during the day… I've loved you all along, Booth." As her own realizations dawned on her, she started to feel so much more at ease and she let herself lean against his expansive chest. She continued in a whisper, "I wish I had recognized it. We lost so much time…"

"Hey, hey…" he kissed the top of her head as she was tucked into his chest. "No more regrets about that, Bones. You weren't ready, and that's alright. We have our time now; and we're going to be great. I know it."

She raised her face again, this time with a sparkle in her eye. "I feel honored that I can wear your favorite t-shirts, Booth." Her smiled was contagious and he grinned back.

"Where did that come from, Bones?"

"Don't be angry, Booth." She tucked her arms between their bodies, so she could rest her hands flat against his smooth chest. "Parker told me about an argument that he overheard between you and Hannah...about your clothes. About Hannah wearing your favorite shirt…" She blushed slightly when she saw that Booth knew exactly to what she was referring. She continued, wanting to put Parker in the clear, and explain that it was just his son's way of processing their relationship. "Parker questioned me about why I wasn't wearing my own clothes, and that's when he told me."

Booth wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. He wasn't completely certain how she felt about knowing some of his past arguments with his ex-girlfriend. "Why would Parker tell you that?"

"He told me, in his special 11-year-old way, that it proves that you love me. It was his way of working through the changes we've all experienced, I think. He processes things in a very analytical method, Booth, and I think it was just an observation that he had to get out into the open. It was like, he was so excited when he realized that you and I were not arguing about your shirts…to him, I think that revealed a lot about how close you and I are. We are not strained like you and Hannah were." She got serious, "I just…I don't know, I just wanted to make sure that you were really OK with everything, Booth. I don't want this to turn out bad; I don't want it to explode in my head later, after we've been together for a while."

"_Blow up in your face_, baby, not _explode in your head_." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "It's not going to blow up, Bones. I promise."

She flashed him that crooked smile that he loved, "I find that I really like wearing your shirts, Booth… It's probably irrational, but I almost feel like you're holding me, even when you're not." She felt her cheeks flush with heat at her admission, she hoped that he understood, because she didn't know how else to put into words the wonderful intimacy she felt when she wore his clothing. It sounded almost infantile, but she just didn't know how to convey her emotions.

"Well, babe," he grew suddenly cocky, but charmingly so, "I think you look fabulous in my clothes. Maybe not so much in my Armani suit, but, hell… my hockey jersey has never looked so good…" He nuzzled into her hair, just behind her ear. "My shirts…my shorts…my bath towels…my bed sheets… You wear them all better than I ever could."

He held her, she held him. They stood in his living room, beside his display of photographs, for several moments, just enjoying each other's touch. After they started to pull apart, Booth admired her natural beauty; he loved it when her hair was still bed-disheveled, her face free of make-up.

"You wanna take a shower? Since we're both up, we might as well get our day started, babe." His voice was low, rumbling through his chest and into hers.

She nodded. "Yeah. A shower sounds good." Her smile melted into tiny kisses as she placed them along his shoulder, turning to walk at his side while they made their way into the back of the apartment. When her head fell onto his shoulder, he hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on top of her head.

"I love you, Bones. Don't ever doubt it." He turned her to face him once they were standing inside the bathroom door. "There's always the one person you love the most… You've always been mine."

"I know, Booth. I understand that now. And I love you, too. Even if I don't know how to say it all the time or if I say it at the wrong times…It doesn't change the fact that I am in love with you. And I hope that Cullen finds a way for us soon…I don't want to keep it secret any longer, Booth. I'm ready for people to know."

With a toothy smile, Booth avoided that particular subject as he grabbed the hem of his jersey. He slowly pulled it over her head, loving the fact that she was comfortable enough to let him do so. Once he'd dropped his boxers, he turned to adjust the shower temperature to their mutually enjoyed steamy heat. Taking her hand, he led her into the shower stall so they could refresh themselves for the day ahead.

B/B/B/B

"So, what do you want to have for lunch, Bones? Should we get pizza? Russ is going to bring Amy and the girls."

"Well," she smiled, knowing that he would like her idea, "I was thinking I could do up a big batch of macaroni and cheese…?"

His smile brought a giggle from her lips. "Really? A big batch… like big enough for left overs, too?"

She nodded and laughed as he swept her into a big bear hug, crushing her toweled body against his. "So, I guess that sounds good to you?"

"Sounds scrumptious, baby…" He nuzzled against the damp skin of her neck, inhaling the clean scent of her shower gel and her own unique Bonesy essence.

She let her arms wrap around his waist, resting her hands on his back, just above the towel that hung low on his hips. "Then we need to go to the store this morning, Booth. We only have one box of elbow macaroni in the pantry. And we probably don't have the right cheeses." She smiled against his shoulder, realizing that instead of indicating that 'he' only had one box of pasta, she said 'we'. She wondered if he would notice; it felt strangely wonderful to say, and she found that she wanted to say it again and again…

He _had_ noticed, "Yeah, you're right, we do only have one box left." He swayed them gently, "so I guess we better get dressed, huh?"

"Well, unless you plan to go to the store wrapped in your bath towel, Booth, getting dressed would be the logical next step."

He smacked her ass playfully as she turned away and she spun back around in playful anger, grabbed the knot at his hip and let his towel drop to the floor. She then reached around and gave him a good solid whack to his firm buns in return. But when she tried to turn away, he grabbed her biceps firmly, but carefully, and put his mouth to her ear.

"You're playing with fire, Dr. Brennan…"

"Booth! You can't possibly be ready again… we just…" she pointed over her shoulder towards the shower stall as she pulled back to look at his playful gaze. It was then that she felt a familiar pressure hit her hip and she dropped her eyes. She looked up again, "really? Again? Already?" She was shocked when she saw his impressive erection. They really had just enjoyed a round of satisfying _shower-lovin'_, as Booth put it, and she wouldn't have expected his body to be able to recover so quickly.

"This is what you do to me, Dr. Brennan…" he grinned in return. "But I'll be fine…I don't think I'd have the stamina just yet… He's a little confused I think." He nodded to his Little Booth, who was already showing signs of calming down again. "He just gets all excited whenever you're near, Bones…" he teased as he loosened her towel, revealing her body to his eyes. "Mmmm… I can see why…" he latched onto her neck again, just a little nip and lick before pulling back with a smile. "C'mon, let's get dressed."

She opened her eyes in slight disappointment… She had just let her baby blues close when she felt his wonderful lips on her skin; she had just started to lose herself in the feeling… and now he wants to get dressed… "grrr" she growled playfully before turning towards the bedroom and following behind as they moved to get dressed.

"Can we stop by my apartment this morning, Booth? So I can pick up some things?"

"Sure, babe. We'll stop on the way. You ready?"

They left the apartment to begin their errands, each enjoying their time together and the domesticity surrounding them.

B/B/B/B

"Oh my god, that smells fantastic," Booth groaned when he walked into the kitchen, after Brennan had been in there for an hour.

She smiled as she stood with her back to him, working at the counter, cutting up fresh fruit for their dessert. "Thank you," she replied quietly.

"Mmmm…" Booth hummed his approval when he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lowering his head a little, resting his chin on her shoulder. When he saw the opportunity, when her knife was out of the way, he reached out and snagged a strawberry from the pile of fruit on the cutting board.

"Get!" She playfully slapped his hand, "you can wait…"

He tightened his arms, pulling her back flush to his chest, enjoying the way her body molded to his form. "Uh-uh…. Too good," he mumbled through a mouthful of fruit.

She laughed in response and looked over her shoulder at his smiling face. "You're terrible…. Worse than a child, Booth…"

He flashed a cocky grin, "yeah," he swallowed his mouthful, "but you love me anyway…" He kissed her neck and came around to stand next to her. "What else can I do to help? The table is set, ice tea is made, the hall bathroom is clean." He chuckled, "I swear, I don't know how Parker does it…I don't even think he aims half the time…"

She burst out laughing at his quiet complaint, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Well, now it's at least OK for company, right?"

"M-hmm.. sure is…" his hand darted out and grabbed a piece of pineapple.

"Booth! Stop! Go away…. So watch your SPEM or something…"

"SPEM? What?"

"You know, that channel that shows all your sports shows."

He burst out laughing, "It's ESPN, Bones. And they're not 'shows…' Depending on the sport, it's either a 'game' or a 'match'." He grinned as he leaned in for a kiss, "I guess you want me outta your way, huh?"

She nodded and turned to push him from the kitchen, grabbing a bicep in each of her hands. She marveled, momentarily, at the size of his arms compared to her slender hands. She, by no means, had considerably small hands, but against Booth's size, they looked tiny. She grinned as he backed away, trying to crane his head forward for another kiss, which she playfully denied him by keeping him at arms length.

"Out!" She removed a hand from his arm and pointed towards the living room. She really didn't want him out of her metaphorical hair, but she wanted him to relax. He'd done so much for her that she wanted to give him a few minutes to himself before the onslaught of her family arrived. She was unsure how the afternoon would play out, but she hoped that all would go well.

"OK, OK…. Be that way… See if I help you again…" his playful pout made her pseudo-stern look break into laughter, and she gave in to his gesture for a kiss, giving him a quick peck on the lips before he finally turned and swaggered in towards the couch, whistling along the way.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a light knock on the door. Brennan didn't even hear it from where she rinsed the cooking dishes in the kitchen. Booth hopped up from his seat and trotted to the door, opening it quickly.

"Hey, girls! Oh my, look how big you've both gotten!" Booth made a fuss over Amy's girls, causing them to blush furiously as he ushered everyone into the tiny foyer.

"Hi Mr. Booth," Hayley said quietly as she turned to look up at the Agent. "Is Aunt Tempe here today?" She and her sister, Emma, carried small bouquets of flowers, presumably for their aunt.

He squatted down in front of the young girls, noticing how much better Hayley was looking since Bones had arranged for a specialist to see to her health needs and help with the Cystic Fibrosis that plagued the little girl. "She sure is. She's in the kitchen, right thru there," he smiled as he pointed around the corner from where they stood, "I don't think she heard your quiet knock, why don't you go ahead in and see her?"

Instantly, the girls simultaneously turned and ran through the doorway, calling out in unison, "Aunt Tempe! Aunt Tempe!"

Booth stood from his squatting position and grasped Max's hand in a firm shake as the older man clapped his other hand on Booth's wide shoulder. "How ya doin' Booth? And, how's my girl?"

"She's doing great, Max. She's really looking forward to seeing all of you," he smiled as he turned to greet her brother and his wife. "Russ, Amy, good to see you both." He shook Russ's hand and hugged Amy loosely with one arm around her shoulders. He noticed that while Amy was smiling happily at their welcome, Russ was still quite reserved, stiff almost.

"C'mon in, guys," he motioned them forward, towards the living room. They could hear the voices of two very excited little girls telling Tempe about their studies and science experiments they were conducting. Booth smiled when he heard Bones make a fuss over what they were telling her, encouraging them and praising them for their excellent grades.

Max made himself comfortable, sitting in the chair he had claimed the last time he was at the apartment. He was anxious to see Tempe and how well she was healing, but he allowed the girls a few minutes with their favorite Aunt.

"Guys, have a seat," Booth nodded towards the couch, "make yourselves at home. Can I get anyone an iced tea?"

"Yes, please, Agent Booth," Amy replied, "That sounds perfect."

"Oh, Amy, you can drop the Agent; just call me Booth." He replied with a smile then turned to Russ, "Iced tea? Or juice?" He purposely didn't offer a beer. Although it wouldn't have hurt to have a beer with lunch, he didn't want alcohol mixed with their inevitable conversation, not knowing in which direction it would lead.

"No, I'll wait for lunch. Thanks, though."

Booth then looked at Max with a questioning eyebrow.

"Sure, thanks, Booth. Tea sounds good."

He nodded and made his way to the kitchen, intent on getting the drinks for their guests as well as ushering his girlfriend and her nieces into the living room. "Bones," he smiled when he saw her sitting on the floor in front of the little girls, holding two bouquets in her lap as she listened intently to their tales. He approached the trio, placing his large hands on 2 very small and fragile shoulders as he bent at his waist. "Hey girls, why don't you three go out into the living room where everyone is sitting?" He looked at his girlfriend as she sat lotus style, looking up at him with large doe-eyes.

The girls smiled and nodded at the suggestion and Booth chuckled, "Do you girls want a drink? We have tea or orange juice or punch."

"Punch, please!" was cried in unison as they bounced on the balls of their feet.

"Alright," he laughed. Booth reached his hand out to Bones, helping her to her feet. Her slight wince as she moved didn't escape his ever-observant eyes. He locked her with a stare, silently asking if she was alright.

She smiled in response as she stood slowly to her full height. "Thank you, Booth. I'm fine." He squeezed his hand before letting it drop. "Want help?"

"No, you go in there, visit. I'll bring in the drinks. You want something?"

"Iced tea, please." She handed him her flowers and took the girls' outstretched hands.

"You bet," he nodded and watched as she was tugged out by her nieces. Inwardly, he worried about what he'd witnessed. She had been healing remarkably well, but as she stood from the floor, she saw something in her eyes when she maneuvered to stand.

Feeling his eyes on her as she retreated, she turned and smiled brightly, "Don't worry, Booth, I'm fine. I just twisted wrong, that's all." She winked at him, putting him at ease as she continued into the living room to see her family.

"Pumpkin, you look great!" Max stood as soon as his daughter entered the room, and he crossed the hard wood floor to give her a hug. "How are you feeling, Tempe?" He held her gently, unsure of how her back injuries were healing.

Brennan hugged him back, tighter than usual, and she held on a bit longer as well. While she couldn't explain it, even to herself, she felt an uncontrollable need to hug her father. When Max had come to the apartment the day after Booth saved her from that horrid basement, she hadn't been able to give him a hug, and somewhere deep down, she was sorry. Max seemed to understand and he patted her back ever so gently. "I'm so glad you're up and moving, Tempe," he whispered gently, "he's taken good care of you, sweetheart."

She pulled back slowly and looked at her father with clear and honest eyes. "Booth has taken _excellent_ care of me, Dad. He's been patient and kind and supportive and-"

"And I heard he killed the women behind it all, too…He was determined to see it through to the end." Max interrupted gently with a smile.

She nodded, "Yes. He is a very determined man; and he usually gets what he wants." Her happy smile spread wide as her eyes danced as she lowered her voice, "even if he has to wait almost eight years…"

Max laughed, "Yup…You kept that man on his toes, didn't ya…"

With a small shrug of her shoulder, she turned to Russ and Amy, who were sitting on the couch patiently, listening to the conversation between Max and Tempe. Russ had to admit to himself, he had never seen his sister more radiant. She was walking with a certain stiffness to her posture, which, after speaking to their father about her injuries, he could understand. But there was no doubt about the glow in her cheeks, the glint in her eyes and the contented smile she wore. There was nothing forced about her appearance, it wasn't just a show, or a mask for the purpose of the lunch meeting; it was genuine.

Amy noticed a change in her sister-in-law as well and rose immediately, coming around the coffee table to embrace the woman. "Tempe, it's so good to see you. I was so sorry to hear about what happened…" She pulled back and looked at the sparkling blue eyes that were staring back. "You look wonderful. I mean, Max filled us in, somewhat; he kind of warned us not to be shocked if you weren't up and about, and I was a little concerned about what we would see today. But I see I worried for nothing."

Dropping her hands back to her sides, Brennan smiled at Amy. "Thank you, Amy. I feel a great deal better. It was not easy, and I fear that I was not a very good patient; but I had a very tolerant care-giver who endured my moodiness," she gave a little shrug, "and a few tantrums, I dare say…" She blushed in embarrassment as she recalled some of the spats that had ensued while she was recovering; and through each and every one of them, Booth's devotion to her never once wavered-well, except for the time he ended up bringing ice cream back to her…but that was different. She smiled, "thank you for coming, Amy, and thank you for bringing the girls. I am so happy to see them. I apologize if it interfered with their studies."

Amy waved off the apology. "Nonsense, Tempe. They're both excelling in their work; we can afford to take one afternoon off." She smiled as she felt her husband's approach as he stood at her side.

Slowly, tentatively, Tempe turned towards her brother. This is the conversation, the meeting, she wasn't looking forward to…not after the harsh words they'd had over the phone. Before she could say anything, Booth re-entered the living room with a tray of drinks and the girls cheered for their fruit punch. He handed Amy her tea then passed Max his before coming to stand at Bones' side with a wink and a smile for his girl. He had taken the flowers the girls gave her and put them in a small pitcher and placed them on the top of the entertainment console. With a slight shrug he grinned, "I don't own a vase, Bones…"

She shook her head and giggled, reaching out and taking his hand in hers, pulling him towards her, wanting his strength by her side. Then she turned back to her brother, "Russ. Hello." She nodded, but made no motion to hug the man standing before her.

He leaned forward and planted an awkward kiss on her cheek, but made no other move to touch her; he wasn't sure if a hug would be welcome or not. "Tempe, thank you for calling. Thank you for inviting us over." He nodded, "Amy's right, you look great."

Soaking in Booth's presence at her side, his warm hand on the small of her back, she felt a renewed strength. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and wrapped her arms loosely around her brother's shoulders, hugging him carefully. "It was Booth's idea, Russ," she spoke as she pulled away, "I can't take credit for it."

Russ laughed, "You always have given credit where credit is due, Tempe…but nonetheless, you called, and I thank you." He nodded to his sister then looked to the man at her side and nodded slightly to him as well.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Booth motioned for Russ and Amy to sit back down and offered for Bones to sit in the lounge chair. He pulled a dining chair out so he could sit near her, stationing it between the lounge and the sofa, but not cutting off his girl's line of vision to her family. He clapped his hands, gaining the attention of the two little girls in the room and bent over to talk to them, eye to eye. "Hey, Parker has some great puzzles in his room. I put them on the play table for you girls to pick one. You ready? You wanna see if you can do a puzzle?" He suspected the 'discussion' may get heated, and he wanted to protect little ears from hearing anything inappropriate. Amy smiled warmly in appreciation, understanding what Booth was doing. It was very easy for her to see that he must be a good father; he had a very easy manner about himself that the girls had instantly taken to a couple years back.

Both little heads bobbed in unison as they followed the nice man they simply knew as Mr. Booth. Once he had the girls set with a puzzle they could manage, their fruit punch sitting on the little snack table Parker used when he was younger (which Booth hadn't been able to part with just yet), he made his way back out to the living room

There was still an air of awkwardness between the adults, none of them knowing quite where to begin. There was a great big elephant in the room, called '_Booth & Bones' relationship_', and it needed to be addressed. Finally, Booth cleared his throat, knowing his socially self-conscious girlfriend didn't know how to start.

"Well, guys, we wanted to have you over for lunch, so we could, you know, clear the air." He glanced at Bones sideways as he restated the phrase she'd screwed up the night before. She met his playful stare with a crooked smile and punched his arm. He laughed and turned back to their guests, "seriously, we want to get whatever questions you have out in the open and squash any further concerns." He pointedly looked at Russ while he spoke, knowing that his partner's brother was the main reason they were all together.

Russ sat forward, resting his arms on his thighs, and took a deep breath. He looked to the door that led to where his step-daughters were playing, and he was thankful for, and surprised at, Booth's thoughtfulness. She he turned back to look at his little sister, he noticed that Booth's muscular forearm was resting on the lounge chair arm, where Tempe's frail-looking fingers stroked the darker skin absently. "Look, Tempe, I'm sorry that I said the things I said." He noticed that she had not raised her eyes to meet his; she stared at Booth's fingers, which were intertwined with her other hand – the one _not _touching his arm. He looked to Booth and found the Agent's dark eyes watching him unwaveringly, studying him, like he would a suspect in an interrogation room. He reminded Russ of a watch dog, in a sense; protecting Tempe, and ready to pounce on anything that Russ might say that would bring her pain.

Brennan's stomach was churning; she hated confrontation – especially with family. Without raising her eyes, she spoke quietly, "then why did you say those things?"

Russ willed her to look at him, so she would see that he was sorry for bringing her pain. But she didn't move a muscle in his direction. "Tempe, I was just…I was just so worried when we got back into town and couldn't reach you. I couldn't reach Dad…Your doormen wouldn't let me up to see you. And when you finally called, I had this rush of emotions and concern and… I don't know… I can't explain it. I just felt helpless that I could have lost my little sis…again." He lowered his own eyes to his folded hands and breathed a sigh of relief when his wife reached out and touched his shoulder, offering her support in the only way she could, under the circumstances. Russ wished their father would speak up, but he knew he'd gotten himself into this mess, and he was going to have to get himself out of it.

"Why didn't you call Booth?" Finally she looked up at him, a trace of wetness on her eyes. "You should've known that Booth would know how to find me." She flicked her eyes to her mate quickly before looking back to Russ. "He _always_ knows how to find me."

"Well, Tempe…" he hated to bring this up, especially after seeing her so happy with Booth, but if he was going to speak his thoughts, now was the time... "The last time you mentioned Booth, it was in the context of him coming back from the war with a perky little blond who suddenly moved in."

Immediately, Bones felt Booth's body tense and she interjected, "Well, _she's_ not here anymore, Russ…_** I**_ am. She's gone, and I'm not going anywhere." Her words were clear and concise; her icy blue eyes locked in a dead-pan stare aimed at her brother. "I'm right where I belong; I'm with Booth." Her words grew softer and she turned her eyes to look at Booth's strong profile as he continued to watch Russ's reactions. "I'm where I want to be…receiving the love I never knew I longed for…And giving the love that only Booth ever believed I was capable of giving."

Booth turned his head and smiled at his girl. She had just claimed her territory to her family and defended their relationship in a few well-chosen words. Her eloquence never ceased to amaze him; for all her clumsiness in public, when it came right down to it - when it _really_ mattered, she had a way with words like no one else. She could stop him in his tracks some days, and yet, on other days, she faced opposition and challenges from people saying things she didn't understand.

_I don't know what that means_. It had become almost a trademark phrase for her, among their friends and family…He would never forget the first time he heard her say it… he thought she was joking, but he quickly learned that she was serious, and she was looking to him for understanding and explanations; and he was happy to provide both… for nearly eight long years… And now, going forward, he would provide her with both, and so much more.

Seeing the emotion flash in Booth's eyes, she lowered her own, to once again stare at their joined hands, letting him rub his thumb back and forth across her soft skin.

"Tempe, I didn't know… I didn't know to call Booth, because I didn't know his girlfriend had left. I assumed he was still with her and that you were alone. You always preferred being alone, Tempe."

"Not anymore," Booth's words interjected while he was looking at Bones. He turned his head to look at her brother. "She's not going to be alone anymore." He squeezed her hand, letting her know he was going to speak further. "Look, Russ, I get it – what you said to me the other night on the phone – you're worried that she's going to get hurt. You're worried that I am going to leave her, or get shot or whatever… But, Russ, if there is one thing that I can promise, it's that I will _never_ do anything to hurt Bones. I would never leave her of my own free will. And if, God forbid, something _did _happen to me, and I was taken from her before we were ready, wouldn't you rather she have good memories of a time when she finally allowed herself to love and be loved, rather than have her regret for the rest of her life, wondering 'what if'?"

"Can I interrupt here?" Max finally broke his silence after listening to the discussion. And after receiving affirmative nods from all those involved, he leaned forward in his seat, a mirror image of Russ's position. "Listen, Russ, I know you were upset about Tempe's kidnapping. I know you blame Booth, you told me so yourself, and from what I understand, you told Tempe so, as well." He paused, observing his son, as his son slowly acknowledged that he did, in fact, blame their host for his sister's predicament. Max continued, "I can tell you this, Russ. If you continue to carry this anger, this misguided blame, you _will_ lose your sister forever. I've witnessed these two in action together. You won't find a more devoted couple. You can search high and low, cross continents and oceans; you will not find two people more in tune with each other. It would be a tremendous understatement to say that I was amazed at what I witnessed when I came here to Booth's apartment, only to find out my little girl had been taken hostage." Max shook his head at the memory of how terrible his Pumpkin looked lying there, wrapped up like a mummy in her partner's sheets, her face bruised and her body battered. He raised his eyes to his son's, then to his daughter's then back to the former. "Russ, our family has been through a lot; and don't think that I don't know it's my fault, because I know it all stems from what your mother and I did when we left. But it's time to let go of your anger, of your blame and just be happy for your little sister. She's finally found someone who's worthy of her. She's with a man who makes her happy, a man who loves her as much as she loves him, a man who would take a bullet for her as quickly as he would kill for her. Those are pretty strong actions, if you ask me, son, and as your father, I'm asking you to please tread lightly here…don't spoil her shot at happiness."

Max had not intended to say so much. In fact, he had not planned to speak at all; but seeing his son's stubborn streak starting to shine through, he wanted to nip it in the bud, so he voiced his thoughts.

Russ looked down at his feet. He truly had mixed feelings. He knew he had no place dictating his sister's life. He knew she was happy, it was clear for all to see. But this man, this FBI Agent…this is a guy that Russ just couldn't be completely comfortable around. He raised his eyes to his father, "He arrested you, dad…" He then turned to his sister, "He arrested our father, Tempe! He knew you were letting him back in your life, and he went and arrested him."

Bones squared her shoulders in her seat. "He also risked his career to help Dad go free, Russ… He helped make that Christmas possible at the trailer; he even brought a Christmas tree… Booth was blown up in my kitchen and hospitalized and still checked himself out early to come rescue me; he injured himself further to help me… He took a bullet that was aimed at me; without a second thought, he stepped between Pam Noonan and myself and took her bullet in the chest, when I should have been shot dead, bleeding out on the stage…When a Latin Gang leader put a hit out on me, it was Booth who threatened him into calling off the hit. He could have been killed for doing that, but he did it anyway…" She tightened her grip on Booth's hand as she continued. "He made it possible for you to see Hayley at the hospital before he had to take you away; he could have been put on probation for that – or worse. Booth sat up with me _all night_ when I found out that our Mom had been in Bone Storage_, right under my nose_, for years; he came to me and sat with me and told me it was going to be alright. Where were you, Russ? Where were you when I needed you to be a big brother? You were nowhere around, that's where. So you don't get to tell me who I can and who I can't be with." Booth rubbed her hand, trying to sooth the upset he could see welling up in her eyes. "And quite simply, if you can't at least pretend to be happy for me, then I am sorry I wasted your time this afternoon. Because if you don't want to see me enjoying life for a change, rather than simply existing, then you and I have nothing more to say to one another." Feeling overwhelmed with emotions, she quickly stood and headed down the hall towards their bedroom, biting back tears along the way.

Booth clenched his jaw and stood to follow, only to feel a light hand on his arm. "Agent Booth? Booth?" Amy spoke hesitantly, "can I go to her? Maybe, have a woman to woman talk?" Amy knew Russ was struggling with his feelings, but she wanted Tempe to know, to really understand, that Russ did care, deeply. She thought that if she could be alone with the anthropologist for a few minutes, she could convey her own views about what's been happening.

Unsure how Bones would feel about Amy's company, he considered turning down her offer, but then thought better of it. _Maybe Amy is right. Maybe Bones needs a woman to talk this through with her_. He nodded slightly and stood aside his the small-framed woman could pass. Once Amy was down the hall, Booth turned to face his girlfriend's brother.

"Look, Russ," his voice dropped a half octave. "You don't have to like me. I don't give two shits if you like me or not. But if you want to remain a part of Bones' family, you will _pretend_ to support our relationship. You don't have to be happy about it, but I'll be damned if I let you treat her like that. You will not come in and out of her life as you please, expecting her to give in to every little demand you have." As he spoke, he slowly made his way closer to the smaller man. He had no intention in harming Russ, but he had every intention to intimidate him. Booth may not be able to intimidate Max, but Russ was a different story. Russ was a small-time criminal, easily and often shaken by Booth's display of dominance.

Russ felt a chill run down his spine when he met Booth's intense gaze and squared jaw. "Booth," he nearly choked on his nerves, "it's not that I don't like you. I think you're a fine guy; a good agent; and obviously a good partner to my sister. But frankly, the thing that's bothering me the most here is this: one month ago, you had some chic living here with you. Sleeping in your bed. Eating at your table. Cooking in your kitchen. No doubt, fucking you every night." Russ felt suddenly bold when he saw Booth's stature alter at the mention of the very recent break-up. "And suddenly, my sister's taken from her home and tortured, and you go all white-knight-in-shining-armor, finding her and feeding your savior complex." Growing ever bolder, Russ moved closer, nearly nose to nose with Booth. "Tell me, Agent, how soon will it be before some other beautiful woman needs saving and you move on, kicking Tempe out in the process?"

Booth grabbed Russ's shirt collar, pulling him up and causing a slight panic to rise in Brennan's brother. "Now you listen here, you son of a bitch," Booth spat at the younger man through clenched teeth, pinning him with a deadly stare. "I broke up with Hannah before any of this shit went down. I broke up with her _because _of Bones," his grip on Russ's shirt tightened as he twisted his fists, tearing the material in the process. "If you think-"

Max had been determined to stay out of the discussion until just that moment. He knew that Russ's mention of Booth's apparent rebound with Tempe would cause further tension, and he was right. He rushed forward and grabbed Booth's thick wrists in an almost equally strong grip, stopping Booth from saying anything further, as both younger men looked to the hardened criminal who was just trying to do the right thing. "This is only going to make things worse," he managed to get Booth to let go of Russ's shirt and he pushed the men apart. "Now, stop it, both of you." With a final shove, he pushed his son down onto the couch and pointed to the chair that Booth had vacated, silently ordering him to sit.

Booth was never one to take orders in his own home (unless the orders were delivered by one beautiful and genius anthropologist), but nevertheless, he sat, glaring at Russ the whole time.

"Now, guys, listen. I was going to stay outta this, let you work your own ways through it, but that obviously isn't going to work." He turned to Russ, "first of all, Russ, you don't know the whole story of Booth and Hannah. Booth entered a relationship with that journalist because _Tempe_ _turned him down_! He asked her; from what she revealed, he practically begged her to be with him. But she wouldn't. She was afraid of being abandoned, and so she turned down the man who offered to give her everything he had." He motioned to Booth as he spoke, moving to take the seat between the sparring men. "Booth had Tempe's blessing to find companionship, and that's what he did. But he never lost his feelings for her. Never, Russ. He asked Hannah to leave before Tempe even got kidnapped, because he knew he and Tempe still belonged together." He looked to Booth, silently gaining approval to continue, which he was granted. "When Booth found out about your sister's nightmare, he worked non-stop to find her, and then single handedly took down the man responsible for her torture. Then he brought her home because she refused to go to the hospital, but _he_ refused to let her stay alone. Alone like she used to prefer, remember? Booth wouldn't let her go home alone…He took care of our Tempe; and he did a remarkable job at it. It's a world of difference seeing her today versus the day after her rescue." Max shook his head gently, "this man never stopped loving Tempe; he just tried to find happiness when she had denied him."

Russ sat quietly, letting everything soak in: everything his sister had pointed out, everything that his dad was saying, even the fact that his little sister actually _looked_ happy when they arrived. He looked to Booth, who was sitting quietly with his head bowed.

Max turned to Booth, "Now, you… You need to realize that this is hard on Russ because he blames himself for Tempe's irrational thoughts that she will always be abandoned. He made a bad choice when he was no more than a kid himself, when he left her. And that, combined with my disappearance with her mother, formed the untrusting person Tempe is today. And Russ takes most of that blame upon himself, unfairly so. So, as if making up for past mistakes, he foolishly thinks he can be the big brother he never allowed himself to be when they were young. Big brothers threaten their sisters' dates and warn against tarnishing their purity…Well, I think we both know that he can't really threaten you, but he still feels that irrational need to protect what he couldn't protect in the past. Russ means well, he just has a bad way of showing it." Max clapped Booth's shoulder, "you're a good man, and he knows it. He just doesn't want her to get hurt again."

Booth listened to Max without looking at him; he continued to stare at his clasped hands. His jaw was still tight, but he felt a slight relief in his shoulders. "I would never hurt her. I would _never_ hurt my Bones." His possessive moniker made Max chuckle, knowing his daughter didn't like the idea of being 'claimed'.

Max then looked to Russ, waiting for him to reply, which he did. "I know that, Booth. I know you love her; I know she loves you. I just want all the best for her. Not that you're second rate, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that I just want her to be happy with her life, with her job, with her family – if she chooses to have one. I don't want to see her in any more pain; I've lived with the knowledge that her experiences in the Foster System were essentially my fault. I failed as a big brother then, and I don't want to continue to fail for the rest of our lives."

Booth raised his eyes and leveled them on Russ. "She has a family, Russ. She has already chosen…" He lowered his eyes again in thought, "she went through hell in the foster system. Living goddam hell." His voice was cold and accusational, but before Russ could reply, Booth looked up at him and continued, his brown eyes intense and serious. "But those experiences, good and bad, they make up the woman she is today. And she's an _amazing_ woman. Don't get me wrong, I _hate_ that she went through so much, and if I _ever _have the opportunitytoget my hands on any of those bastard foster fathers, I will make damn sure they disappear for good; but she used those bad times to become the incredibly strong woman she is. She's not afraid to face danger, she's not intimidated easily, she's fucking brilliant and she's got a heart of gold, once you chip away all those layers of ore that built up around it over the years. She's…. she's beautiful in every way…" Booth's eyes drifted towards the hallway, where he'd last seen his girlfriend disappear, followed closely by her sister-in-law.

Russ cleared his throat, "Look, man. I don't doubt that you will protect her. And I'm sorry I was such an ass about the whole thing. I guess… I guess it just took me by surprise. That mixed with not seeing her after her abduction, hearing only bits and pieces from Dad… I don't know the whole story, Booth, all I know is that she was held captive…"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, she was, Russ. She was held captive, and tortured, and she _survived_. She went to hell and back, and she had things done to her… painful things… but they're over now and we're not discussing them today. She's just now starting to sleep through the nights without waking up crying and thrashing out at an unseen attacker. And I'm not going to start talking about what happened, only to have her come out here and end up reliving it all over again." Booth raised his eyebrows in seriousness. "But, hey…we're good, right? You accept this whole situation, and you're not going to start lecturing her again, right?"

Russ shook and nodded his head at the same time. "Yes, we're good. No, I'm not going to lecture her."

Booth gave a curt nod. "Good. I'm going to go get the ladies, you get the girls, and we are going to eat. Max, can you move the mac 'n cheese crocks to the table?" A smile spread across his face, indicating that the conversation was over and they were moving on.

Russ stood and extended his hand. "Thanks, Booth. Thanks for loving her; you _are_ good for her."

He nodded his acknowledgement and strode down the hallway where he knocked on the door, waiting for the invitation to enter his own room. It came without much pause, when Amy opened the door with a smile. Booth looked past her, to where Bones sat on the edge of the bed, looking much calmer than when she had walked away from him. He looked back to Amy, "Russ is getting the girls; we figure it's about time for lunch. I'm starving." His grin made her laugh as she left the room, heading towards what sounded like two chatty girls describing the tiger on their puzzle.

Booth moved into the room and sat down beside Bones, letting his arm fall around her, so his palm rested on her hip. "You alright, baby?" His voice was tender and quiet.

She nodded with a smile. "Yes. Amy and I talked; it was a good talk. I think that Russ is just confused."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion we came to as well. But everything is going to be fine, Bones. He understands now, and he's comfortable with it. _With us_." Booth smiled, knowing they would each share their respective conversations later. He kissed her temple, "you hungry yet?"

"Yes, I believe I could eat." She stood and extended her hand to him, and his heart skipped another beat at the open and trusting look she was giving him. "Let's go eat, Booth. Your alpha-wolf appetite surely must need nourishment by now, after all that display…" She grinned knowingly, "I can only imagine the discussion that occurred after I left the room…I can almost smell the testosterone in the air." She smiled triumphantly as he followed her out of the room towards the aroma of her famous mac 'n cheese.

"Lead the way, Baby; I'll be right behind you." He playfully pinched her ass, causing her to let a small yelp escape, which in turned, caused him to laugh harder and wrap his arms around her waist from behind, walking step-by-step in tandem, like a shadow, taking a quick second to plant a firm kiss her neck along the way.

He'd follow her anywhere, and she knew it, but she vowed to only lead him in the same direction as she, herself, would go. They'd spent enough time going in different directions, and they wouldn't be doing that again; not if she had anything to say about the subject.

**Postscript A/N **

**I hope you enjoyed it! See that little box just blow here? The one down there…. **

**Type me a message and let me know what you thought! PLEASE? Once again, my Muse needs feedback as part of her contract to continue creating this tale. You don't want to be in breach of contract, right? You DO want her to continue creating, RIGHT? **

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**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~jazzy **


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N Hello and welcome back! Sorry for the delay in posting…Real Life has been a Real B… But lo and behold, in the midst of chaos, I was able to escape for a while and crank out chapter 56! We're now one chapter closer to wrapping this baby up with a big bow! I hope you enjoy! **

**Thank you all so much for the continued reviews. You, without fail, blow me away with your kindness and encouragement. I am so glad you've stuck with me for so many chapters! Please continue to review after you've read, it means so much to me! I have tried really hard to reply to all the reviews, but if I missed you, please don't be offended, it wasn't on purpose! Oh, and if you leave a review, but don't sign in for it, FF doesn't let me reply. I've had some luck with searching for users by name and sending them a PM, but I don't always have luck finding you if you don't sign in…. so… I just wanted to say that. Do you all think I can hit 1000 reviews? Huh? Huh? Huh? It'd be marvy! :-D**

**We saw in the last chapter that Max deflected a would-be-fight between Russ & Booth and Amy calmed Bones down before lunch, so at least we know the group is on the road to recovery, right? Whew! Calamity averted! **

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own a damn thing except this story line! **

**Please remember this story is Rated M. If you're going to read it, you should be prepared for whatever goes along with Rated M stories… sex, imagery, swearing, violence (as in the beginning), etc… (NO, I am not having anyone else tortured in this story, I'm just saying…) Don't be so surprised by what you find in Rated M stories like mine as others like it on FF. If you don't like Rated M, stick with K-T; I've seen some reviews (not mine, ****thank you****) that were pretty harsh, with people complaining about what they were reading… Dude, if you don't like it, stop reading. That's my wisdom for the day. **

**Love you all. **

As the family enjoyed their lunch around the small dining table, they kept the conversation light and easily contributed to by everyone. Russ watched intently during the course of the meal, as Booth paid special attention to his sister, ensuring she had everything she needed throughout the afternoon. He noticed that although the agent paid attention to everyone, participating in the topics of discussion with ease, his focus was never far from his Partner. There were moments that Russ was certain the pair was telepathic, because they seemed to read each other's minds as naturally as they breathed. He saw concern in Booth's eyes at one point when he, himself, hadn't even noticed his sister's wince when she shifted in her seat. It was after watching the tough man's features soften with worry that he realized that Tempe must have been in discomfort, but she eyed her mate, silently telling him not to bring up the difficult subject in front of her family, and he honored her wish. When Booth wrapped her small hand in his much larger one, resting it on the table between them, openly displaying his affection, Russ felt a pang of regret at his earlier comments to the man his sister had chosen as a life partner, as well as his harsh words he had directed at her during their heated telephone arguments.

The group avoided discussing the events that led to Tempe staying with Booth, and they all stifled laughter when the girls simultaneously declared that they wanted to stay with Mr. Booth also, because he was 'pretty cute for an old guy,' and they approved of their aunt's choice of a slumber party location. After dessert was devoured, Amy took the girls into Parker's room to clean up the toys and puzzle they'd played with earlier that afternoon, while Max helped Booth carry the dirty dishes to the kitchen, clearing the table and leaving the siblings to speak in privacy for a little while.

After a few awkward moments, Russ broke the stalemate of silence, knowing his sister wouldn't. "Tempe, I'm sorry. I was wrong when I jumped to the conclusion that Booth wasn't good for you. I hope you can forgive me."

Brennan took a deep breath before raising her eyes to meet her brother's. With a bit of difficulty in maintaining her emotions, she answered with a slightly shaky voice, "Russ, just – just don't try to control me. That's all I ask. I would think that by now, you'd have realized that I'm more than capable of making my own way in the world; and that includes making my own decisions, Russ."

Her brother lowered his eyes to his folded hands where they rested on the table before him, "I know, Tempe. I was just so worried when I learned about your kidnapping, _by reading the newspaper_, then when I couldn't reach you, and dad didn't tell me anything…I… " He shook his head in frustration, "I don't know…it's irrational, I know…but I just blew a gasket, I guess." He met her eyes and immediately recognized her confused look. With a smile, he explained, "it just means that I lost my temper, Sis."

"Well, obviously you lost your temper, Russ, that's what led to this whole conundrum." She met his confession with logic, and pinned him with a stare. "Look, Russ, I just want to move past this. I hope that you will accept Booth into our family and that you will be happy for me. I have someone who truly cares about me, Russ… He really cares…" She smiled at the sounds of her father and boyfriend as they playfully argued in the kitchen about the proper placement of condiments in the fridge. She looked back at Russ and found him smiling as well. "I hope you and Amy will be at the banquet on Saturday; your seats are already arranged and Dad will be there…and I would like it if you were there, too."

"Of course we'll be there, Tempe. I'm glad you still want us to be…" he met her bright blues with a smile. "Whatever this big event is, it must be pretty important… and I don't want to miss my little Sis getting the recognition she deserves."

Brennan's smile grew at her brother's indirect praise and agreement to attend the ceremony. "Thanks, Russ." Her attention was drawn to Max and Booth as they reentered the room, and Russ noticed the change in his sister's smile. Even though Tempe was smiling at him just seconds before, he noticed how her eyes softened and her lips curved upwards in a different kind of smile when she met Booth's deep brown eyes. When he re-took his seat beside her, facing her by sitting sideways in his chair rather than sitting side to side, Bones reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his, resting their joined hands on her thigh. "They're still planning to attend the banquet, Booth." Her facial expression was relaxed and appreciative that he and Max had given them a few minutes to talk. Though it hadn't been a long time, it was long enough to know that the brother and sister were going to be fine; well, as fine as they were before all this mess had begun.

With the conclusion of a successful luncheon, Brennan insisted on sending left-overs home with everyone, ensuring there was enough remaining for her Booth to munch on later that evening and the next day. After seeing everyone off, Booth stood over the sink, scraping baked cheese off the crocks as Bones swept the floor around the dining table. With his back to the open entryway, Booth could hear Bones let out a loud sigh as she moved slowly into the kitchen from the dining room. Recognizing that her steps were much more sluggish and heavier than they had been all day, Booth turned to look at her with concern. She was quiet as she replaced the broom into the closet and moved back out to the table to collect the remaining utensils Booth hadn't yet cleared.

Shaking the water from his hands, Booth grabbed the dish towel to dry off, and followed her. Approaching from behind, he gently rested his hands on her hips, noticing that her shoulders were slightly slumped and her demeanor suddenly very silent.

"What's the matter, baby?" Booth's voice was soft as he brought his lips to her ear, placing a small kiss just below her lobe.

She tried to feign innocence, "what do you mean, Booth?" But her attempt failed - Booth knew her too well.

"Bones," he dropped his chin and raised his eyebrows as he turned her to face him, "what is the matter? Don't try to tell me nothing…"

She didn't even bother to try to fool him a second time. She shrugged slightly with a little pout forming on her lips, "my feet hurt." She looked down at said feet and her frown deepened, creasing her forehead, "and my ankle, too." She let him pull her into his chest and snaked her arms around his waist as she drew strength from his protective embrace.

"Bones, you did too much today. You should have sat down earlier, like I told you…Or, you could have let me help more instead of kicking me out of the kitchen…" He gently rocked her in his arms before turning them both towards the living room. "Now, I want you to sit, put your feet up and relax. I'll finish cleaning up."

"Booth, that's not fair to you. It was my family here for lunch; I don't want to make you clean up after them. Besides if we both do it, it'll get done faster." She stopped walking and turned to her mate, "I can do some more before I sit." She started to turn back towards the kitchen, only to be blocked by the steely body of one Seeley Booth.

"Uh-uh." He shook his head to the negative as he stepped in front of her, wrapping his arms completely around her waist and lowering his face to her neck, inhaling her Bonesy scent. "You're going to go sit, Bones, now turn around…" He smiled against the soft skin just below her ear as he nipped her playfully. "You need to put your feet up… or else _I'll_ put them up _for_ you…" He tugged her earlobe into the warmth of his mouth, sending shivers down her spine.

"Booo-oooth", she whined gently, knowing she was about to lose this battle. "Stop that…." She giggled; it was a sound of which Booth believed he would never get enough. So, he tugged her ear a little harder, causing her giggle to turn into a quiet moan. In all their years as partners, he had heard Temperance Brennan make lots of different sounds, but until these recent weeks, Booth never imagined Bones was a giggler. That he was privy to that little morsel of information warmed his heart with adoration, while simultaneously turning him on for much more…

"C'mon, Bones," he mumbled as he started walking her backwards, slowly making their way towards the sofa, "You're gunna sit for a little while…get off your feet…" He rubbed his wide hands over her tight waist, down her curvy hips and around, to where he cupped the soft globes of her ass. When she stumbled slightly at the firm grasp of his grip, he stooped a little, snuggly wrapping his forearms just below her bottom, and he lifted her. Understanding his silent encouragement, and basically just understanding the way Booth's mind worked, she raised her legs and wrapped them around his narrow hips as he stood upright again, still moving away from the kitchen.

His tongue ran along the length of her neck, from her ear down to her collarbone and back up as he nibbled along the way. As a last minute decision, he continued to move through the living room and down the hall, moaning deeply as she turned her lips loose on his neck in return to what he was doing to her.

"I thought you wanted me to sit with my feet up, Booth…" she grinned against his roughened skin.

His chuckle grew from deep in his chest; it was predatory and full of want, and immediately Bones knew she was going to enjoy his attention. "I told you, Bones, that if _you_ didn't put your feet up, I would put them up _for_ you… But you were going to just ignore my pleas and continue to work…" He grazed the straight edge of his teeth along her jaw line as he entered the bedroom. "So, I've decided that you need to be taught a lesson, there, Dr. Brennan…"

She felt almost giddy at the prospect of her partner 'teaching her a lesson.' "I'll put my feet up, Agent Booth," she pulled back and smiled innocently with darkened blue eyes, bringing his blood to the boiling point.

"Oh, yeah, I know you will, Bones…'Cause I'm gunna see to it…first-hand…" he stopped when his knees bumped the edge of the mattress and he met her gaze with almost ebony eyes. Breathlessly, he looked at her, getting momentarily lost in her blue oceans, "You are going to be the death of me, Bones…I can't control myself around you…" He thrust his hips forward, pressing his now-hardened groin against her heated core. "You drive me insane…Bones…" He leaned in and slanted his mouth over hers, claiming her and swallowing her moan of consent.

Brennan tightened her fingers' grip on her partner's shoulders, enjoying the play of his extensive muscles beneath her touch. She held on as he lowered her slowly to the bed, pulling him down with her, so his large body completely covered her much-smaller frame, all while her legs maintained their strong grip on his waist.

He smiled against her throat, as he moved his lips across her silky skin, "I _love_ that you are so good at Pilates…and yoga…and karate…" He hungrily admired the muscles she had formed in her thighs over the years of working out, palming the outsides of her legs and running his calloused fingers from her knees to her hips, he left her skin tingling in his wake.

"Martial Arts, Booth…" she friskily corrected him, "I do _much_ more than karate…" She reached for the hem of his t-shirt and let her fingers trace the firm flesh she found beneath. "I am a three-time black belt in-"

"Whatever, Bones…" he quickly moved his arms so he could scoop her legs up over his shoulders. "As long as I can make you do _this_," he grinned as her knees bent over his shoulders and she locked her calves behind his neck, as he pressed back down, chest to chest, "I don't care what you call it…" She immediately opened her lips to his when he crashed back down to her; she smiled into the kiss as he groaned in gratitude to her flexibility. Her snug yoga pants hugged her body like a second layer of skin, allowing her to experience the pressure of his growing erection as he thrust his hips against hers.

"Bones…" He drew his lips from her mouth and trailed up to her ear, licking the outer shell before settling at her lobe. "How do you do this to me…Jesus, Bones…" He growled when her fingernails bit through his thin shirt material and into his shoulders. "You drive me crazy..." He ran his fingertips to the hem of her shirt, dancing beneath the fabric and tickling her soft skin beneath.

"No more crazy than you drive me, Booth. I've never, _ever_, felt such insatiable needs before…" She fisted his shirt impatiently and began pulling it upwards, wanting to admire his bare chest; wanting to feel his smooth skin beneath her nimble fingers.

He reached up and behind his head, grabbing the collar of his tee, pulling it off quickly and exposing his torso to her scrutiny. He loved that she was so tactile with him. He loved that she wanted to touch his body, and whenever she ran her fingers over his skin, he could feel bolts of electricity coursing through his entire being.

She struggled to lower her legs, attempting to widen her parted thighs, intending to lower them by going around his wide shoulders, but he wouldn't let her. He grinned predatorily, and tightened his hold on her legs, just as they were, with her knees still bent over his shoulders. He latched onto her throat, licking and suckling gently, careful not to mark her where it would be seen in just 2 days at the banquet. He desperately wanted to leave a radiant purple love bite for all to witness, but he didn't dare, mentally acknowledging that not only would it detract from her inevitable classiness, but more importantly, she would kick his ass for doing so, knowing there was not enough time for her pale skin to recover before making a public appearance at their awards ceremony. So he settled for gentle nips and sucks, and she seemed to accept his attention as she arched her back off the mattress and tipped her head backwards, allowing him better access to her neck.

When she once again tried to lower her legs and he refused, she started to pout, having quickly learned over the past few weeks, that he was unable to resist her puppy-dog-eyes. "Booth…I want to feel you against my skin; I want to be flush against your body…please…?"

Her plea was breathless and sexy and it nearly caused him to fall apart as he gave in to her request. He lowered her legs slowly as he gripped the hem of her shirt, deliberately taking his time in pulling it up her body, exposing her creamy skin to his hungry eyes. "Jesus Christ, Bones…You are beautiful." He knew he'd been repeating himself a lot lately, in his praises to her, but he spoke the truth; she left him breathless each and every time he looked at her. "Every time… Good God, every time I look at you…you leave me speechless."

Her response was that sexy half-smile that she knew he loved as she ran her fingers along his biceps, then over to his chest and down towards his waist, reaching into his snug waistband as she touched him. "Sometimes I forget how to talk, too, Booth…" She was almost shy in her admission. "I've never been stunned to silence by any other men, Booth; only you… I've admired other men, and you know I've _been _with other men, and my needs have been satisfied by other men… In fact some of them were quite skilled in bed, but none have ever made me feel quite like this…"

Her confession, _and_ her talk of _other men_, brought out the alpha-wolf in her partner. While he pinned her with a darkening stare, he reached for her hands and held them immobilize against the mattress on either side of her head, before he crashed back down to capture her lips. He growled as he moved from her lips to her jawline and kissed his way up to her ear. "Those other men were idiots, not worthy of you; each and every one of them. Those _other_ men…" he couldn't even think of what he wanted to say… he just wanted to push away any residual visions of previous lovers she still maintained in that brilliant mind of hers. He wanted to make all of those other faces, and bodies, fade immediately, so all she could remember was him; all she could see was him; all she could feel was him. His brain clouded with insane jealousy. He knew it was crazy to be jealous at this point; they both had histories…Hell until a month ago he was sharing his bed with another woman. But listening to his Bones talking about being 'satisfied' by other men…that was just too much for him.

She knew exactly what she'd done; she saw the wild animal unleashed as Booth battled internally to maintain control. But she didn't want him to maintain control – at least not that much control. Like never before in her sexual experiences, she found that she loved being dominated when she was with Booth. Not _all_ the time, but there were definitely instances, without a doubt, that she found jealous-Alpha-Booth to be undeniably sexy. And at that moment, _that_ was the Booth she wanted… She knew she could trust him implicitly, that he would not harm her; but she knew that he would want to claim her after hearing her mere mention of her sexual history. She also knew that she would get her turn to dominate, and she realized that she wanted her turn in dominating this man; the more she recovered from her ordeal, the more like her old-self she'd been feeling, and the memories of having to watch her partner go home with the blond journalist had been resurfacing with a vengeance. Logically, she knew she didn't need to be jealous of Hannah any longer. But just as Booth couldn't stand listening to her recount even the slightest memory of a past pleasures, every time she envisioned Seeley Booth hugging or kissing or making love to Hannah Burley, Bones found herself clenching with envy. And one of these days, she had no doubt that she was going to turn dominant over her alpha mate. But for now, she wanted him to lose a little bit of his self-constraint.

She lulled her head to the side as he attacked the soft skin just above her collarbone, and she felt wet heat pooling at the apex of her thighs. She managed to bring herself back to the present, and realized he hadn't finished his statement. "Booth, what about 'those other men'? You never finished what you were saying…" Her words were heavy and her voice seductive.

He pulled back and locked her eyes with and ebony gaze. "Those other men have no business in _our_ bed, Bones… Those other men were all pussies… Those other men don't deserve one second thought from your brilliant goddamn mind… and I plan on making you forget all about them, Bones…" He laced his fingers with hers, pulling her arms further up, so they rested on the pillow above her head as he returned to her neck, this time, paying some attention to the opposite side.

Knowing that she was playing with fire, she proceeded anyway, preparing to get him steaming hot. "The human brain is an amazing muscle, Booth, capable of remembering and recalling events from as far back in one's life during their toddler years…" She knew her 'squinty talk' drove him wild. "In some cases, it's been theorized that, if stimulated properly at a young enough age, some people will be able to recall images and small events from when they were no more than infants."

As he moved down towards her generous cleavage, he mumbled, "Bones –where are you going with all of your squintiness?" His voice was deep and she could feel it rumble through his chest and into hers.

"I simply want to point out that it is not an easy task to try to force memories out of another person's mind. And while I clearly remember all of my sexual encounters, you indicated your desire to make me forget about-"

He cut her off by rising up and pressing his own kiss-swollen lips to hers before pulling back. "That's right, Bones… I'm going to make sure you never think about those men again when we're together…_Never,_ Baby…" Pressing his full weight against her, he maintained his hold on her hands above her head and their hips aligned perfectly. They were naked from the waist up, but neither had shed their bottoms yet. Booth's impressive erection was straining against his jeans, and as he pressed against her core, he could feel her heat radiating out in waves from her body.

As she tried to keep her eyes open, fascinated by watching the man hovering above, she was losing the battle and her lids fluttered closed. His Boothy scent was intoxicating her, his hard body against her softer one brought out a primal need like no other, and she simply let herself _feel_. He locked both of her thin wrists in one of his steely hands while he brought his other one down to cup her mound through her yoga pants. She rotated her hips to meet his touch and moaned in pleasure when she felt this strength pressing against her.

"Yes, Booth…touch me…please…" she begged breathlessly as he rubbed her sensitive nub through the stretchy material.

He momentarily let go of her hands, but she kept them where they were, resting on the pillow above her head. He hooked his forefingers into her waistband and began peeling the clothing away from her milky white legs as he backed away just enough to remove them completely. Before resettling against her welcoming warmth, he shed his own clothing, unceremoniously dropping them to his ankles, barely stepping out of them before returning to his favorite position, between her open thighs.

When his eyes met hers, he once again struggled to find his breath as the oxygen seemed to have vacated his lungs immediately. After several seconds of stillness, he was able to function again and palmed her breasts, one in each hand, and gently pinched her nipples between his calloused fingers. When she tried to bring her arms down to his shoulders, he immediately let go of his purchase and grabbed her wrists firmly, but gently, bringing them back upwards. He didn't say a word, he just pinned her with a heated look and shook his head slowly side to side before he trusted that she'd keep her hands to herself.

He moved back down to her breasts again and began massaging them, enjoying the feel of their weight in his hands. When she couldn't take it anymore, she broke the silence. "Booth…ahhh…" The words were breathed more than they were spoken and that sent a jolt of electricity directly to his groin, which was already straining for release. He moved his mouth downwards and sucked one dusky pink nipple between his lips, flicking it with his tongue repeatedly before moving to the other side and giving the same attention to its pretty twin. When his lips weren't suckling against her tits, his fingers were tweaking and pinching, each time sending a direct message to her clit, reminding her of the aching need throbbing between her legs.

"Booth – please…"

"You wanna remember all your other sexual conquests while we're in bed, Bones?" His voice was dark, possessive, and if Bones didn't know him better, she'd hear his words as almost threatening. "You wanna tell me about what you liked and what you didn't like?" He lowered his mouth to her taut abdomen and licked slowly south-ward, stopping momentarily to shower attention on her adorable belly button. "You wanna think about how skilled those assholes were, Bones?" He nipped at her protruding hipbone as he worked his way side to side, before settling his lips just above her aching sex. "You wanna tell me about your _other _experiences?" He raised his blackened eyes to look at her; his jaw was tight, his hands still palmed her breasts, squeezing them greedily, and his mouth paused just above where she wanted him…she could feel the warmth of his breath meeting her own wet heat.

"What at other experiences, Booth?" She replied quietly, barely able to form a sentence through the needy fog clouding her brain.

"Good answer, Bones…Because now there's only me." He pinched both nipples simultaneously before drawing his fingertips down her sides to rest on her curvy hips. "Only me, Bones…" He lowered his mouth possessively to her mound and gently pulled her nub between his lips.

"You, Booth…Oh God, only you…" She thrust her hips upwards to meet his eager lips and groaned in appreciation as he licked her length with the flat of his tongue.

Booth palmed her thighs and carefully opened her wider to accommodate the broadness of his shoulders as he settled into one of his favorite sexual positions. He spread his wide hands around the fleshy curve where her ass and hips met and flexed his fingers, pressing into her softness with a passionate growl.

Abandoning her attempts at keeping her hands off her mate, Bones lowered her slender arms and intertwined her wiry fingers into Booth's short dark hair, holding him in place as she rotated her movements to meet his invading tongue.

He moved his mouth to suck on one of her inner thighs before moving to the other. Nipping gently, he brought one of his thick fingers to her silky folds and parted them slowly, teasing them open almost painfully slow. As he ran the pad of his finger up and down her sensitive lips, he raised his eyes to gaze up her body, observing how her chest heaved with each heavy breath as she struggled to maintain control.

Feeling his eyes watching her, she raised her head and looked down at her partner as he lay between her parted thighs. Her own eyes had darkened with desire and at seeing his predacious gaze she nearly shattered before he even entered her body.

As he let his fingertip lightly circle her clit, he brought his other hand to her core, tickling his way towards her opening, but he just rimmed her teasingly. He inhaled deeply, taking in her overwhelmingly powerful scent. "Tell me again, Bones…" his deep husky voice broke the heated silence. "You know what I want to hear…"

She pinned him with her own wanting gaze, "There's only you, Booth. Always." She gasped as she felt him circle her sensitive nub and she threw her head back to the bed.

"More, Bones…_Tell_ me…" His gentle order was spoken through his clenched jaw as he struggled to maintain his own desire to ravish this woman. " .Bones."

She knew what he wanted, and if she gave it to him, she would, in turn, get what _she_ wanted… "I'm yours, Booth. Only yours."

With her declaration, he plunged two fingers deep into her welcoming heat, growling in sync with her own squeal of excitement.

"Mine." He thrust deep again.

"Mine." Again.

"_Only_ mine." Deeper.

"Tell me again, Bones."

"Yes Booth!" She spread her legs wider, planting her feet flat on the bed to give her the leverage needed so she could meet his earnest plunges. "I'm yours." She met his strength with her own. "I've always been yours." Her rotation worked in sync with his. "Make me yours completely, Booth." She gripped his muscular shoulders. "Take me…"

"Come on, Bones…Cum for _me_. Only me. _Now_, Bones!"

While he ordered her simultaneously with her own plea, she splintered at his powerful touch, his darkened, heated gaze and his seductively silky voice. His was like an aphrodisiac to her – everything about him screamed to her body, to her mind, and, like always, she couldn't deny his order to shatter, so she let him control her body.

With her head still spinning, and before she knew what was happening, his large body was covering hers. Moving his knees high between her thighs, he ensured she was opened wide enough to accommodate his hips. He reached down and dipped a fingertip into her heat, making sure she was still ready for him and he gulped at the wetness he found there. Bringing his fingers back up to his mouth, making sure she was watching, he sucked her juices off his skin as he pinned her with his deep brown eyes.

He palmed her cheek, ensuring she wouldn't break eye contact, and he finally rocked his hips forward, burying himself deep in her satiny softness. Pausing for a moment, both to allow her body to adjust to his size, as well as to give him a moment to control his animalistic urge, he held his breath as he got lost in the depths of her warmth.

"Booth…" she whispered as she tried to encourage him to start moving. "It's _always_ been you, Booth…" she reached up and wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips. She knew that to get him to the point of losing some control, she had to feed into his ego. She momentarily realized that, in the past, she would _never_ have given in to a man's need, by pumping up his ego; but there was something about Booth, when he was inflated in the bedroom, that turned her on more than anyone ever had in her life. "Take me, Booth…like only you can," she breathed into his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"Oh, Bones…" he began moving slowly, pulling out then pushing in, deliberately and methodically. "_My_ Bones…" He supported his weight by leaning on his elbows, which rested beside her ears. He wrapped his forearms around the crown of her head, holding her tenderly as he quickened his pace, tucking her face into the crook where his neck met his shoulder. "Mine…No other man can touch you, Bones… No other memories... Just me and you… No one else…"

Bones lowered her fingers from his neck, raking them gently across the backs of his shoulders, dragging her fingernails across his olive-tanned skin. "Don't hold back, Booth…Let go…"

He shook his head tightly. "I want you to cum again, Baby…. I love it when you shatter around me, Bones… Jesus Christ, you feel so _fucking good_…" He was having difficulty controlling himself, he was talking through clenched teeth, and she knew he was close; whenever he swore like that in bed, she knew he was moments from breaking.

With a sudden surge of energy and strength, Bones moved her legs and shifted, flipping her partner onto his back, allowing her to sit atop him, straddling his narrow hips and plunging down onto his shaft completely. By allowing her entire weight to push down onto his rock-hard erection, he was buried deeper than he had been just seconds before. She splayed her hands across his pecs, greedily admiring the movements of his muscles, as she rotated her hips in circles, grinding herself against him. She swept her fingernails lightly over his flat nipples, pulling moans from his lungs in the process.

Booth's strong fingers bit into her fleshy hips as he held her tightly to his body. He knew it was likely that she'd have bruises from his grip, but he was determined to make sure that she came first, and only then would he follow her over that cliff.

It appeared, however, that Brennan had other plans. She sat straight up and reached back, finding his testicles and cradled them in her hand playfully. He drew his eyes from where they were locked, admiring her full breasts, and he met her deep blues with a slight smirk. "That's not fair…Bones…" he gritted his teeth as she fondled him while continuing to gyrate on his cock. He brought his thumb to her clit and rubbed her rapidly, intent on shattering her first. _Now it's just a battle of wills, isn't it, Babe?_ , he thought to himself as he watched her eyes flutter closed and her fingers stumbled over her own strokes of his balls.

"Booth…" she tried to sound threatening, but it came out pleading instead.

When he noticed her falter, he used that to his advantage and he flipped her over, so she was once again pinned beneath his body. "Now, Bones…Did you really think that you'd get the better of me?" He lowered his lips to her ear, where he sucked her earlobe into his mouth before speaking against her skin. "Not today, Baby…When you cum, I'll cum Bones… not before…" He began thrusting harder, deeper, recognizing the rosy blush that was starting to spread across her upper chest and cheeks. "Bones…When you cum, I can feel your muscles milk me…I can feel your walls close in around me… You're so fucking tight, baby… ." He plunged deeper. "I'm gunna cum deep inside of you, babe…I'm gunna fill you up… Cum for me, Bones…_Temperance_…Let me feel you shatter for me…"

With that, she gave into her bodily need; she gave into the ancient call of nature. He called her by her given name and she splintered for him; she shattered _because_ of him. Her body trembled, almost violently as she held on tightly to Booth's shoulders, trying to control her breathing, waiting for the fireworks behind her eyes to extinguish.

As his partner's body shuddered beneath, he was pulled over the edge and fell with her, shaking as he spilled everything he had deep into her core. She cradled him, pulling him down to lay his weight against her, as she wrapped her legs around his shaking thighs, relishing the feeling of his much larger frame protecting hers. She nuzzled into his neck, inhaling deeply and growing drunk on his pheromones, as she kissed his sweat-slicked skin.

He regained his wits and pulled back to look at her. They shared a loving, tender kiss as he slid off her body, lacing his arm beneath his mate and pulling her to his side. He rubbed her back gently as she snuggled into his body, regaining her own breathing pattern.

"That was intense, Booth…" she sounded slightly dazed, which brought a smile to Booth's lips.

"Yeah, it was, babe. It'll always be intense with us, Bones…that's what makes us so friggin' awesome…" He nuzzled his nose into her loose curls, inhaling her essence, feeling an overwhelming sense of calm envelope him. "Hhhmmm…" He kissed the top of her head. "Tell me I'm not going to wake up and find out this is all a dream, Bones…"

"I hope not, Booth, because if it is, you have somehow pulled me into your dream-world, which is a notion to which I _do not_ subscribe."

"That's why I love you, Bones. I can always depend on you to tell it like it is…" He kissed her forehead and tucked his chin so he could look at her. He cupped her cheek with his hand as he grew serious. "Bones… I _do_ love you…and I'm sorry that sometimes I lose control when I'm with you; it's just that you drive me out of my head, baby." He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Are you alright? Your feet?"

She smiled at his concern, "I'm perfect, Booth. You didn't hurt me, don't worry." She placed her hand atop his, as it still rested on her cheek. "Don't apologize, Booth; I… _I like_ _it_ when you lose a little bit of control… I don't _want _you to hold back all the time…"

"Sometimes…I feel so…I don't know, Bones…. I feel like I might push you away if I'm too overbearing; but then again, I don't want to do anything to let you slip through my fingers either…" He admired her beautiful rosy blush, "I couldn't bear to lose you now, Bones…I'm in too deep…" His voice was quiet; trembling with vulnerability and uncertainty that he might push her too hard one day.

"Booth, I'm not going anywhere. I could never go back to my solitary existence now…not after spending the better part of a month at your side, day and night, Booth…" She let her eyes skip over his sharp features before settling on his dark chocolate pools once again. "You know, I never expected to find someone like you; someone who would stand by me and care for me and help me learn... I've always been so awkward, so socially _inept_, that I concluded I'd always be alone; just like so many people told me I would…" The harsh memories of many hurtful remarks thrown in her direction by former colleagues, acquaintances, past lovers, and jealous competitors, came rushing back to her in full force as her emotions for her best friend & partner flooded her entire being. "I'd resolved myself to a life of isolation. And, I am _so happy,_ and so very grateful, that you've given me a second chance, Booth. You've given _us_ a second chance."

Bones knew they'd discussed _at great length_, their many missed opportunities, but she was just so filled with emotion that she couldn't contain her enthusiasm as she crashed forward, capturing his strong lips with her much softer mouth. Booth granted entrance to his girl's seeking tongue as she prodded at his parting lips and they swallowed each other's moans of approval. He tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her close until they wound down. Pulling apart slowly, they pressed their cheeks together as Booth pulled her head down to his chest.

Sighing in total relaxation, Bones folded herself around his large frame. She spread her fingers wide across his chest as she rested her head on the front of his shoulder. Her fingers absently traced the long-healed scar that covered his heart. "This was supposed to be mine…" she whispered, her voice was emotional at the memory of Pam Noonan holding a gun pointed in her direction. "Booth…" She didn't have anything else to say; she didn't think there was anything that could be said that hadn't been already voiced in relation to that horrible night. She planted a kiss on his collarbone, inhaling their combined scent deeply.

He pressed his lips to her silky hair and held her tighter. He completely understood her inability to say any more about the reminder over which she'd been running her fingers. Over the years, they'd often revisited their many close-calls, and his 'death' always touched her deeply. And most recently, as they examined countless scars while memorizing each other's bodies, they recounted the memories that brought about many of the injuries, including the Pam Noonan case. He brought his other hand to her hip and held her tenderly. "I love you, Bones." He never lifted his lips from her head and his warm breath caused shivers to run down her neck and further down the length of her spine. They remained wrapped in each other's arms quietly for several moments, just feeling their heartbeats pounding in sync.

He felt her shiver after a little while and noticed that she had the beginnings of goose bumps creeping up her arm. He reached down and pulled up their sheet, wrapping it around their bodies. "Cold, Babe?"

"Just a little…" She smiled up at her boyfriend as he rolled onto his side to face her, completely encompassing her within his arms.

"Mmmm… Love huggin' my Bones…" He playfully jostled her while nuzzling against her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent. When she started to stifle a giggle as his lips assaulted her neck, he felt an uncontrollable urge to make her erupt into the throaty laughter that he loved so much. He brought his large hands to her ribs and tickled while his lips assaulted her neck playfully. His actions didn't disappoint as she immediately exploded into his very favorite sound. Throwing her head back, she pressed her hands against his chest, desperately trying to wiggle away from the onslaught of his impish attention. He rolled her to her back and pinned her to the mattress, continuing his ministrations against her sex-weakened-and-sensitive body. It wasn't until she was close to asphyxiation that he finally relented, easing up on his attack. Lowering his head to kiss her tenderly, he rolled to her side once more, rolling her along with him while their shared laughter died down.

After a while, she looked up to find his eyes open, but sleepy. "Booth?"

"Hmm?"

Looking over at the digital display on his nightstand, she continued, "It's still early…Did you have any plans for the rest of today?"

He looked down at her with a slight shake of his head. "Nope. But I want you to relax, Bones." He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why? Did you have something in mind?"

"Well…I was wondering if you would take me someplace…" She didn't know if he'd be up to going out that afternoon or not, but she wanted to ask a favor.

"Where did you need to go? You need something from the store?" He couldn't imagine what she needed, knowing that she'd been out with Angela just the previous day. But regardless, if she was asking him, that meant she needed something.

"Well, it's not that I _need_ to go someplace, per se, but I'd _like_ to go someplace." She craned her neck so she could see him clearly, "I was wondering if you'd take me to see Zach?"

Realizing that she still hadn't had the opportunity to thank her former intern and misguided friend for his assistance in her rescue, Booth felt bad that he hadn't suggested it before. "Oh, sure, Bones. I'm sorry; I should have taken you to see him before. I wasn't thinking…"

"No, it's OK, Booth. I don't think I was ready to see him before. You know, I've only seen him a few times since he used Sweets' badge to break out of his imprisonment to help us on the Jared Addison case. I find that I am still bothered by what happened to him; about what he did to us." She lowered her gaze, "I am still torn by his betrayal, Booth, although I know I will always care for him…"

Booth could practically feel his partner's disturbance radiating off of her, and hated to see her distraught about anything. "Aw, Bones…It'll do you good to see him and I know he'll be glad to see you. If you could have seen how easily he slipped back into his old role over at the lab… Honestly, it was incredible. He didn't flinch when we told him what we needed; he declared himself King of the Lab, because he played a HUGE part in locating you; he and Hodgins were bantering just like old times. It was good to see; and sad at the same time, because he must have realized that as soon as his task was complete, he was going back to the ward, but he worked hard nonetheless." He chuckled at a quick memory. "If you could have seen his face when he realized that I was the one meeting his van in the drop off garage… I thought he was going to pass out – he expected to see you greeting him, because the only thing he'd been told was that he was 'needed to help Dr. Brennan.' So he interpreted that as actually helping you, not helping _to find_ you. But as soon as I explained to him what we needed, he launched. It was refreshing to see; even though he's still….annoying."

"Booth!" She reprimanded him for insulting the young man. "I was just like him, you know. And you got used to me…"

"No, Bones. You were _never_ like that kid… Never."

"Well, that's your opinion." She smiled up at him again. "Thank you for bringing him in on the case, Booth. I am sure that you would have found me anyway, but it sounds like he helped it happen quicker."

"That's the thing, Bones…I don't _know_ if we would have found you if it wasn't for Zach. Everyone there tried to break the code, Bones: Ange, Jack, Wendell, Sweets, Cam… hell, even Daisy… they were all trying everything to break the cryptic. Ange ran it through her magic machine. Wendell put it through the coder… Nothing. But Zach solved it in hardly any time…all while multitasking _and_ dealing with one angry FBI Agent running around the lab… I was not an easy man to talk to that day…" He kissed her forehead. "He'll be happy to see you, Bones. What time did you want to head over there?"

"Well, it's only 4:30 now…" She thought momentarily, "If it's acceptable to you, we can get ready and head over now; before dinner…That way, we can see him for a little while, but then still have the evening to ourselves later."

He nodded as he double checked the time. "Yeah, that'll work, Bones. But do you _promise_ to relax later? You need to stay off your feet for a bit, babe." He gave her a stern look while waiting on her to agree.

"Yes Booth. Besides, if we go today, then we can sleep late tomorrow and relax all day; we won't have to go anyplace, and that will let me get some rest before the banquet the next day." She smiled. "I want to make sure I can dance, so I better take care of my ankle, right?"

He smirked, "Yup; if you're gunna dance with me, you'd better get your rest tomorrow…" He grinned impishly, "otherwise I will have to find some other eligible woman to occupy my arms at the ceremony…"

"Oh-ho, no… Uh-uh, Booth. No other occupants in your arms… just me." She pinched his thigh as she shifted to sit up, smiling at him over her shoulder as she turned her back to him slightly.

Following her direction, he reached over and swept her loose hair to one side, exposing her neck to him. He placed a small kiss as he scooted up to the edge of the bed, sitting at her side. "Naaah… I wouldn't wanna dance with anybody else anyway… No one would feel as right in my arms as you, Bones." He stood and extended his hand to her, helping her stay balanced as she rose to her feet. "C'mon, let's go see Zach. We can get pie on the way home for dessert later… I'm in the mood for cherry…"

"You're _always_ in the mood for cherry pie, Booth. How is today different from any other day?"

"Oh, come on, Bones… Sometimes I want apple pie, sometimes blueberry… _today_ it's cherry." He kissed her cheek. "I'll even share with you."

"Eewww… You know I don't like fruit pie, Booth." She wrinkled her nose and glared at his teasing.

"One of these days, Bones…. One of these days you will see the error of your ways, and I will _finally_ get you to eat pie…" He moved to the closet as she set about collecting their various articles of discarded clothing from the floor, placing them into the hamper before moving to also find something to wear.

"I will _never_ eat your fruit pie, Booth…" she grumbled at their 8-year-old-debate, uncertain of whether or not he heard her refusal.

"Yes you will, Bones!" His voice carried from the bathroom, where he'd started a shower, proving he had, in fact, heard her rebuttal. "You'll eat it and you'll like it, baby!" He laughed as he stepped into the steamy water to quickly refresh himself before going out.

She didn't hesitate to join him in the stall, stepping in boldly and without hesitation, and while maintaining her disapproval of the idea of mushy, cooked fruit, she smiled in approval of his soapy body. Knowing that neither of them was up for a round of vigorous shower sex as per usual, she settled for splaying her hands across his upper back, spreading the suds as she moved, and admiring the definition of his sculpted muscles as he moved.

"We'll see, Booth." She kissed him when he turned to look at her over his sudsy shoulder. Having an afterthought, she smiled, "While I guarantee I will _not_ be eating your pie tonight, I _could _do with a piece of cheesecake from the bakery if we stop." She grinned, knowing that if she agreed to get a piece of dessert as well, he would be more likely to enjoy his own pie when they came home that night.

He turned and wrapped his soapy arms around her thin frame, sharing his ample amount of shower gel with her. "You got it, Baby… the bakery it is!" He grinned into her neck before they continued to freshen themselves for their visit.

B/B/B/B

As the partners waited in the small receiving room at the mental facility, Bones was anxiously wringing her hands, but said nothing when asked by Booth about her concerns. The door opened and an orderly escorted Zach Addy into the tiny space.

Immediately, as if all her anxieties melted away, she stood from her seat by the table and rushed to her young colleague, immediately embracing him warmly. When the orderly was about to stop Brennan from approaching too quickly, Booth stepped forward and nodded his approval for the interaction. The attendant then turned to the Agent and advised him to ring the bell when they were ready to leave, he would wait outside.

"Dr. Brennan, it's very nice to see you; thank you for coming to see me. I wondered how your recovery was coming along. Jack called me after Dr. Sweets brought me back from the lab, and he said that Agent Booth had rescued you from your captors." He spoke over her shoulder, locking eyes with the strong FBI agent who usually ignored him.

She still held onto her former favorite intern, suddenly unwilling to let go, as small tears threatened to spill from behind her eyes. She willed her voice to talk, but no words came, so she just held on stronger for a little while longer, not understanding the roller coaster of emotions she was experiencing.

"Dr. Brennan? Did you lose your vocal capabilities?" Zach was confused that his normally loquacious mentor hadn't spoken in reply after several minutes. "I've been studying various dialects of sign language while living here; if you'd like we could communicate in that manner?" The young imprisoned doctor knew that Brennan could sign, and it was the only way he could think of in order to discuss her recovery if she had lost her voice. He desperately wanted to converse with her; he missed their mental sparring. She was the only person ever able to give him a run for his money when I came to mental challenges, and he missed their interactions, even though he knew it was his own fault that they no longer spoke on a regular basis. They'd corresponded by writing more often than by speaking over the past couple of years. In fact, when he was walking down the hallway towards the room in which they were currently occupying, he wondered to himself if she would be the same person he remembered, or if time had changed her in the same way it had changed Hodgins and Angela, both of whom still came to see him on a pretty steady schedule every couple of months. But even though he always enjoyed his visits with his former co-workers, Zach had discovered that, as he remained relatively unchanged while incarcerated in the psyche ward, the world outside had altered his friends drastically.

As he continued to stand within her strong embrace, he mentally calculated what he'd experienced so far during their brief interaction. She was just as beautiful as she was the day she accepted him as her intern. She had lost a little bit of weight, and he wondered if she was on a diet. From what he gathered at the lab while he was helping his friends, she was still single, and he wondered if she was giving into societal demands to look a certain way in order to attract the sort of man she deserved. He hoped that wasn't the case, because he thought she looked perfect…she always looked perfect. And she had a brilliant, perfect mind… and she had a perfect voice… and…

Zach's thoughts were cut off as she pulled back slowly, upon feeling Booth's reassuring hand on her upper back, and she looked at her young former-protégé. "Thank you, Zach. I wanted to see you and express my appreciation for all your help after I was abducted. Booth told me what a huge impact you had on discovering my whereabouts." She smiled as she stepped back further. "I understand that you were able to solve a puzzle that not even the Angelatron was able to crack." Her pride in Zach's success was clear as she dropped her hands from his upper arms and moved to sit down at the small table in the middle of the room, letting Booth gently steer her with his hand on her lower back. Zach took the seat opposite hers and he nodded silently to Agent Booth, not expecting to actually be acknowledged by the intimidating Special Agent.

Booth, however, had other things in mind and extended his right hand to the younger man. "Zach, it's good to see you again. I also wanted to say 'Thanks'. I didn't get the chance to tell you that night; but we couldn't have done it without you." He pulled out the chair next to Bones and sat beside her, draping his arm over the back of her chair and letting his fingers brush absently against the soft material of her blouse.

Bones sat with her hands folded in front of her, resting on the table as she observed Zach's reaction to her partner. He looked older than she remembered; thinner and frailer, if that was even possible. When he met her gaze, his face broke out into a bright smile. _That hasn't changed_, she thought_; his smile is still innocent and sweet_.

"Are you well, Zach? They are still treating you respectfully?" She was concerned for him; although he had hurt her irreversibly, she still reserved a special spot in her metaphorical heart for him. When he was found to be mentally incompetent and destined to be locked away in the psyche ward versus prison, Brennan pulled strings to get him in this particular location and ensured that he would be 'handled' with care. She had taken pain-staking steps to see to it that he would have access to a wide variety of reference resources and reading material; his handlers were hand-picked by both Hodgins and herself; she stressed the importance of mental exercises and inter-personal interactions for this individual, and given the amount of money donated to the facility by her own foundation, her requested demands were met.

"I am very well, thank you Dr. Brennan. Surprisingly so." Zach was not aware of all the strings she'd pulled when he was incarcerated. "They make fish sticks and macaroni and cheese every Friday; I get to check out as many books as I want from the library, three times a week; I can go to the gym every Tuesday and Thursday, which is when I do my treadmill walking. Everyone is very nice to me. Of course, Hodgins said that is probably because they are all afraid that I am going to snap, and eat their faces one day." He met her eyes with honesty and ignorant innocence. "But of course, I wouldn't do that. I'm not an animal, Dr. Brennan."

Her chest ached for her former student. "I know you're not, Zach. You were…misguided. Horribly, _horribly_ misguided..." She swallowed thickly, fighting back the emotions forever linked to the memory of when they first discovered that their very own Dr. Zach Addy had been the 'inside person' during the Gormogon case.

There were a few awkward moments of silence, no one knowing quite what to talk about. Brennan broke the stand-off as she sat back and placed her hand on Booth's thigh. She smiled at her partner then turned back to Zach. "Booth and I are in a relationship now, Zach." Her bright smile widened and her cheeks burst with rosy color. "We've decided that it was finally time to move forward as a couple."

"Wow…That is really great, Dr. Brennan!" Zach smiled at his former idol, then to her imposing 'guard-dog'. "Congratulations, Agent Booth. I know you have cared for Dr. Brennan for a long time." His smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly as he refocused on Brennan. There was a time when Zach used to imagine that he would take Dr. Brennan out on a few dates and maybe they would become a couple; they were so much alike, they were both geniuses and they both misunderstood the same societal expectations. But sometime after his mentor had partnered with Seeley Booth, she began to change. She morphed into a person who better understood standard colloquialisms and who was accepted easier by outsiders than ever before. Deep down he knew that he never stood a chance at being with her in the sense that he fantasized about, but knowing that didn't ward off the sharp sting he felt at seeing and hearing her happiness about the budding relationship with her best friend. "I am happy for you, Dr. Brennan. And I wish you all the best."

He stood abruptly, realizing that he would be unable to maintain his painted-on-smile when sitting face to face with the woman he still considered to be the epitome of perfection. Keeping his hands straight to his sides, he looked over to Booth. "I wish you all the best, too, Agent Booth. Please take good care of her. She has a lot of people who love her. A lot of people want to see her finally happy." He looked back to Brennan before Booth could answer. "I have to go now. Tonight is Chicken Pot Pie and I don't want to be late. I don't like it once it's gotten cold; it's never as good after they reheat it." He started to back away from the table as Brennan rose in confusion and Booth eyed the younger man knowingly.

Brennan reached her hand across the table, hoping that Zach would at the very least, take her fingers one last time. "Wait, Zach… You have to leave so soon? It's not dinner time yet. They said they didn't serve dinner until 6:30."

Booth stood by Bones' side, silently imploring Zach to take her hand, hating to think that her feelings were about to be crushed. She didn't recognize the look that had crossed behind Zach's eyes. The look didn't escape Booth's observant eye, however. It was a look he knew well, because he had often seen a similar forlorn look in his own reflection when he thought about his partner. But the difference between his own desires and Zach's were that Bones actually reciprocated his love – she didn't even see Zach's affection towards her. "Zach, wait," he interrupted, but the boy turned to ring the bell by the door.

"No, I have to go. I have reading to do before dinner. Then dinner. Then my shower." He turned back and glanced over his shoulder. "I have a routine to keep, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. You understand, I'm sure." He turned back to the door as it opened and his orderly entered the tiny room. With one last look at his former colleagues, he smiled. "I am really happy that you are safe, Dr. Brennan. None of us wanted to see any harm brought to you." He moved his eyes to the FBI agent, "thank you for bringing her to see me, Agent Booth. And thank you for rescuing her." He turned his back to the pair and nodded to the man standing by patiently. "Good bye Dr. Brennan; good bye Agent Booth." And with that, he walked into the hallway, ahead of his escort, making his way back to his cell.

Bones was stunned, mouth agape, as she stared at the open door, and then turned to see her partner watching her. She didn't understand why she felt the sting of unshed tears hitting the backs of her eyes; but her partner understood as he pulled her to his chest.

"Booth, why did he leave so abruptly? Zach _never_ worried about his routines like that. He was always much less affected by alterations to his daily plans than most of the rest of us. Why do I feel like he's mad at me?"

"Bones, he's been in here a long time," Booth replied tentatively. He didn't know if he should explain his take on the interaction or if he should try to soften it for her currently fragile feelings. As he felt her stature stiffen against him, he decided it was probably best to keep quiet about his opinion and personal conclusions; when she was less emotional, he would voice his thoughts, but until then, he would maintain his stance that Zach had simply changed while living under lock and key for the past several years. "People change, Bones… Zach has lived by a strict schedule every day of his life for the past three or four years… It's hard to change that on a spur of the moment meeting." He pulled back and looked down at her, thumbing a stray tear that broke free. "He looked happy for you, though, Bones. He was happy to see you, he was happy that you're safe." He smiled when he felt her relax. "The important thing is that he knows you made the effort to come see him and to thank him for his part in your rescue. He knows that he made the difference – you told him that."

She nodded in appreciation at his explanation. She was thankful that he was at her side, because he could see things in ways she could not. Where she viewed Zach's actions as stand-offish and withdrawn, Booth was able to see the probable truth that they had interrupted his daily schedule, and that had likely upset him. "You're right, Booth. We did just show up, without an appointment; of course we disturbed him…I should have better planned." She wiped her own eye and bowed her head in embarrassment. "Next time I will call first, talk to his doctor and make sure that I choose a good time to see him. It's been too long since I visited here. It's been over a year since I came to see him." She looked back up, "will you come back with me one day?"

He smiled and nodded, "if you want me to, yes, I will come with you again." He kissed her forehead, thankful that they'd avoided a possible melt-down and probable argument over the facts, as he saw them. "C'mon, Bones…Let's go home." He steered her gently towards the exit, his hand on its rightful place at the small of her back. "But first… the bakery …" he leaned towards her ear with a grin. "For cherry pie…"

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "and cheesecake, Booth. Pie _and_ cheesecake…"

**A/N **

**Awww…. Poor Zach; he's broken hearted in his own delusions. C'mon, now, we all know that Zach was infatuated with Brennan. His boyish innocence just didn't let him see the truth for all these years. But thank you Booth for not pointing out the truth to Bones just yet…She may not have accepted that too kindly. **

**But don't ya just love B&B together? I do! I think they're perfect together! **

**So they'll have a day of relaxation before the Big Night. And what will the Big Night bring? All sort of goodies, I am sure. There will be awards, fund raising, drama, excitement and tension. OOOOhhhh…. I can't wait! :-D**

**Please Review and leave me your thoughts. **

**Peace & love my friends,**

**~jazzy **


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N Hello and welcome back! Apologies in the delay in posting this chapter, it's been a hellish couple of weeks. This one is less that 10K words, a goal of which seems to have become an unspoken challenge to myeslf, but chapter 58 should be posted right away, because I simply had to cut the chapter down to two – it was getting faaar too long! **

**Many MANY thanks for the reviews and PM's. You guys are fabulous and I think I just might hit 1000 reviews before the end of the story! So THANK YOU for your dedication and continued support. **

**Disclaimer: Well, this hasn't changed any…I still only own the story line and I still don't make any money from it… Woe is me, I must continue to drudge into my daily job, sit in my tiny cubicle in order to pay the mortgage… But hey – at least FanFiction gives us a delicious escape from the real world for a little while, right!? ;)**

**Please read and review! Help me reach my goal please! ;) **

When Booth awoke the next day, it was pretty late, nearly 11:00. The emptiness in his arms alerted his sleepy subconscious that something was amiss. Squinting against the daylight, he was reminded of their previous late evening following their visit to Zach. With the completion of their dessert and coffee, their drink of choice had morphed into _Irish_ Coffee…which eventually morphed into just plain Irish, as they killed off the bottle of Baileys over ice, before expanding their drinking tour from Ireland to Scotland, moving on to his prized 33-year-old-bottle of Glendronach Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which he'd been saving for a special occasion. In his mind, Booth easily justified cracking open the bottle; any evening spent with _his_ Bones was a cause to celebrate. They polished off over half his bottle before crawling into bed and collapsing into each other arms in the wee hours of morning.

And now those arms were empty as he reached towards her side of the bed to feel for any residual warmth she may have left behind. Upon finding her sheets cooled, he grumbled and pushed the blanket from his body, sitting up slowly so as to not alert his brain just yet that he was awake. He noticed the filtered light shining from beneath the closed bathroom door, guiding the agent to know where he'd find his girl. Booth swung his muscular legs over the side of the bed and scrubbed his hand roughly across his face, wondering how long Bones had been awake. He eyed the floor and found that his boxers, which he had tossed unceremoniously the previous night in his anxiousness to get naked with his partner, were missing. He knew that meant Brennan had picked them up on her way to the bathroom; something she often did whenever she found discarded clothes that didn't quite make it to the hamper. Shaking his head with a chuckle at her near-obsessive neatness, he stretched as he stood to his full height and moved towards the bathroom.

He tapped lightly on the door, expecting to hear the shower running or his girlfriend brushing her teeth, but all was silent on the opposite side. When he didn't get a response after a few moments, he tapped again and cracked the door open slowly. They had, over the past month, lost most of their inhibitions around one another, thus the door was often left open completely; it brought a little bit of concern to the back of Booth's mind that she closed him out that morning.

"Bones?" He spoke as he peeked around the door, "you in here?"

"I'm here, Booth." Her reply was soft, shy almost.

He opened the door fully and looked to where she stood, with her back to the full length mirror behind the door, as she held as small hand-held mirror in her hand. His heart clenched when he saw her red swollen eyes; she had obviously been crying while he was sleeping.

"Bones, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He rushed forward, turning her to face him by placing his hands gently on her biceps.

She shook her head and crashed to his shoulder, allowing him to pull her bare body flush with his.

"Then what's wrong, Baby?" He cupped the back of her head with one large hand while he rested his other hand on the small of her back, holding her near. "Why are you crying, Bones?" He pulled his head back to meet her red-rimmed eyes.

"It's nothing, I guess…" She tried to pull away, suddenly putting up her old defenses again, trying to block him out. "I should have been quieter, I'm sorry if I woke you, Booth…"

Her brush-off stung, and he held tighter, refusing to let her go when she tried to pull away. "Bones… Stop." He locked her with a hard stare. "You wouldn't be in here by yourself crying if it was nothing. And don't push me away, Bones. You're not allowed to do that anymore; we're a couple, and that means we talk about things that are bothering us." He hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his brown eyes. "Tell me, baby, what's the matter."

She met his concerned and challenging stare for a few short moments, only to feel her iron will shatter under his study. She lowered her face again, pulling herself into his steely chest once more. "I'm so ashamed of myself, Booth…"

He tugged her gently, pulling her along with him as he moved back out to the bedroom. "Whatever it is, Bones, it'll be alright." He took her hand in his, "c'mere," he sat in the chair and pulled her down to his lap so she was sitting sideways across his thighs. "What's going on, Bones?" He grabbed the blanket that was thrown across the back of the chair and wrapped it around her chilled nakedness as he pulled her close, waiting for her to process her answer.

"Booth – I shouldn't be so upset…I feel so foolish now…" She raised her eyes, but not her chin. "It's my back…" She spoke quietly, hating for him to know what she was worried about, hating that he would think she was shallow. Then she launched into an explanation without breathing. "My scars are so bad, Booth, and I know I shouldn't be worried about them, I know it's vain, and while I know I'm _not_ modest, I've never been conceited about my appearance…At least I don't think I have been… But my dress for tomorrow has a semi-open back and although I chose something that I thought would distract from the evidence of my beatings, now I worry that it will _attract_ attention to them, instead. And I don't think I'm ready to face the scrutiny of people looking at me, Booth. It's been almost a month, and I _should_ be over this by now, but I'm not! Hell, I'm not even back to work yet…and _now_ we have to go to this thing tomorrow and people will look at me, and there will probably be reporters snapping photos and…"

Booth finally cut her off by placing the pad of his finger on her actively moving lips, mid-ramble. When she finally raised her chin so she could face him straight-on, he lowered his finger and replaced it with his lips, in a very gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he met her worried blue eyes with clear deep browns of his own.

"Bones, your scars are not nearly as bad as you think they are. _You_ are your own worst critic, and you are _far_ too hard on yourself." He ran his fingers through her hair, starting at her temple and following the length of the layer down to her shoulder. _She's a genius; she had one of the highest IQ's in the world; but she's still a __woman_, he reminded himself. _She still has the same insecurities and the occasional pit-fall in her self-esteem, just like every other female in the world; tread lightly.._. "Bones, you're going to look beautiful. I'll wager that you will be the most gorgeous woman in the building that night." He flashed his famous charm-smile and was pleased to see her reaction as she blushed at his compliment.

She laced her fingers at the nape of his neck and rested her forehead against his. "Booth, you're a recovered gambling addict, you shouldn't wager anything…" She tilted and kissed his cheek before resuming her position, "but your sentiment is appreciated, although I suspect your opinion is slightly biased."

"Yeah, well, be that as it may, you're going to look _fantastic_, I have no doubt." Booth pulled her closer and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders a bit tighter after feeling her shiver slightly. His chest swelled with contentment when she snuggled against him without question or hesitation as she brought her arms down to sandwich between their torsos for warmth. There was a time when she wouldn't have let him see her cry, let alone tell him about her concerns for her appearance. But now, here they were, sitting together in his bedroom, naked as the day they were born, and Temperance Brennan was _(finally!)_ letting him hold her as he soothed her anxieties. "How long have you been awake, baby?"

"About 45 minutes." She spoke against his neck as she snuggled into his furnace-like body heat, and her breath ghosting against his skin sent shivers down his spine. "I had a nightmare."

He pulled back and looked down at her, "why didn't you wake me, Bones? What was it about?"

"You were sleeping so soundly, Booth, I didn't want to wake you up. You were so peaceful." She smiled up at him, "you've been so good to me, Booth, I didn't want to bother you with it."

"Bones, you're never a bother; we've talked about this before." He was firm but gentle in his reprimand.

She sighed as her metaphorical backbone crumbled ever so slightly; she wanted to remain strong, especially in front of Booth. She was tired of feeling weak; she was tired of being afraid when she slept while keeping up a brave front while awake; she was just plain tired... So she admitted the one thing she hated, to the one man she loved. "I was back there again, Booth…I was in that basement…I was cold… and naked… and tied to the wall while he continued to whip me, Booth. Only, in my nightmares, I couldn't pass out to escape the pain. I was conscious and very much aware of every single lash that landed across my back…" She lowered her eyes in embarrassment at having to admit that she was still experiencing nightmares. "I should be _over_ this by now. Why is it still haunting me while I sleep? Every damn night – some nights are worse than others – but still, I go back there every night, Booth."

He realized that she didn't know he was very much aware of her continued nightmares. He hadn't mentioned them on purpose, wanting her to come to him when she recognized that she needed help. And now, she was finally coming to terms with her reality, and letting him in, no matter how reluctantly.

He hooked his finger beneath her chin as he had done countless times before, and tugged upwards, forcing her to look at him. "I know, Bones. I know you're frustrated; I know you want to be over it, but it takes time, Baby." He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone as he continued. "I've known about your nightmares, Bones. Most of them, anyway… I'm sorry I didn't know about this morning's; I think last night kicked my ass, and I'm sorry." He kissed her cheek softly as he let his words sink in.

With a wrinkled forehead, she pulled back and looked at her partner. "You knew? All this time, you knew?" Her voice conveyed her shock at his confession. She wasn't sure if she should be pissed at the fact that he never said anything or thankful for the same reason… "Why – why didn't you say so?"

With a smile, he answered simply, "I just did, Bones." At the sharp rise of her eyebrow, he knew he'd better be serious. "Look, babe, I didn't want to point it out to you, because I didn't want you feeling bad about me knowing. I know how you are…I know you need time to process. But if you wanna know, I've lost count of how many nights I've soothed you back to sleep, when you're restless and stirring... But I didn't want to focus on it; at one point I began wondering if you even remembered your nightmares the mornings after…but after watching you wake up several mornings, I realized that you did, in fact, remember them, at least momentarily when you woke; I could see brief panic behind your eyes on several mornings following your late night episodes." He absently rubbed circles along her thigh, starting just below where the hem of the blanket fell against her soft ivory skin.

"Booth," she didn't look happy. "I wish you'd told me that you knew. I don't understand why you kept this a secret."

Booth's eyes were serious and solemn as he stilled his hand against her leg. "I kept it secret, Bones, in response to your own secrecy. You haven't been exactly open with me about your anxieties and nightmares, either, you know." His reprimand was gentle but serious and caused her to jut her bottom lip out ever-so-slightly in a pout. "Bones, I didn't point it out to you because it was obvious that you were trying to work through it in your own way. History has proven that when I push you, you just get pissed off and we end up fighting. We don't need to be arguing while you're still trying to recover, so I was waiting on you to speak up; I was hoping that maybe you'd come around and ask for help, or support, or _something_, Bones… But you haven't. Until now…"

She could see that he was hurt at her aloofness in regards to her inner turmoil; she thought that she had been hiding her emotional confusion pretty well, but it was now obvious to her that he had been silently aware of to the truth all along. "Booth, I -" She swallowed, not really sure what she should say. "It's just-" She paused again, lowering her hands from his shoulders where they had been resting, and she started picking at non-existent hangnails while she tried to work out her thoughts. She was afraid he was angry with her for her choice to exclude him from her nightmares. _I only wanted to try to work through this on my own. I should be able to handle this; I have always been a strong, independent woman…What's happening to me…?_ She mentally battled with herself. _But I have to let him in; otherwise I am going to lose him. And I couldn't handle that now…I don't want to lose Booth again_. Tears started stinging the backs of her eyes, which made her even angrier with herself as she fought them off, refusing to look up at the man who was waiting patiently for her to respond. She held her hands between their torsos as she continued to nervously pick at her nails.

He hated to watch her struggle; she had come so far in their month together, yet he recognized that she was trying to work through emotions that she still didn't understand. He knew that she continued to have difficulty accepting that she was no longer alone. And even though he felt that she had been doing great in the 'love-department', as she'd taken to calling it, Booth could tell she wasn't sure where that fine line between normal and needy was, and she didn't want to cross it unwittingly. The expression on her down-turned face was concern and he knew the look well – she was worried that he was unhappy with her.

"Look, Bones. I'm not mad. I just want you to trust me-"

She immediately cut him off, jerking her eyes up to meet his, "Booth I trust you with my _life_. I swear it, I trust you, Booth." She placed her hands flat against his bare chest. "I _do_, Booth. I love you and I trust you."

He smiled gently and placed his much larger hand over hers, effectively sandwiching her fingers between his palm and his chest. "Baby, I love you too. But I'd like you to trust me not _only_ with your life, though, Bones; trust me with your heart; trust me with your feelings. Let me help you when you wake up remembering a bad dream; let me in, babe."

She felt so vulnerable, exposed, and she hated those feelings. In the past, when these emotions reared up, she would move on, run, or escape to her own little world, which was most often Bone Storage. People left her alone when she was in there. Well, _most_ people left her alone; Booth always seemed to find her and _never _respected her privacy or her desire to work in solitude. He would often come and stand quietly in the doorway watching while she worked, eventually breaking the silence to drag her to lunch or to the coffee cart for a break. Of course, she _always_ balked, but she also _always_ gave in and let him bend her to his will. And in that moment, while thinking back, she realized that she had missed his coddling at that lab. Prior to her kidnapping, she hadn't spent that kind of time with Booth for months. He had broken down her walls, unintentionally scaring her enough that she ran half-way across the world. Then, when she finally realized her feelings, she was forced to rebuild those walls because she'd lost him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she pulled her hands from his grasp and threw her arms around his neck, roughly pulling herself flush against him. "Booth…" Her words were whispered, trembling with emotion, "I trust you with everything. Everything I have; everything I am; everything, Booth. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I didn't know you already knew about my nightmares. I thought I could just get over them. In the past, I've always gotten over nightmares on my own." She felt betrayed as the tears she'd successfully held in suddenly and without permission, sprung free. She buried her face into her mate's neck, ready to finally confess her fears. "I get so scared, Booth...and I feel so weak. I've worked my entire adult life to be strong enough to defend myself; to protect myself. I've mastered martial arts, become a proficient kick boxer, educated myself in several languages so I'd be able to communicate or negotiate in any foreseeable situation…And yet, he took me…Right out of my house, he took me, right from my bedroom…from my bed…" And with that, a month's worth of bottled tears broke free as her body shook in time with her sobs.

Booth simply held her close, his hands rubbed large circles across her back in an attempt to calm her while simultaneously encouraging her to keep talking. His own experiences had taught him that holding in all the angst and anger from torture was more hurtful than helpful. Although he had endured a much more extended, and much more invasive, form of torture, the foundations were the same; Bones had been forcibly taken, held captive, bodily restrained, physically beaten and mentally tormented. He knew that she would physically heal; she was a strong woman who took good care of her body, which had, thus far, played well into her recovery. But emotionally, she was going to have scars far deeper than any reminders that were visibly noticeable. Regardless of the fact that she had always been a master-compartmentalizer, the human mind could only sustain so much cruelty before it begins to betray its owner by replaying unwanted images over and over…

She continued to sob into his neck, her tiny fingers digging into his shoulders with the need to be close to him. After several minutes, his gentle rocking soothed her and her tears began to subside. Her fingers loosened their vice grip on his shoulders and she slumped against his expansive chest, suddenly feeling exhausted, and realizing that she hadn't even done anything to make herself so tired.

"Talk to me, Bones. Tell me about your nightmares, baby." He spoke into her hair, "it'll help…trust me."

She shook her head gently, "I don't want to, Booth." She balked at his suggestion and pouted into the crook of his neck.

Booth kept his voice soft as he tried to encourage her to open up for him. "Bones… In a manner of speaking, I've been where you are. You've been incredibly strong and I am _so_ very proud of you, baby. You've been so brave…" His words were husky and full of emotion as he mentally flashed back to a small hut in the mountains of Kosovo where he'd been detained for weeks, subjected to torture for most of his waking hours. His memories suddenly transformed and took him back to the jungles of Guatemala, where he was certain he'd met his end at the hands of a small band of Guatemalan guerrillas. He tightened his hold on the woman in his lap, thankful that he'd survived his own tortures, allowing him the honor of partnering with Dr. Temperance Brennan, and eventually, _finally_, becoming her lover.

He rested his cheek on top of her head and spoke quietly, continuing to cradle her close to his body. "Bones, I _hated _talking about what happened to me. When I came home from Kosovo, and then from Guatemala, I avoided talking to P.O.W. counselors like they carried the plague. I flat out refused, disobeyed orders, skipped appointments… I thought that I could handle it on my own…after all, I was strong enough to survive in both cases, so I figured that I didn't need some 'yahoo' with a shrinky-degree, who'd never even been in the field let alone in a torture-situation, telling me what I thought I already knew. But the fact was… I _did_ need to talk... The physical injuries, they healed, but the mental wounds…it took so much more than I ever expected to get over the mental torture." He placed a kiss into her hair before moving back to his previous position with his cheek on her head.

She didn't respond, but he knew she was listening; he could tell from her body language that she was paying close attention to his words. He left one of his hands splayed across her upper back and moved his other down to her upper thigh, near the curve of her hip, and he squeezed lightly. "If you don't want to talk to me, then I'd like to ask you to talk to _someone_, Bones. Sweets, or hell, even Gordon-Gordon; I'm sure he'd talk to you if you needed." Booth's heart ached at the knowledge of what his girl was going through. She tried so hard to stay independently strong, just as he had done several years ago, but he knew the battle that lay ahead, and it wasn't one that would be cured overnight; no, Bones had a long road ahead of her, and Booth wasn't so sure she realized just what was in store. But he vowed to himself that he would be there for her; whether she opted to talk through her anxieties with him or with someone else, he would stand by her.

After a few moments of silence, she started to shift, pulling her arms down so they were once again sandwiched between them, her palms flat against the smooth skin of his chest. She raised her big blue eyes to meet his downcast browns, "I would much prefer talking to you, Booth. I know Sweets is good at what he does, and I am sure you are correct that if I really want to, I could reach out to Gordon-Gordon, but you're the one that I trust with my memories, Booth." She lowered her eyes to trace the path her fingers were making along his right clavicle. "I mean, I would trust either of them if I _had_ to, but if you wouldn't mind listening…then I would much rather talk it through with you."

He raised his hand from her thigh and hooked her chin, an action that he'd been doing for years, only now when he did it, he could kiss her once coaxing her face upwards. And kiss her, he did. Softly and gently, he brushed his lips against hers, lingering for a few moments before pulling back and palming her cheek. "I will _always_ listen to you, Bones. Anytime you want, anywhere you want. I'll do my best to help you in any way that I can."

"Thank you, Booth. But I don't want to talk about it anymore today. I know I can talk to you when I'm ready though." She pouted again, then smiled as she let herself get lost in his embrace and in his dark gaze.

He traced her sharp cheekbone then her jawline, and smiled when her eyes closed in reaction to his touch. He continued to trace his fingertips lightly over her silky skin, enjoying the small sounds he elicited from her.

Moving her lips just barely, she whispered her appreciation to her partner. "I like it when you tickle me like this, Booth. Sometimes you do it on my arms, sometimes on my legs…but I like it best when you touch my face like this…No man has ever touched me like you do, Booth…I've never let anyone…But your fingertips feel so good…your palm on my cheek when you hold me for a kiss…mmm…" She let her words die off as he moved his fingers down her neck and she dropped her head back to give Booth more access to her throat.

He was entranced as he listened to her husky voice and watched as she spoke with such little movement… He found that he almost forgot to breathe as his heart began to race. When he recognized the utter trust that she bestowed upon him, both with her words and her actions, he felt his own emotions fill his chest as tears stung the backs of his eyes. He watched, fascinated as she slowly arched back, falling further into the arm that was cradling her, and he extended the length of his arm's grip, allowing her more room to lie back and he felt his own face flush with heat as the blanket fell away from her shoulder, revealing her bare breasts to his roving eyes.

He dragged the pads of his fingers slowly along her collarbones then slowly circled the hollow of her throat before continuing his tactile exploration of her creamy skin. He trailed his fingers along her upper chest, tracing from shoulder to shoulder and settling back in the soft spot where her clavicles met. He couldn't help but notice that her breathing had become shallow and he could see her pulse point increase in pressure, a sure tell sign that she was enjoying his touches as much as he loved touching her.

"Bones…you're so beautiful, baby." He was quiet in his praise, his words hushed so he didn't break the spell that had been cast. "So damn gorgeous." He traced her soft skin from her throat past her cleavage and down to her tummy, where he circled her bellybutton. The sheer radiance that glowed from her body rendered him speechless as his eyes travelled up and down the length of her torso as she lay across his lap. "Promise me something, Bones…"

"Hmm?" She didn't open her eyes, but she nuzzled her forehead against the inside of his elbow and against his strong bicep as he held her.

"Promise me that you won't spend time sitting and crying by yourself when I'm right here. Promise me that you'll come get me or wake me or call me, whatever, when you're feeling like that. Don't sit all alone crying…Let me hold you. I hate to see you cry, but I hate even more that you were crying all by yourself." He had traced his fingers back up her body in much the same fashion as when he'd started. When she didn't respond, he prodded gently by a quick flex of the muscles in the arm holding her. "Temperance?"

At the sound of her first name, she opened her eyes and reached for his roaming hand, lacing her fingers with his and pulling their joined hands to her chest. "I wasn't crying so much about the nightmare. I mean, the dreams are bad, but that's not what made me cry this morning. I was upset when I looked at my back in the mirror. It still looks really rough, and I was hoping for clear skin. The dress I got will hide most of it… but I will know the scars are there…and you'll know it too. And I was hoping that everything would be perfect for tomorrow…But it won't be."

Her slight pout brought a smile to his lips; she looked so adorable, innocent and naïve with her eyes large and still a little red-rimmed and her bottom lip protruding out. He pulled her up from her reclined position and kissed her on the forehead. When he pulled back and looked at her, he brushed his fingers through her loose wavy hair. "Stand up, turn around. Let me see your back again…" He helped her stand and watched as she turned to face away from his seated position, dropping the blanket in the process. He tried studied her fair skin with an objective eye, traveling from where she'd pulled her long hair to the side and working down the length of her spine, skipping his eyes from sides to side as he looked. He placed his hands on her naked hips and pulled her backwards to him.

Booth placed a gentle kiss on the small of her back, where there was a scar just above those adorable dimples he loved. He moved his lips and peppered a series of kisses over a cluster of scars on the back of her waistline. He traced a finger over an older, much longer scar, a reminder of one of her asshole foster-fathers; he kissed along the trail his finger took, knowing that she would recognize the scar he was paying attention to. He moved his firm lips up towards the middle of her back and made sure he lavished attention to each and every reminder he found, old and new. His kisses were gentle, soft and loving. When he's reached as high as he could from his seated position, he stood slowly, never breaking contact with her and eventually ended up at her shoulders, finding some additional older scars that needed caressing. When he'd completed his journey, he wrapped his arms completely around her waist, bringing his open palms to rest on her tummy, and pulled her flush against his chest as he spoke into her neck, where he'd settled his mouth. "Babe, you're back is not that bad. Believe me, I would tell you if it looked bad, but it really doesn't. Don't worry…you will still be the most beautiful woman there tomorrow." She turned in his arms and her darkened icy blues met with his warm browns and he noticed her breathing pattern had increased once again at the attention he'd been paying to her sensitive skin.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders, burying her face against the stubbly morning skin of his neck. After she'd inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent, she pulled back and looked up one more. "Thank you, Booth. I've….well… I just…." She couldn't form a sentence through her emotion filled brain; she just wanted him to know how much she appreciated him being there for her and how much he meant to her and how much she loved him. "For everything, Booth…Thank you for everything."

He scooped down and captured her lips with his, gently asking permission for entrance as he nibbled her bottom lip. She granted his wish almost immediately, letting his tongue run over hers in a slow, deep and passionate dance that was so familiar to her now that she couldn't remember not kissing Booth. The contact of their (naked) bodies quickly turned their kiss to something more desperate, more heated, and Booth slowly backed her over to the bed, where he gently pushed her to the mattress and moved to linger above her smaller body. Immediately her legs parted to accommodate her partner's hips and he rocked into her with ease, evidence that each of them was ready for the other. Booth spent the next hour showing the love of his life just how much she meant to him; just how beautiful he found her to be; just how much he worshiped her body, scars and all; just how much he simply loved her. And when she had shattered repeatedly to the point of near exhaustion, she pulled him over the edge with her and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him as deep as possible as he filled her with everything he had to offer. And the lovers drifted off to sleep once more, wrapped around each other's bodies, in a mutually sated state of mind and body.

B/B/B/B

As Booth and Brennan enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner, they watched a special on the Discovery Channel, enjoying their lazy day of lounging about. They were both enjoying the show about the ancient Mayans, and during a commercial break Booth raised an eyebrow at his partner.

"Whatdya say we take a vacation, Bones? We could go to Mexico and see these places." He gestured to the TV, referencing the ancient ruins that they'd been learning about for the past 45 minutes.

Brennan wrinkled her brow in thought, a crooked frown twisting her lips. "Well, I've seen the big ones already, Booth, but only in the capacity of an anthropologist. During college, I worked for three summers in Mexico. I worked at Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba. But I suppose that it would be nice to visit them as a tourist. With you." She smiled as she came to her decision. "I think I would enjoy taking a vacation with you, Booth. To Mexico. To the ruins." It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "And who knows, maybe there are some excavations occurring; I can make some calls and we could possibly visit some sites that are not currently open to the public." Her face lit up with the possibility of showing Booth some of what she did before she got into the crime-solving-business as a contracted specialist for the FBI. "Oooh! I know, we could actually go _on a dig_ and I can show you-"

"NO…no… no!" Booth cut her off with a shake of his finger and a smile, but a firm voice. "Not a _working_-vacation Bones. A _vacation_-vacation. No uncovering of old bones and analyzing them – no digging up old rocks and aging them… I wanna go away with you, but I want us to be able to _relax_…" He leaned forward and kissed her pouty lip, "I would love for you to show me where you worked, though. I just don't want you to actually _do_ work while we're there." He smiled when he saw her frown vanish and the corners of her lips curl upward ever-so-slightly. "A few months ago, I over-heard Charlie talking about a resort where his brother and sister-in-law stayed someplace down there. I'll ask him about it next week when I go back to work, see if I can get the name of the place."

"That sounds acceptable, Booth," she flashed him the smile that melted his heart every time – that crooked, sweet little smile that she only ever gave to him. At seeing his happiness at her consent, she snuggled into his side once again, settling back into her favorite comfortable position for the remainder of their show. "I never liked having lazy days, Booth. Especially when I knew I should be working…" She remained snuggled beneath his arm, facing the TV as she spoke. "I mean, technically I could work today. I am well enough, healthy enough, to go back to work. But I'm glad we took the time off, Booth. I like having these days with you…"

He could hear the contentment in her voice, and that made him smile. "Yeah, it is nice, isn't baby?" He slouched down a bit, throwing his feet up on the coffee table and pulling her to lean against his chest more than his left side. That allowed him to drape his left arm down the length of her side and rest his hand on her stomach. "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a lazy day of hooky, Bones."

"We're hardly playing hooky, Booth… We both gained the appropriate permission to stay home today."

"Yeah, but it's more fun to pretend we're playing hooky…"

Even without looking up, Brennan could hear the happiness in his voice and she could imagine his eyes twinkling with laughter. That mental image, while she continued to face the TV, gave her a fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been getting more and more used to the 'butterflies in her belly', as Angela called the feelings, but they still, on occasion, caught her by surprise. She hummed in appreciation when he splayed his fingers wide against the warm skin he found beneath her t-shirt hem as she reached up with the hand she had been laying on, and laced her fingers with his. "I love you, Booth." It was a quiet statement, but one of certainty. Brennan never saw herself as a romantic person; she didn't buy into the whole 'mushiness' that she'd read about or seen on television for new couples. She didn't consider herself a cuddler. She had never, in all her relationships, been comfortable enough to lower her guard and just say what she meant; even if it was admitting that she didn't understand something. But with Booth, she was learning more and more, that she was a person who had evolved. Her time with Booth, and with her friends at the lab, had taught her many things, including that sometimes her views were skewed and she was blind to anything that she couldn't explain with a scientific formula. But so very often, Booth proved to her that there was more to life than formulas and equations. And in this moment, with her head resting on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and her hand clutching his thick fingers, she felt so full of emotion that she couldn't contain it without telling him that she loved him. She knew that she had told him already several times that day, but she also knew that he liked hearing it. And the more she said it, the more she enjoyed the way the words felt leaving her lips. She snaked her other arm over his waist, and squeezed, enjoying the way his body felt beneath her fingertips. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his lounge pants and held on, enjoying the fact that she could finally touch him like that.

"Bones," he ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying how it felt both in his hand and as it fell back down to his bare chest. She looked up and when he met her doe-eyes, his breath caught. "I love you, too, baby. So damn much."

"Mmm, I know, Booth. Thank you." She smiled and squeezed his fingers. "Every day I am amazed that we have this. I never thought we would. And I am not saying this to bring up old issues, but I really thought I had lost my chance…and every morning, when I wake up in your arms, or spooned up behind you or lying on your chest… I just… I just can't believe it, Booth. But I am so very happy."

"Me, too, baby. Me too…" He craned his neck and planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling her tighter, closer to his body, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "Thank you, Bones. For being with me. You've made my dreams come true, as corn-ball as that sounds; it's true."

She rolled over, so she could face him better; so she was lying on her left side, with her head resting on his chest still. She studied his face, his angular jaw, the gentle smile that graced his lips, the honesty in his eyes… "Have you heard from Cullen, Booth? I want to be able to show everyone tomorrow, that we're a couple. I want everyone to know, without whispered suspicions and rumors. I want everyone to know that I love you, openly, and that you love me too."

Booth hated to break the news to her, but he couldn't lie. When the smile fell from his lips, he knew she would know the truth. "Yeah, Bones. Cullen told me that Caroline hadn't had any luck. I guess she's had a lot going on with her family emergency, and she's researched, but she hasn't had any luck so far. I don't think she's had the time to really dedicate to it, like she would have if she were home." He saw the utter disappointment in her eyes. "But, listen, Bones… She's supposed to be back tomorrow in time for the function; maybe we can talk to her, come up with something. I am not giving up hope and if she can't help us… I was thinking…" He knew she wasn't going to like his next suggestion. "There's another job opening within the department. It's a desk job, but it would be a promotion for me. I could talk to Cullen about it, see about posting for it. If I can get it, if I'm qualified enough, it would take me out of the field; but you could still be contracted through the Jeffersonian. It's just that neither of us would be in the field anymore." From the look of shock, he knew she wasn't going to go for it. "We could train another agent to work along with the Jeffersonian. One of your interns can go out in the field and-"

"No, Booth! I don't want to stay in the lab all the time while my students go out in the field. And I won't work with another agent. You and I, we belong out there, Booth. We belong in the field! Besides, you wouldn't be happy in a desk job. You hate computers as it is, imagine how often you'll be using one if you're sitting at a desk all day long!? No, there _has_ to be another way, Booth. There _must_ be. If Caroline doesn't come up with something, maybe I'll see about having my lawyer review the books; maybe he can find something for us." She was adamant about her decision, and her passion was beautiful to Booth.

"Well, we'll see what she says, baby. But either way, we won't be there as a couple, I'm afraid. But maybe for the next time…the next dinner function we can go together."

She nodded, but she wasn't happy about it. She trailed her fingers over the muscles in his chest, relishing in the definition she found there. "OK. Well, you better make sure that you dance with me, Booth."

"I wouldn't want it any other way. I promise." He grinned when she smiled at his agreement. They were interrupted by a knock at his door and Booth huffed at the intrusion. "Wonder who that is…"

Bones sat up and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and covered her legs, as she was only wearing her sleep shorts. Not knowing who was stopping by bothered her, she didn't want anyone seeing her dressed in so little. Tucking her legs beneath herself, she leaned on the arm of the couch and watched as Booth moved towards the door, pulling on his worn-out Philly's shirt as he moved.

Another knock sounded through the apartment. "Yeah, yeah, hang on!" Booth called as he neared the door. Upon looking through the peep hole, his body tensed, and Brennan could see the change in his demeanor.

"Who is it, Booth?"

He pinned her with a cold stare, one she knew was not directed at her, but instead was brought on by an unwelcomed guest. "Sully."

**Postscript A/N **

**Dammit, Sully…. Why'd you have to go and make another appearance!? I mean, really? You weren't satisfied with pissing them off at the hospital? Now you have to ruin their happy lazy day? You know, my Muse & I are going to have to have a little chat…. And I suspect focuscp115, you're going to want to have a little one on one with her too, aren't you? mmmm…. She's quite uncontrollable, what a rebel…**

**Chpt 58 should be coming up right away, I am going to finish editing that right now! ;)**

**PLEASE review. PLEASE!?**

**Peace & love my friends, **

**~jazzy**


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N Hi again! 'OMG, 2 chapters in one day', you say? Well, originally, chapter 57 was just wickedly long and I cut it down to two. I know I've had longer chapters out there, but these two just begged to be separated. So I did… ;) Hope you enjoy this one too! **

**WTH, Sully is invading their happy, lazy, playing-hooky-from-work-day! Damn Sully. **

**Disclaimer: Do we really need to put these out on each and every chapter? I mean, is it absolutely necessary? We all know that anyone writing on FF is not likely an owner of the characters they're writing about… hense the name "FAN" fiction. But anyway…. I don't own 'em, I just write about 'em! **

**Please R&R! There's more SMUT in this one! ;) (Kind of a smutty last few chapters, huh….?) **

"What?! Sully's out there?" She sat up straighter, pulling the blanket higher. "What the hell does he want?"

He shook his head, not knowing what his girl's ex could possibly want by coming to his apartment.

Booth turned and unlocked the door, opening it just far enough to greet his former friend and colleague, but not enough to welcome the man into his home. Stilling his features, he locked eyes with the visitor.

"Sully." His voice was cold and distant, definitely not an accommodating tone. "What's up?"

"Booth, hey. Is Temperance still staying with you while she recovers? Her doormen wouldn't give me any details when I stopped by to see her." Tim Sullivan shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as he awaited an answer, feeling the unforgiving stare from Booth boring into his own eyes. "And no one will tell me anything over at the lab, either. It's like she doesn't even want me to see her."

"Sullivan, why the hell would she want to see you? Didn't you get the hint at the hospital, man?"

"Booth, you were on medication, you didn't mean those things you said… You were on the equivalent of narcotics, man." Sully gave him a nervous smile, knowing he made a mistake by stopping by, but he wanted to talk to his former girlfriend. He wanted to have another go at their relationship; he rented an apartment in town, got a position back at the Hoover so he could stay, _and_ he sold his boat, _Temperance_. He wanted to show her that he was back for good and he wanted another shot with her. They deserved to give their relationship another try; they were great together.

"Why do you want to talk to her, Sully?" Booth wasn't budging and his steely gaze was unforgiving.

"Well, that's between myself and Tempe, man; no offense. But that's just rude of you, Booth."

"Yeah, well, I don't think Bones has a whole lot to say to you." Booth's jaw was locked in determination. He would let Sully in if, _and only if_, Bones said so; not unless she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Well, why don't you let her make that decision, huh? Is she here or not, Booth?" Sully's patience was wearing thin at the overbearing agent currently standing in the way of his reunion with Temperance Brennan.

"Yeah, I'll just go ask her." He slammed the door shut in Sully's face as he felt anger boiling to the surface. He turned to find that Bones was no longer sitting on the couch where he'd left her, but instead, she had moved to stand behind the wall by the kitchen, out of sight from the doorway.

He looked at her and she could see the ire behind his eyes. She reached out and wrapped her tiny hand around his tense bicep. "He won't go away until we make it clear to him, Booth. You know that." She locked her eyes on his and moved to stand before him. "Don't worry about me, Booth. Don't worry about us. We will remain strong; I won't let him jeopardize that." Her words were soft and her voice husky with nerves. "But let's hear what he has to say." She looked down at herself then back to her partner. "Just let me go put a bra on; I don't want to sit here talking to him in just my t-shirt without a bra."

He nodded. "And put some pants on, too, Bones. Your shorts are too short for his eyes." He grinned as she leaned forward and kissed him softly and he reached back and gave her ass a good, solid squeeze. "Your thighs, your ass, are just for _my _eyes now, babe."

"Yes, they are, Booth." She smiled at his possessiveness. "I'll be right back out." She moved away from the door, heading into the back of the apartment to change into something more presentable. Once he heard the bedroom door close, he turned his attention back to the front door.

"Whipping the door open, he met Sully once more with a hard, cold stare. "You can sit in the dining room. Bones will be out in a minute."

Sully smiled smugly, thinking that Tempe had made the decision to see him against Booth's judgment, and he thought that gave him an advantage. He moved to the small table and started to sit in the padded chair.

"Not there," Booth's cold voice stopped Sully in his tracks. "That's Bones' chair. You can sit over there," he pointed to the chair on the complete opposite side of the table.

When Sully faltered, and eyed the chair immediately next to the padded chair, Booth place his large hand on the back of the seat, pinning his former co-agent with a hard stare. "Over _there_, I said…" he nodded towards the other side. Booth followed Sully's movements with his eyes and watched the man sit. He felt inwardly happy that Sully looked so uncomfortable; he didn't want this man to feel welcome in his home. He pulled out the chair that Sully was eyeballing, and he sat himself down firmly and folded his hands on the table, his shoulders hunched with determination as he stared unwaveringly at the man across from him.

"Where's Tempe, Booth?" Sully asked tentatively.

"I told you she'll be out in a minute. She's in the _bedroom_. She wasn't happy at being interrupted. We _were_ having a nice afternoon…" He couldn't help throwing that little tidbit out there, letting it linger in the air while pinning Sully with a deadpan stare.

Sully sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest with a visible sigh. He picked up on the emphasis in Booth's voice when he pointed out that Tempe was in the bedroom. But a quick scan of his surroundings put Sully at ease; there was a single half empty glass of soda on the coffee table, a blanket puddled at one end of the couch and a pillow on the other, indicating that Booth had been spending an awful lot of time on the couch. _He's blowing smoke_, Sully thought, _he's just trying to scare me off with empty innuendos and threats_… "So, ah…How has Tempe been? Is she healing well? I've been really worried about her." Sully tried to make small talk, but his ulterior motive was clear to Booth. He was fishing for answers, looking for information on Bones.

Booth squared his shoulders and sat up straight as he eyed Sully. "You know as well as I do that I don't speak for Bones. I'll let her tell you herself when she comes out."

Sully scoffed, "You…you let her speak for herself, huh, Seeley? Now, that's funny."

Booth's gaze darkened as his jaw clenched in forced control, "what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sully sat forward, resting his forearms on the table, and locked Booth's firm stare with one of his own. "It _means_ that you haven't let Tempe speak for herself in _years_, Booth… In fact, when I saw you in the hospital, you couldn't _wait_ to answer for her… and the thing that _really_ galls me is that she actually _let_ you… She sat there, quiet as a mouse, and permitted _you_ to answer for _her_. What the hell have you done to her, Booth? Since when does Temperance Brennan let anyone, let alone a _man_, answer on her behalf when she's sitting right there, perfectly capable of speaking up…"

"The only person who can ever answer for me is Booth." The men were interrupted by Brennan's cool voice coming from the end of the hallway, where she stood, watching the metaphorical stand-off between the two men. "Booth knows me better than anyone."

Booth smirked when he took in her appearance; she had plenty of clothes at his place, because they had made several trips to her apartment since she'd been staying with him. But despite that fact, she opted to walk into the room wearing a pair of _his_ sweatpants, which were entirely too big for her, but she had rolled the waist and bottom hems, making them look absolutely adorable on her small frame. She also donned his 1986 Journey concert t-shirt – one of his favorites; a very well worn, incredibly soft souvenir he'd kept through the years as a remembrance to the band's appearance in Philly while he was still in high school. It was the first concert he ever went to without Pops' supervision. And in that particular moment in time, when he forgot to breathe, he never thought his shirt looked so good. She had curves that he obviously didn't, and she filled out his old t-shirt like no one ever did.

Brennan caught Booth's smugly satisfied look as she walked slowly towards the small dining area but she stilled her features and moved her eyes warily back to the man sitting across from her partner. When Sully stood from his chair and started towards her with his arms extended for a hug, she held her hand up to stop his progression. She moved to the chair next to Booth and sat down as he pulled it out for her. "I suspect, Sully, that you're having difficulty accepting that I never permitted _you_ speak for me when we were together. However, over the years while partnering with Booth, I have learned through both observation and experience that Booth understands me and how I think. Thus I have conceded many times to his guidance and advice. I trust that when he speaks on my behalf, he speaks with accuracy and truth."

Sully sat, slack jawed and silent, as he bounced his eyes over her face, letting her words sink in. His eyes darted to Booth and back to Temperance as he crossed his arms once again across his chest. "Look, Tempe, is there someplace we could talk, you know, in private?"

She folded her hands on her lap and shrugged innocently, "I'm comfortable right here." She raised an eyebrow at Booth, "are you comfortable here?"

"Hey, I love my table - I'm more than comfortable sitting here. You sure your chair is comfortable enough?" He shrugged in response as he rested his arm across the back of her chair.

"It's perfect, Booth. I told you the other night that this was my favorite seat." She looked back to Sully. "We're both comfortable here, Sully. Why aren't you?"

He knew she was being purposely difficult in her reply, so, like them, he simply shrugged. "Well, I was hoping that I could talk to _you_ without your guard dog hovering."

She squinted at her ex-boyfriend. "Whatever you want to talk about, we might as well do it here, because I will only end up telling Booth everything anyway. Save me the aggravation of having to rehash this discussion once you've left." Her tone was non-negotiating, flat and her words to the point.

Booth was proud of his Bones. A month ago he watched her fall apart, understandably so. And since then, he had seen snippets of her fire, little bits of her spark shining through her fractured exterior, but not until that moment, while they sat opposite the man who'd left her standing on the pier as he sailed off into the sunset, had Booth seen her true qualities come back to life. And he was overwhelmed by what he saw. She was beautiful, proud, strong and confident.

And his.

Yes, Bones was his and he knew he didn't have anything to worry about; but he still hated having this other man in his house.

Sully sighed in frustrated resignation, knowing that there was no way that he'd be able to talk to Tempe without Booth hoarding in on the conversation. So he launched, as if the Agent was no longer there.

"Look, Tempe, I regret that I ever left. Every day I thought about you, I wondered what you were doing, how you were, if you were changing the world in the ways you always wanted. I dreamt of you so many times that I lost count – I stopped trying." He was caught off guard at the nonchalant look she shot in his direction when she sat back, resting against the back of the chair, and ultimately against Booth's muscular arm.

He darted his eyes at Booth before he continued his confession to the woman he wanted back in his life. "I have decided to stay in DC, Tempe, and I'd love it if you and I could try again. I've rented an apartment, not far from your building; I talked to Hacker and am up for a new position at the Hoover; I've sold my boat… So, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." When he saw her defenses go up, he also _felt_ the tension from Booth in the air, it was practically palpable. He reached his hand across the table in a defensive fashion. "I – I know it's going to take time to rebuild the trust between us. I know I hurt you; I'm not an idiot, Temperance. Please, just, please tell me that you'll think about it…." He visibly swallowed, "and I thought maybe we could start that journey together tomorrow. Will you go to the FBI gala with me? According to the roster, you're not coming with a date. You are seated at the Squint Table, no guest was notated." He raised his eyebrows at her in hope. "What d'ya say? Will you do me the honor and accompany me as my date? Please?" There he laid it out on the line…showed his hand to his opponent and could only hope that she wouldn't take him to the cleaners.

Brennan leaned forward, resting her arms on the table in a defensive manner. "You checked the table assignments already? You looked at the expected roster for tomorrow evening?" Her ire seethed out in her voice; there was no hiding that she was pissed.

Sully shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I wanted to check first, before I found you, to make sure I wasn't wasting my time. If you already RSVP'ed with a date, I certainly wouldn't have asked you."

"Well, you have wasted your time, I'm afraid. I am not interested in attending the function as your date. I will be spending the evening with my family and friends. And with Booth. If you saw the seating, then you saw that he and I are seated together." She lifted her chin defiantly before throwing herself back against the chair once more.

"Well, that is no surprise," he eyed Booth from the corner of his eyes before looking back to Brennan. "He probably doesn't want to let you out of his sights again anytime soon. After all it was his fault that you were abducted; he's probably trying to mend his guilty conscious."

Booth pushed his chair out and shot to his feet all in one swift motion, moving around the table towards his former friend. The only thing that stopped him from fisting the man's collar and shoving his head through the wall was the gentle hand of his partner on his forearm.

Brennan pinned Sully with a hard stare, "I think you're forgetting in whose home you're sitting, Sully. And I think you've overstayed your welcome. Goodbye Sully." She wrapped her fingers tighter around Booth's bulging bicep as she stood slightly behind and to the side of him, and she could feel his tense arm trembling with anger.

Sully moved to the side, giving the larger man a wide berth. "Look, man, that came out wrong," he realized that if he wanted to have a shot at Tempe, he'd have to smooth things over with Booth. It was obvious to him that Temperance wouldn't do anything against her partner's wishes. "I just meant that, you know, Baker was your first successful conviction, Booth, and he was the guy who took her. He was trying to get back at you…"

" Get. Out. Of. My. House." Booth spoke through clenched teeth, but kept his arms at his sides, calming ever so slightly thanks to Brennan's cool fingers.

"Booth, honestly, man. I didn't mean for it to come out like that." He looked to his ex, hoping that she would see that he wanted to smooth over this bump. "Tempe, you've gotta believe me. Honest."

"Sully," her voice was soft and she moved her other hand to Booth's lower back, "you need to go."

He moved towards the door and glanced back only briefly, still determined that if he could just get Temperance alone, he could convince her that they were great together. "I'm going to bid on you tomorrow, Tempe. So at least know that I'm still trying to make this right." He started to move and grabbed the doorknob when she spoke up and stopped him.

"What do you mean, you're going to 'bid' on me?" She countered him with a quizzical look to accompany her question.

"For the fund raiser… You know it's not only an awards ceremony, but also a fund raiser, don't you?"

"Of course I knew it was a fund raiser. But that doesn't explain your comment…" She turned to face the man directly, standing directly in front of Booth, and she relaxed slightly when Booth rested his hands on the backs of her hips, not caring about Sully's line of vision.

"Tempe, they're raising funds for the foster-care-system in the tri-state area…They're having an auction, of sorts. During a designated block of time tomorrow, gentlemen can request to dance with a lady, but only the high bidder will win the dance or dances." Sully smirked, knowing that Booth lived pretty much paycheck to paycheck, given that he paid monthly child support for Parker and high rent to live close to work. "And I know how much the cause will mean to you, given your upbringing." His smile grew, "I just sold my boat, and I have a fair sum that I plan to donate _to the children_." He took a step towards her and she felt Booth's hands tighten against her hip. "Of course, if someone outbids me, then he will get the dance, but I don't plan to go down without a fight. I am going to want to spend some time with the woman who is certain to be the sexiest thing in the room… It should be a lot of fun. And like I said, it's going for a great cause."

"We hadn't heard the details of the fund raiser yet." She made sure her response alluded to Booth as well. Brennan knew they still had to tread carefully; Sully was in pretty good graces with Hacker and the partners had to continue to be cautious. "We thought it was just going to be a donation type of fundraiser." She raised her chin defiantly as the idea of an 'auction' sunk in… "Women are not cattle and should not be treated as such. Whoever planned this fund raiser 'auction' did so in poor taste."

Sully grinned as he started towards her again, only to freeze in his tracks when Booth moved around to stand by her side, his hands fisted as they hung down by his thighs. He looked between the two before settling back onto the blue eyes to which he was still so attracted. "It was put together by Assistant Director Hacker. I think it's brilliant, and certain to rake in a lot of money." He looked to Booth and continued, "I understand there is going to be some other form of fund raising later in the evening as well, something for the _ladies_ to get in on, but I don't know those details yet. I was mostly focused on the Dance Auction." He smiled; a silent challenge passed between the men.

"I believe you were on your way out of my house, Tim." Booth's jaw was still clenched. " ."

The former agent did an about face and moved to the door. "Yup, I'll see you both tomorrow evening," he called over his shoulder as he pulled the door shut behind him, leaving the couple in peace once more.

Bones turned to face Booth, as he raised his hand and ran it through his short brown hair with a sigh – a sign she recognized as frustration. She waited for a few moments, wondering if he was going to speak, but when he didn't, she did…

"I don't particularly like the idea of being 'auctioned' for a few dances, Booth." She lowered her eyes and picked at her nails nervously. "Even if it _is_ to raise money for the System."

"I don't like it either, Bones…I'll do the best I can, though. I just…" he paused and shook his head as he leaned closer to her, placing his hand on hers, effectively stopping her from pulling at her nails. "I just don't know how high he's going to bid…But I'll give everything I have in order to keep you at my side tomorrow evening…" He leaned his forehead against hers.

She craned her head up, meeting his concerned brown eyes while taking in his deflated stance as his shoulders sagged slightly, "I have to make a phone call, Booth. Will you excuse me?"

He nodded silently and dropped his hands, standing back upright. "Sure Bones. Everything alright?" He had a sudden stab in his gut, knowing that he would likely not be able to out-bid Sully at the auction; and that meant her ex would have his hands on her again. And even if it was only for a dance or two, Booth hated the idea of Tim Sullivan putting his hands anywhere near _his_ Bones.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Booth. And I am going to make sure that everything will be fine tomorrow, too." He looked at her and saw a hardness in her eyes; a determination that hadn't been there just moments before.

She ignored the quizzical look he was shooting in her direction and moved around him, heading to the bedroom to grab her phone from the nightstand. With a quiet sigh, Booth walked to his desk drawer and pulled it open, grabbing his most recent bank statement and check book. _I need to know exactly how much I can bid tomorrow. I can't let that asshole win this challenge. I can't let him hold Bones in his arms…not again_… He sat down at the desk and did a quick calculation of his available balance so he knew just how much he had to work with.

When he was confident in his balance, he placed the checkbook back in the drawer and closed it with a frustrated slam. He could hear the muffled sounds of Bones talking on the phone, although he could not decipher what she was saying. He moved into the living room and flopped down into the couch and waited for his partner to rejoin him. He wondered why she excused herself to make a call; he wondered _who_ she was calling… _Probably Angela… It's a girl-thing_…

He heard her padding down the hallway before he caught sight of her. "Booth?" she called to him before reaching the living room.

"Yeah Bones?" He sat forward and looked in her direction as she entered the room.

"Do you still have my check book in your safe?"

"Uh, yeah… why?"

"The fund raiser…" she looked at him as if he should have been reading her mind.

"Bones, they're _not_ going to let you bid on yourself and pay your own price."

She smiled proudly as she sat down next to him and snuggled into her favorite position, with his arm draped over her shoulders as she angled her body towards his and rested against his chest. "No. I realize that, Booth." She looked up with crystal clear eyes. "But you can bid on me and pay my price…"

"What does that have to do with-"

"Booth, I never removed you from the account. You're still a signer. _You_ can sign checks on _my_ account." Years before, Brennan had added Booth to all of her accounts as a joint owner, in case there was an emergency and he needed access to liquid funds that he wouldn't normally have on hand. Even through all their difficulties and struggles, she never removed his name, much to her accountant's dismay. Her advisor had repeatedly told Brennan that she should not revoke Booth's authority, given their many arguments and especially over the past year, since the prospect of them ever getting together grew dimmer and dimmer. But Brennan knew better. She knew that to remove his authorization would be a mistake, so she never did.

"Bones…I am _not_ going to spend _your_ money. I'll take my own checkbook and bid."

She rested her cool fingers against his chiseled face. "Booth, I just called John." Booth recognized that John was her accountant. "I wanted to know how much I needed to donate this year for tax purposes…" She held up a piece of paper for him to see. The multi-figure number he read nearly caused his eyes to bulge out of his head; he often forgot that she was _that_ wealthy…. She didn't give him a chance to ask further questions. "Look, Booth. I _must_ donate _at least_ this much before the end of the year. Even if you write and sign the check, the funds are coming from my account, so it's my donation, but as far as the officials at the auction know, it will be coming from you, because your name is printed on the checks. Sully won't outbid this…" She wagged the piece of paper for emphasis. "I don't care how nice his boat was…he _can't_ outbid _this_…" She smiled satisfactorily as she looked up at him, but stilled her features when she saw his concern. "What is it?"

"Bones, I don't want to bid with your money…I don't feel right about it." He shrugged, "but there's no way that I could outbid Tim if he's planning to use the money he got from his boat, my liquid funds only go so far…"

"Booth, you'll be doing us both a favor if you use my checkbook. Are you sure you still have the checkbook I gave you when we first added you to my accounts? Otherwise we can run to my place."

He nodded in response, "yeah, I told you, it's in my safe." A ghost-of-a-smile spread across his lips and his cheeks blushed ever so slightly, causing her to raise an eyebrow in question. He met her eyes with a chuckle, "I guess it's not really funny, but looking back, I guess it has a comical side to it…" he began. "Hannah looked in my safe once, uninvited. I had it open because I was cleaning my gun. And when I caught her looking, I gave her hell. You know… it's my _safe_. And no one except you has ever looked in there; well besides me, of course. But when she saw that I had one of your checkbooks, and that it was printed with my name too… Wheeew… Was_ she_ _ever_ pissed…" He looked into her eyes and saw that she was mildly satisfied at knowing she had, however indirectly, caused Hannah to stop and think about her relationship with Booth. "That was right around the same time that I started sleeping on the couch… out of choice…"

She cocked her head slightly, "Booth, I didn't realize you and Hannah were having so many problems after she moved in. I hope it wasn't entirely my fault. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's gone. But if I was the reason for any of your unhappiness, I'm sorry."

"I'm not," he responded without pause. "It was a mistake, like I said before. But looking back at all the little battles we had…I should have seen the breakup coming for months." He shrugged again, "But that's all in the past. And now I just chuckle when I think about all the things that have been in my apartment that centered on you, and when she kept trying to change all those things… I wouldn't let her."

She craned her neck and kissed his cheek, appreciative of the fact that he had let her presence remain in his life in more than just being her partner. "So, you'll use my checkbook, then? For the auction?" She brought the conversation back around to the issue at hand.

He gave a crooked smile, "yeah, Bones. I will. As long as you're sure you're fine with it."

She settled her head into the crook of his neck while she spread her fingers across his chest and sighed. "Yes. I don't want to have to dance with anyone else, Booth."

His laugh rumbled through his chest and she pressed her fingers against him to feel the vibrations. "You won't dance with anyone you don't want to, baby. I'll make sure of that…" He toyed with the hem of the shirt she wore. "You, uh… you put on _my_ clothes to come out here and talk to Sully… Why'd you do that?" He wondered where her genius thought-process went while she dressed earlier.

She raised a shoulder in shy admission. "I just… I know we couldn't admit anything openly, but I wanted to give the impression that we were closer than just partners… I had hoped he would get it. I can't tell if he does understand and is choosing to ignore it, or if he just doesn't get the hints."

"Yeah, I don't know either. But let me tell you, I about fell off the chair when you walked out here…I was hoping that you chose my clothes for that reason… I'm very proud of you, Bones… you're getting quite accomplished at subtlety and hints…I remember a time that you just wouldn't have done anything like that."

"You've taught me a lot, Booth. And I have a very steep learning curve, in case you've forgotten." She smiled proudly.

"Oh, baby, I haven't forgotten…" he laughed and pulled her closer, dropping a kiss on top of her head. "You won't let me."

He grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels again, whatdya wanna watch, Bones?"

Feeling a bit frisky and wanting to get over her anxiety of dealing with Sully, she slid her cold little fingers beneath his t-shirt and drew them across his abdominal muscles, causing him to suddenly tighten them when her coolness touched his warm skin. He looked down at her as she raised her lips, grazing his jawline before she pulled back to look at him. "You."

Momentarily stunned, he forgot he asked her a question; she often had this effect on him. She could render him speechless and mindless at a simple sweep of her fingers or touch of her soft mouth. "Huh?"

Keeping her words hushed as she moved across his cheek towards his ear, she replied, gently reminding him of their conversation. "You asked me what I wanted to watch…And I want to watch you…Hovering above me…While you're making love to me, slow and steady, Booth." She smiled when she felt him catch his breath at her sudden admission. "I want to watch your glistening skin as you enter me…I want to watch your face while you're moving inside of my core... I want to feel your hands as they dance over my body…I want to feel your lips as they cover me, head to toe… I want to hear your moans as you close in on the precipice, before we tumble over the cliff together… I want to look into your eyes and _see _all the love that I can feel when you touch me…and I want to forget about the outside world for the rest of the night, Booth. I want to break the laws of physics again…I want you to teach me more… I just want _you_, Booth…"

Quickly, he turned his head and brought his right hand to her jawline, palming it as he attacked her mouth. His tongue never even needed to ask for permission, because as soon as he'd turned to her, she already started to open to him. And there was no duel, no battle, it was a mutual dance. Neither played the alpha role and they both recognized that their evening was going to be, once again, fun and exhausting.

Pulling her with his left arm, which had been draped around her shoulders, he helped her settle onto his lap, so she straddled his hips. He pushed his wide hands up the back of her shirt, unsnapping her bra hooks as he went. She put up no resistance to his man-handling, because she knew that whenever he listened to her explicit explanations, he became ravenous, and she had done it on purpose. She wasn't looking for the dominating Booth, and her words told him that, but she was looking for the strong, loving, _sexy_ Booth that she knew him to be.

As she threaded her fingers into his short hair, she held his mouth with hers, sucking on his lips in turn, then let her tongue slip over this teeth, once more dancing with his. When he moaned in response, she smiled into the kiss, knowing she had the same effect on him as he had on her, and loving that they could do that to each other so easily and readily. She could feel his erection spring to life below her bottom as she sat on him, and she repositioned slightly, drawing her hips back then forward again, so she could grind against him, and guide the pressure to where she wanted it.

He pushed the shirt up the rest of the way, forcing her to raise her arms so he could remove it completely, along with her now-loosened bra. She moved her arms without hesitation and once she was rid of the soft material, she sat straight and proud, resting her hands on his strong shoulders, and she let his eyes dance across her body. Booth was a very visual lover and she was proud that he liked to admire her body. Temperance Brennan had _never_ been shy about her looks, but she had never before been with a man who looked at her with such reverence as Booth did.

She sat perfectly still as he skipped his fingertips lightly over her silky skin, starting at the rolled waistband of his pants that she wore low on her hips. As the roughness of his calloused finger pads traced the definition of her toned abdominal muscles, she shivered with excitement and anticipation. Bones loved it when Booth took his time with her, cataloguing her body in detail and memorizing the reactions he pulled from her. She breathlessly examined his handsomely chiseled face while he, in turn, studied her body. When his hands reached the undersides of her breasts, her breath hitched in anticipation, but he had other plans as he avoided touching her perfectly proportioned globes. Sweeping around the swollen sides and up to her shoulders, he grinned silently when he noticed her pretty pink nipples come to life, hardening into perky little nubs as she sat perfectly still and tall.

Drawing his hands slowly across her clavicles, his fingertips met in the middle, just below the hollow of her throat, before continuing their journey south again, moving through her cleavage and ending at her belly button. When he raised his ebony eyes from following the trail of fire he left on her skin, he met her darkened blues and forgot to breathe. Without breaking eye contact, he moved his hands again, this time letting them make their own decision of path. Not surprisingly, they were pulled, self-consciously, to her heaving breasts, palming her completely, relishing the weight of her in his hands. He leaned forward as he squeezed, and placed his parted lips upon hers, barely touching. He smiled as he hovered, their breaths comingling, and he spoke in breathless anticipation.

"I can still hardly believe I can do this, Bones… I will never tire of touching you…kissing you…tasting you… I am going to spend the rest of our lives making love to you." He didn't kiss her fully; instead he moved his mouth slowly over her cheekbone and to her ear, where he pulled her lobe into the warmth of his mouth while nuzzling his nose into the silky strands of hair above her ear. "You smell so good, babe."

She fought off shivers that rippled down her spine at the rough edge of his voice. Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth's shoulders, arched her back, pressing herself further into his wide hands; a quiet moan escaped her throat when he finally latched onto her neck and bit gently, immediately soothing the bite with a wet kiss and gentle suck. She pressed against the hardness that was positioned perfectly at her core and began rotating her hips slowly. She felt her lips curl into a possessive smile at hearing him growl in appreciation of her motion as he began to move his lips down her neck and over her shoulders.

With great care, he moved one arm down and circled her waist, gently urging her to lean back into his strong embrace. Understanding his desire, she loosened her hold on his perfect acromion and leaned backwards very slowly. Once the distance was perfect, he bent his neck and latched onto one of her flawless breasts, wrapping his lips around her pink nipple and tugging it further into his mouth.

Immediately upon feeling the wet warmth of his tongue, she felt a pool of moisture gather at the juncture of her thighs and she involuntarily bucked her hips in his direction. Wrapping his other arm around her ribs, he cradled her by angling his arm across her back, so his hand reached up to the back of her shoulder. Scooting forward in his seat, he made room so she could hook her ankles behind his ass, allowing her to pull herself tighter against his raging hard-on. When her warmth seeped through his lounge pants, reaching his throbbing cock, he groaned with yearning. His raw desire was to take her, fast and hard. He wanted to ravage her, tear his pants from her body and thrust into her tight, welcoming warmth. He wanted to devour her possessively and claim her body as his own once more.

He wanted her right there on the couch. Or on the floor beneath his feet. Or against the wall. Hell, even the dining room table… He very simply wanted her; needed her. He longed to dominate and take her. _Now. Here. Fuck yeah_… His mind flooded with endless possibilities…

But he also wanted to take her slowly, passionately, thoroughly… He wanted to taste every last inch of her. He wanted to brail her body beneath his fingertips. He wanted to relish the feeling of being buried deep inside her body while her constricting muscles milked him dry as they settled into a perfect rhythm. He wanted to cover her body with his own much larger frame, pistoning deliberately in and out of her slippery grip. He wanted to be flat on his back, feet planted firmly on the mattress, while she rode him proudly, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips and ass as he caressed her in cadence with her thrusts. He wanted to watch the way she grabbed her own perfect tits while she jockeyed over his stone-stiff dick. He wanted to get lost in the depths of her blue oceans while listening to her moans of pleasure. He wanted to circle her clit with his calloused thumb, pulling her orgasm from her with powerful ferocity.

As he moved his mouth from breast to breast, he nipped, licked and sucked, becoming intoxicated on her taste and scent. As she raked her nails over his shoulders, she pulled his head up, so she could kiss him properly, skating her tongue over his lips and teeth as she entered his mouth. When they finally broke for air, she fisted the hair at the nape of his neck and bent her head to rest their sweating foreheads together.

"Booth… Make love to me. Now. Please…" Her words were heady and full of want. The pure rawness of her voice about drove him over the edge.

"Mmm…" He moaned as he attacked her neck, preparing to stand up. "How, baby?"

"All night long, Booth. Make me forget about everything except for this…I want to forget everyone, except for us…" She quite frankly, wanted to forget about Sully and his threat to win her in an absurd auction concocted by Andrew Hacker. She was pleased that the fund raiser was putting money towards the Children's Homes of the area, but she was far from pleased with the planned method of obtaining those funds.

Never one to deny his Bones of what she wanted, Booth planted his feet firmly and stood, bringing her with him as she wrapped her long legs around his waist. Once gaining his balance, he moved quickly towards the hallway, intent on making her his… over and over… all night long, just like she wanted. "I think I can manage that…" He grinned smugly against her sweet skin once he reached the bedroom door. Kicking it open with one foot, he proceeded to lower her to the middle of the bed. While he stood to his full height, so he could shed his clothing, he thumbed her pants and pulled them down as he moved. He momentarily forgot his mission as he caught full sight of his lover lying naked on his bed and he became instantly still, staggered by her sheer beauty.

She lay with her head on his pillow, her shiny hair haloed around her head. Her creamy pale skin was flushed a pretty pink hue and her large eyes were gleaming as she watched his every move. Brennan pushed herself up to her elbows and smiled slyly at her partner. "You're wearing too many clothes, Booth…It will make it very difficult to proceed as planned if you don't take them off. Now." She pinned him with a wanton stare and smiled when he met her gaze. She could see the lust in his deep brown eyes as they bore into hers and her skin pricked with anticipatory goose bumps.

Booth reached up and over his head, grasping the collar of his t-shirt and ripped it over his head before he hooked his fingers into his waistband. As he peeled off his pants, he rose back up and moved to the bed near her feet. Without hesitation, when he reached for her calves, she allowed her legs to fall open to accommodate him. With a rumbling growl of desire, he settled between her thighs, using his shoulders to spread her wider. When she realized his plan, her breath caught and she fisted the sheet below her while she remained raised on her elbows watching him. When their eyes met, Booth's mouth curled in a crooked, half-smile and he lowered his mouth to her belly while stretching his large hands around her inner thighs, pushing the up and open.

Brennan was mesmerized as she watched his face dip from view. She wanted to drop back onto the mattress and just get lost in the feelings she knew her lover would cause, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the view of the man making himself at home between her legs. As Booth planted wet, open mouthed kisses along her tummy, he brought his hands up her thighs to where they met her body, at her heated core. She watched in breathless silence as he moved his mouth along her taut skin, and then she finally dropped her head back when she felt his thick fingers fondle her warm folds. Reaching her hands down, she wove her fingers into his spiky hair and moaned his name as he moved his strong lips closer to her throbbing sex.

"Booth…" her raspy voice reached his ears and he smiled against her, knowing that it was his actions that brought on her sexy, throaty sounds. "Please, Booth…Please…"

He was teasing her, blowing hot puffs of breath against her aroused skin, touching his fingertips to just the edges of her trembling outer labia. "Please what, Bones?" The movement of his lips against her petals brought her hips off the bed. With a smug grin spreading across his lips, he let his mouth brush against her while his fingers slowly spread her open. "What do you want, baby?" He raised his eyes without raising his face, and she raised her head to meet his smoldering look with her desperate eyes.

"Lick me, Booth. Rub your tongue along my pussy. Suck on my clit until I cum." She dropped her head back again, grabbed her own tits and squeezed them, knowing that Booth was still watching her. She knew that he loved it when she spoke explicitly, avoiding the scientific names of her body parts. While everything within told her that he was licking her 'vagina', her 'genitalia', her 'labia majora', she knew Booth particularly enjoyed it when she referred to her 'pussy', and during really graphic sex, her 'cunt'. She never liked 'the c-word', as she had always thought of it, but in seeing how turned on her partner got one day when she tested the word with him by telling him, '_fuck my cunt til I explode, Booth_,' she gave herself permission to use the words with him but never outside of the bedroom. She also knew that he liked watching her touch herself, so she made a show of tweaking her own nipples and arching her back, feeling his breath against her grow more ragged in response.

Keeping his eyes trained on her slim fingers as they wrapped around her perfect mounds and pinched her own nipples, he used this thumbs to part her flowery lips and lowered his mouth to her delicious sex. As soon as his tongue darted out and tasted her, she rotated her hips against him and moaned his name. He became dizzy, almost to the point of inebriation, at her taste, scent, sight and feel…It was like a sensory overload and he let his heavy-lidded eyes close as he got lost in her essence. She was delicious, soft and sweet, strong and independent, and everything in between. And he loved everything about her. He cherished that she let him love her and that she loved him in return. Over the weeks they'd been together, they had been more sexually active than he had _ever_ been when he'd been as an adult with other women. It seemed that they engaged in making love pretty much every night, and on the few nights that they hadn't for various reasons, at some point in the wee hours, one of them would wake up and start touching the other, and pretty soon they would be locked in each other's arms while he pounded in and out of her body. Booth had always known that he and Temperance Brennan would be great together in every sense, but he never dreamed that she would have the kind of effect on him that even after making love earlier in the day, he still contained the stamina to spend the entire night doing it to her over and over again. He moved his mouth over her, letting the flat of his tongue swipe her entire length, before he could no longer control his urges and he set about bringing his lover to the brink.

He brought the fingers of his right hand to her opening and rimmed her slightly, just barely pressing inside, while he circled her alert little clit with the tip of his tongue. It wasn't long before her legs started trembling in a sure-tell sign that she was approaching the precipice of her first orgasm of the evening. Wanting to watch her body as she came, he used the fingers of his left hand to spread her lips wide open while he pushed two thick digits into her begging core, moving his thumb to her clit for additional stimulation. Within seconds, she shattered, releasing her breasts and throwing her arms to her sides to fist the sheets below. He watched in awe as her muscles spasmed around his fingers and her juice dripped from her body slowly. He moved his hand and scooped up her delicious liquor, bringing his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean once she raised her eyes to look down at his actions.

"You're amazing, Bones." Booth's voice was husky and reverent as he moved up her body, peppering kisses long her legs, hips, tummy and cleavage. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching you, babe…" He reached her neck and moaned as he latched on while she shifted and wrapped her legs around his hips.

She felt worshipped, cared-for and treasured. She could feel his love for her at every caress, kiss and playful nip. Never in her life had she felt so complete, and she vowed to herself that she would do everything in her power to ensure this man's happiness, safety and health, just as he always had hers.

When he finally reached her jawline and lips, she brought her cool hands up to his cheeks and palmed him, holding his face as it hovered just centimeters above hers. "Booth…I promise to love you until the day I die. Every day I am more amazed at your astounding love. I am, metaphorically speaking, the luckiest woman on earth." She brushed her lips to his, tasting herself upon them, and deepened the kiss as he lowered himself to his elbows, sustaining his weight above her.

As their cores lined up perfectly, she could feel his silky head slide against her slick folds, as he coated himself with her still-warm fluids. Pulling back so he could look down at her, he tangled his hands in her wayward curls and stilled his hips. Once she met his eye contact, knowing that's what he was waiting for, he rocked forward gently and slid home, catching his breath at her snug heat as he spread her from within.

"Ah, Christ, Bones…" he mumbled as he bent and covered her mouth with his.

Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth's back, sliding them beneath his arms and fanning her fingers out, trying to cover as much of his muscled back as possible. She pulled him down so he wasn't supporting his own weight anymore, but he worried that he would crush her, so he resisted at first.

"Lay on me, Booth. Let me feel your body on mine…Don't worry, you won't hurt me." Her body was so warm and welcoming and her voice was, at the same time, sweet and vulnerable and begging, that he didn't have the will power to deny her this wish. He slowly lowered himself as he set a slow, deep rhythm that was certain to bring her back to the edge in no time at all, likely pulling him over along with her.

He moved in and out of her body, never once slamming into her or ponding her roughly. The night was about making love, slow and passionate. It was not about sex or fucking or satisfying biological needs. They were making promises to each other, vows to remain true and oaths of devotion. And in the back of his mind, Booth knew that even if by some freak chance, he didn't win the stupid auction on Saturday, there would still be no question that she would be coming home with him. Bones would meet him at the party, simply because Angela got a crazy hair up her ass that said Booth couldn't see her before the banquet. But there was no room for argument that they would _not_ be leaving separately.

They continued to make slow passionate love throughout the night, stopping for cat naps along the way, each of them taking time to dote attention on the other with their hands, fingers and mouths. Sometimes she was on top; other times he would enter her from behind. More often than not, his large frame was poised over hers while he drove her into sweet oblivion with his movements. They finally collapsed as the sun was just starting to peek over the skyline of Washington DC. And they slept – tangled feet and legs, bodies pressed together in honeyed exhaustion. But through it all, Booth held her protectively and possessively, silently responding to her spoken oath to him. He, too, would love her until the day he died, and he would show her every chance he got.

**Postscript A/N**

**So….? Is anyone else nervous about the banquet like I am? Is Sully really going to try to win Bren from Booth? C'mon, he must be an imbecile to not see what's going on, right!? I mean, hellllooooo? **

**Please let a review, I'm still trying to reach 1000! **

**Thanks for still sticking with me through so many chapters! **

**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~jazzy **


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N Hello and welcome back! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, you have honored and touched me with your words and kindness. I want to especially thank the many new reviewers I've had these last few chapters. Whether you're just new to finding my story and catching up, or if you've been with me for the duration and are just now starting to leave reviews, I want to say THANK YOU. **

**I implore, if there was a chapter that you missed reviewing, but you particularly liked or disliked, please go back and leave me a message from that chapter! I've had several notes that I find useful when planning my sequel/spin-offs to this tale and your insight is much appreciated! **

**OK, so, finally it's Saturday! It's time to get ready for the Fund Raising Gala and Awards Ceremony! (I know, it's about time, right!?) Thanks for sticking this out, I hope you like this chapter. ;)**

**The legal stuff: Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, I fear you may be a lost cause… I don't own Bones, nor do I benefit from this story. I own just the story line and a few minor characters you've met along the way, but all the rest belong to Fox and HH! **

End of Chpt 58 refresher:

_They continued to make slow passionate love throughout the night, stopping for cat naps along the way, each of them taking time to dote attention on the other with their hands, fingers and mouths. Sometimes she was on top; other times he would enter her from behind. More often than not, his large frame was poised over hers while he drove her into sweet oblivion with his movements. They finally collapsed as the sun was just starting to peek over the skyline of Washington DC. And they slept – tangled feet and legs, bodies pressed together in honeyed exhaustion. But through it all, Booth held her protectively and possessively, silently responding to her spoken oath to him. He, too, would love her until the day he died, and he would show her every chance he got_.

Late that morning, nearly high noon in fact, found Booth and Brennan waking up in a tangle of wadded-up-sheets, wrapped around their interwoven legs. As Booth woke, very satisfied by sex-induced-slumber, he watched Brennan slowly come around as the light filtered through his blinds.

_I should buy better blinds_; he thought to himself_, I hate to see her disturbed before she's ready_. He loved watching her wake, and lay quietly as her eyes began moving behind her still-closed lids. He studied the angle of her jaw, the sharpness of her chin, the gentle curve of her nose. He silenced a chuckle as she tried to burrow further into her blanket, feebly trying to ward off the daylight as it infiltrated her dream-state. Once he knew she was no longer asleep, but instead, in that drowsy condition of not-yet-quite-awake, he tightened his left arm, on which she was laying, effectively pulling her closer to him. His smile broadened when she immediately draped her left arm over his bare abdomen and buried her fingers into the sheet that was wadded near his hip, pressing her naked torso against him.

"Mmmm…" she let a little morning-moan escape when she inhaled his morning scent. _There's no other smell like Booth_, her mind groggily pondered as she smiled, her eyes still closed against the brightness that she wasn't yet ready to face.

Booth laid his right hand on her forearm where it rested on his stomach and started dragging the fingertips of his left lightly across the warm skin of her back, coaxing her into consciousness. He pressed his lips to her forehead and rubbed his stubbly cheek across the wild hair atop her head. "Mornin' Baby," he mumbled, his throat still dry from sleep.

"Mm-hmmm…" she responded wordlessly, causing a deep, rumbling chuckle to erupt from his chest. Defiantly, she fisted the discarded sheet and pulled it up over them, trying to capture the body heat radiating from her partner, frowning playfully at the fact that he found humor in her sleepiness.

Allowing the warmth of their newly formed cocoon to penetrate her slightly chilled body, she finally started to awake more completely. Raising her crystal clear eyes, she found his chocolaty goodness gazing down, observing her waking moments. Her breath hitched at seeing the unveiled love she saw staring back at her and immediately, she felt her face flush with a rosy blush. "You need to stop staring at me when I'm sleeping, Booth," she reprimanded gently, but only meaning it half-heartedly. She was always flattered to know that he enjoyed looking at her. At the same time, however, she still became embarrassed at his constant affection for her. Deep down, she still struggled with his apparent 'unconditional' love, though she knew that she loved him in return and would continue to do so for as long as he'd have her at his side.

"Nope." He smiled smugly and pulled her closer, "I'm not watching you _sleep_, babe, I'm watching you _wake_… Besides, I waited 8 years to be allowed to watch you wake up at my side; so I have a lot of lost time to make up for…" He planted a smiling kiss on top of her head when she nuzzled her nose against his neck.

They lay quietly for a while, simply wrapped in each other's arms. She rested her head on his shoulder while he held her tight to his left side. She let her fingers trace his chest and abdominal muscles while he rubbed the silky skin of her back. They enjoyed an intimacy that wasn't necessarily sexual; they were quite simply _together_, mind & body. They occasionally spoke quietly, a word here or there, but never a full conversation. The partners hadn't needed words to communicate for years, but now that they were in a more affectionately close relationship, they both found that their silent bond had strengthened beyond anything they'd previously experienced.

Finally, Booth moved beyond their bedroom whispers and addressed starting their day. "What time do you have to be at Angela's?"

"She wants me there at 4:00," she answered, letting her lips rest against his warm skin.

Booth craned his head, "Bones, why does she need you there so early? The banquet doesn't start until 7:00, right? You _never_ take that long getting ready for stuff…"

Brennan smiled up at her lover, admiring his roughened morning skin, "she has a big 'thing' planned… I guess that Cam and…_Daisy_… will both be there, too. She's bringing in hair dressers and make-up artists; it sounds like she's converting their spare den into a salon." She shrugged slightly, unsure of how she felt about getting ready for their big evening in the company of Cam and Daisy. She had spent plenty of preparation time with Angela, but not with the other two ladies.

Not wanting to discourage her time with the 'ladies of the lab,' Booth jostled her just a bit. "I'm sure you'll have fun, Bones. Just think about how much you enjoyed having Ange & Cam come in while you were still recovering."

"Well, I always enjoy Angela's company, Booth. She's been my friend for a long time. And I find that I have definitely enjoyed getting to know Cam better. But Daisy… I could do without her and I don't understand why Angela invited her."

Booth chuckled as he observed her adorable pout. He loved that over the past month he'd been able to learn more about her obstinate moodiness. "Bones, Angela has a way of ensuring that everyone is involved; always. I think it's just her way of keeping the peace. You know that if Daisy learned about the three of you getting all dolled up together, while she was stuck at home with Sweets to get ready, she'd feel slighted. No matter if you like it or not, Angela is going to try to make sure no one feels left-out tonight."

Brennan nodded against his neck. "Yeah, you're right. I think Angela was the first person to ever go out of her way to ensure I was included… in _anything_. She was the only person who made me feel almost normal… well, the only one until you came into my life…"

Booth pulled her closer; thinking about how much His Bones had changed in their years as Partners, he kissed her hair, letting his lips linger against her silky strands for several minutes. He thought of her awkwardness in social situations and how she's grown over the years...her bluntness when dealing with suspects and the families of victims early in their partnership, and how much she'd improved her people-skills with just a little prodding and guidance…her sheer brilliance and abilities to uncover clues the FBI missed during initial case investigations – every damn time… He thought about his partner, dressed in her Jeffersonian jumpsuit, and how she could take command of a crime scene with dominating authority, yet still demonstrate such vulnerability in her personal life, especially when her own self-esteem was in question…He thought about the whole package that was _Temperance Brennan_ and he felt his chest expand with a wealth of emotion that he'd never experienced with any other person.

"You're better than normal, baby," he replied to her last statement, but she cut him off before he could continue his thought.

"I'm _extraordinary_." She smiled against the golden skin where her lips rested, just at the crook of his neck and shoulder.

"Oh, and _extremely_ modest, Bones…. Don't forget modest." He chuckled, knowing she had self-praised in jest. Very early on in their working relationship, he lectured her about having a bit of humility, and asked her not to praise herself so often, because it made her come across as conceited. Initially, she pushed back against his suggestion, thinking that he was simply jealous of her much higher IQ, but she quickly learned that Booth was not as stupid, or as dense, as he played to be sometimes. She learned, with the help of Angela, to recognize that Booth would back off and let Brennan take the lead with various explanations and situations, ensuring that she remained an integral part of the investigation, while simultaneously boosting her self-esteem when it occasionally waivered under a myriad of circumstances. It wasn't until after she started to notice how often he did this, that she realized Booth was trying to help her, with his own low-key method. He helped her understand how to address people, how to read body language, how to recognize sarcasm. While she still struggled sometimes, she could tell how she had evolved since Booth entered her life. And as she rested against his warm, firm body, she couldn't remember a time when she felt more fulfilled.

After several more quiet moments together, Booth craned his neck to look down at her. "You want some coffee, Bones?"

She nodded against his shoulder, "would you like me to go make some, Booth?" Brennan realized that she had fallen into a very typically-domestic role since staying with Booth during her recovery. It was a role that she never, _ever_, imagined taking on so willingly. But surprisingly, she found that with Booth, she didn't mind. They shared the responsibilities of cooking, laundry and general cleaning. And seeing that Booth willingly took on these tasks on his own, often times insisting that she sit and relax, made her want to do more for him, now that she had physically healed almost completely.

"Naah, you relax, Bones. I'll get it." He planted a quick kiss on her forehead and began to shift his weight from beneath her bare body.

"I don't mind, you know, Booth. I can make it," she started to sit up, and placed her palm flat against his solid chest, as if to stop him from rising.

He smiled and sandwiched her fingers beneath his much larger hand. "I know you wouldn't mind, Bones. But I'll get it. I won't be long."

He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the backs quickly as he stood. He grabbed his discarded boxers from the floor beside the bed and moved quickly from the room, anxious to get a nice cup of hot morning/afternoon caffeine into his system. Once he set the coffee pot to percolate, he moved about his kitchen grabbing coffee mugs and making toast for them both. When he re-entered the bedroom a short while later, he found his bed empty, but he heard Bones' rich alto voice echoing from the shower as she sang her own rendition of "I Drove All Night", a Cyndi Lauper favorite of hers. Her favorite used to be "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," but after he was shot and 'died' that night on the floor of the Checkerbox karaoke bar, he never heard her sing it, or even listen to it, again. _Ever_. Her felt a tiny pull of anguish at his heart, knowing that he was the reason she had secretly boycotted the classic '80's pop tune.

But he refocused his attention on her voice now. She sang loud and confidently; her throaty timbre brought a smile to his lips. Booth leaned against the door frame of the bathroom, their coffee mugs in his hands, and just listened as he sipped from his. Before the end of the song, she was finished and he watched as she emerged from behind the steam-fogged door of the shower stall.

He met her eyes and smiled, causing her to grin self-consciously and immediately begin to defend her impromptu performance.

"Sorry, Booth, I just – that song just popped into my head and-" she took the coffee mug he extended in her direction and stopped mid-sentence when she saw him shaking his head.

"Don't apologize, Bones, I love your voice. You sounded great, baby." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He pulled back and took a long drink of his dark coffee and placed the cup on the counter. "I better hop in and take a quick shower too, babe. I made you some toast and jelly, it's on the counter. Wanna go to the Diner for lunch in a bit?" He moved to the sink to give his teeth a quick brush before taking his shower.

"Yes, that sounds good," she replied from beneath an extra-large fluffy towel, one which she'd claimed as her own ever since she started staying with him. She roughly dried her hair before continuing to dry the rest of her body.

He set the water to the right steamy temperature and took a quick step towards her, pulling up the edge of the towel and finding her neck somewhere beneath, where he planted a quick kiss. By the time she'd untangled her long hair from the other ends of the towel, so she could look at him, he'd moved into the stall already.

By the time Booth was finished his shower and dressed, his partner had already taken his empty coffee mug and washed it, along with hers, and she sat in the living room with her laptop on her thighs.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked as he crossed behind her, to peek over her shoulder, kissing her temple in the process. He couldn't get enough of kissing her. Every chance he had, he would plant a kiss on her cheek, head, neck, arms, back… you name it, if he had the opportunity, he was kissing it.

"Just checking my emails." She tilted her head to meet his gaze, "Booth, will you be dropping me off at Angela's this afternoon or do you want me to drive myself?" She wasn't sure of his plans, but knew she needed to make a stop by her apartment.

"Whatever you want, Bones. I told Pops I'd come pick him up at some point this afternoon and he can get ready over here with me and Jack. I didn't want him taking a cab, you know?" Booth's grandfather was a very stubborn man, _a typical-Booth,_ Bones had told him once, but sometimes Pops got confused, and Booth worried about the older man going out on his own, especially at night.

"Well, if it will be out of your way, I'll drive myself, Booth. I don't mind." Bones didn't understand the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach when she interpreted his statement as a decline to drive her. _I am very capable of driving myself. My car is downstairs. I don't need to be catered to_… she berated herself for feeling the instant loneliness that sprung up in her gut at the idea of Booth denying her.

Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Booth realized that his partner has misinterpreted his statement. She recovered quickly, and anyone who didn't know Temperance Brennan may have missed the flash of regret behind her pale blue eyes. But Seeley Booth knew his Bones… and he knew that look…and he set out to ensure her that she had simply misunderstood.

"It's not outta my way, Bones. That's not what I was saying. I was actually going to suggest that we pick up Pops, grab a bit to eat with him, and then I could take you to Ange's. It's going to be busy tonight at the dinner, and we probably won't get a chance to really talk much to Pops… He might enjoy having lunch with us, too." He smiled at seeing understanding light up her eyes.

"That sounds enjoyable, Booth. I just figured that if you dropped me off, we wouldn't have two cars tonight. I thought it would be more logical, that's all." She recovered quickly and noticed the uneasy feeling that had invaded her gut just moments before had dissipated almost the instant she heard his explanation. She suspected that he'd seen her slight sorrow, but to his credit, he didn't press the matter. She smiled as he let it go, choosing, instead to scoop down to capture her lips lightly beneath his.

"I'll go call Pops, tell him the plan; see if he's up for it also." He spoke softly when he pulled back from their joining. He rubbed his nose against hers playfully and strode over to his landline phone to make the call.

B/B/B/B

"Can we make a stop by my apartment before you drop me at Angela's, Booth? I need to grab something for tonight," Bones asked her mate as they walked hand in hand towards the entrance of the Assisted Living Facility that Pops called 'home.'

"Sure, we can stop after we eat." He nodded and opened the door for her, ushering her through with his hand on the small of her back with a familiar pressure that brought them both a sense of satisfaction and comfort.

Pops greeted them immediately, excited to see them, and excited to see them _together_.

After receiving his grandson's call, Hank Booth moved quickly to get showered and ready so he wouldn't hold up the busy pair. He had his suit for the evening in its garment bag and waited in the lobby for their arrival. While he waited, he thought about his visit with Seeley shortly after he admitted to moving forward with Temperance. Hank thought about the happiness that shone in his grandson's eyes and the adoration in his voice whenever he spoke his nick name for the beautiful woman. Hank also thought about a time, long ago, when he was first introduced to the anthropologist that had swept his grandson off his feet. The partners adamantly denied anything was between them; and at the time, it was the truth. There was nothing _technically_, but Hank knew that the pair was both hiding behind walls. Knowing that they had finally taken that step together filled the 80-something-year-old man with a pleasure that he couldn't really describe. Thinking back to that first introduction, Pops chuckled; he had openly reprimanded the young agent for giving such a grim-sounding nickname to such a gorgeous creature, but he was quickly put in his place by the outspoken Doctor.

_At first I didn't like my nickname, and I threatened to never work with him again if he continued to address me in such a manner. However, I have come to accept that Booth's nickname for me is one that he felt was quite apropos. My first love has always been bones. Bones tell peoples' histories. Bones don't lie. Bones hold clues to our past that would have been washed away along with any organic material or rotting flesh as a body decomposes after death. Bones tell stories, Hank. And I read those stories; I interpret those tales, those clues. And then Booth locks away the bad guys._ Her dissertation delivery in defense to her acceptance of her nickname ended in such a simple, almost child-like-innocent statement, '_Booth locks away the bad guys_,' that Hank Booth couldn't help but fall a little bit in love with this woman, _just a little bit_. He immediately understood why his grandson was so blindly in love with his partner, even if said-grandson refused to admit it back then.

As Hank silently reminisced about his first meeting with Dr. Temperance Brennan, he watched the comings and goings-on around him, in the large lobby of his residence. He was surrounded by the aged; naturally it would be teeming with elderly people, it was essentially a retirement facility, regardless of what they called it.

Assisted Living Facility = retirement home = _old age_ home…

He found a quiet happiness in knowing that his overly protective, and secretly sensitive, grandson would be cared for as he grew old. Hank knew that his own years were drawing close to an end and, while he used to worry about Seeley's future, he felt a sense of peace knowing that Temperance would be with him when the time came that Pops was no longer there.

It was during those final thoughts that he spotted the pair approaching the double glass doors. He watched as his grandson untangled his fingers from those of his girlfriend's and moved his hand to her back, ushering her through the door gently. He waved to them, calling "hey Shrimp, Temperance! Over here!" He stood slowly, his legs shaking slightly under his own weight until he gained his balance. He found himself quickly encased in the warm embrace of the woman who made his grandson's smile shine brighter than the sun.

"Hank," Brennan spoke affectionately, "You look great. Thank you for having lunch with us today." She pulled back and looked into eyes that reminded her so much of Booth's. For years, Brennan had considered Hank a part of her extended family as well. Not just because he was Booth's grandfather, but because he was so candidly open when they talked. Like Booth, it was easy for Brennan to relate to Hank, because he didn't judge her for not understanding things; he simply listened, explained and gave his opinions. And for all that, she loved him.

"Aw, Temperance, thank _you_ for wanting me to eat with you two. I was looking forward to seeing you tonight, but when Shrimp called and invited me for lunch, well, I was delighted." He kept his arm around the woman's shoulders as she sidled up to him, letting Booth greet his grandfather in turn. Once Booth moved in and bent slightly to hug the man who'd been more of a father to him than his own father, Hank dropped his arm from the stability of Brennan's body and leaned into his grandson's strong stature. "Hi'ya, Shrimp." Pops had called Booth that for as long as the agent could remember, and while there was a time as a teenager that it embarrassed Booth, he now felt warmed by the familial teasing that the now-much-shorter-man bestowed upon him at every meeting.

"Hey Pops, how ya feeling today?" Booth asked with concern in his voice. Pops had confessed to Booth just the previous week that he'd had a couple of dizzy spells, and they were still awaiting the results of a few medical tests.

"Pretty good, Seeley…Today's a good day. I think I'm just gettin' old, m'boy…" Hank smiled, not wanting to make his grandson worry, but knew it was a lost cause, because if there was one thing Seeley Booth did well, it was worry about his loved ones. He patted the young man's broad shoulder and nodded towards the door. "So, where are we gonna eat?"

Taking the hint that they would not be discussing Pops' health, Booth grinned and took his grandfather's arm gently, "is there any place special you wanna try Pops? Bones and I are game for anything. Well, as long as they have rabbit food for my Partner over there…" Booth winked at Bones in humor, she knew he was just teasing and they both chuckled when the older man immediately came to Brennan's defense, lecturing Booth about respecting his girlfriend's choice of food. The conversation would remain light after that, all three simply enjoying each other's company.

The little family ended up at the diner. Booth had given Pops the choice of any place, but he insisted on going to the one place he knew the partners enjoyed the most. Pops laughed as he witnessed the blatant fry-stealing that occurred without a second thought. He noticed how his grandson had turned his dish so the fries were on the side where Brennan sat, and although they all knew she was going to steal his fries, she still did it on the sly, sneaking her fingers when she thought the guys were deep in conversation and quickly diving the little morsel into her mouth before going back to her Caesar salad with shrimp. From time to time, Booth would watch her from the corner of his eye, smiling and occasionally placing his hand on her thigh beneath the table, giving her a firm squeeze while she conversed easily with his grandfather.

After they ate their fill, the trio made a quick stop at Brennan's apartment so she could fetch whatever it was she needed. Hank decided to wait in the SUV while Booth escorted her upstairs on her quest. It had been getting easier for her, going into her apartment, but Booth knew Bones was still not ready to enter on her own. While he held her hand, approaching her door, he felt her grip tighten ever so slightly. Taking his key and opening the door, he did a quick glance around the foyer, but felt confident that all was well. He guided her through the door and kissed her temple as she leaned into his strength, but only momentarily, then she stood straight, squaring her shoulders and met his eyes.

"I'll just be a moment, Booth. I just need to grab something." She moved quickly, albeit stiffly, through the apartment and aimed towards the bedroom. Booth didn't follow her, getting the impression that she wanted to move through her house on her own. So, he stood by her CD collection and perused the shelves, still amazed at some of her eclectic choices. True to her word, she was back in mere moments, carrying a small canvas bag, and slid into his side, worming her way beneath his arm playfully. "All set," she looked up and flashed her clear blue eyes at him.

He turned, pulling her to his body completely, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He nuzzled into her hair, nudging strands with his nose, so he could get to her skin. "Mmm… you _are_ quick, Bones." He grinned and nibbled the shell of her ear. "I won't see you for three whole hours… I think my body might go into Bones-withdrawal…"

She burst out laughing, music to his ears, and she pulled back to kiss him on the lips. She immediately deepened their kiss, pouring all her love into that one action, hoping to convey to him how much she enjoyed being with him. As they broke their union, they rubbed their cheeks together and she spoke quietly. "Booth, what're we going to do come Monday? We can't spend the whole day together once we're back to work…"

"Yeah, well, we'll worry about that on Monday, baby." Booth kissed her forehead. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Yes, we can go. If I'm late, Angela will wonder…" They left her apartment, once again hand in hand, and continued on their journey to the Hodgins' mansion.

B/B/B/B

Booth and Pops had been back at Booth's apartment for about 30 minutes when Pops finally asked Booth a question that had been on both men's minds, but for different reasons.

"So, son…Are you and Temperance… Have you talked… do you think you'll ever, you know, tie the knot?" Hank desperately wanted to see his grandson married, but was unsure about whether the female half of the partnership had changed her views on the 'archaic' ceremony.

Booth met his grandfather's eyes, older, lighter versions of his own dark brown irises. "We haven't talked about it, Pops. I mean, not since, you know, actually becoming a couple." He smiled and his eyes got a faraway look to them, "but I hope she'll say yes when I ask her…I hope she'll be my wife someday, Pops…" He brought his focus back to the elderly man. "I know you don't believe in people living together out of wedlock, Pops… but if that's all that she's comfortable with, that's where it'll stay. I'm _almost_ to the point that as long as I can be with her, that's all I want. If she is still dead set against marriage when the time comes that I decide to ask, then I won't push her; and I won't let that be a the deciding factor as to whether or not I stay with her. Because I already know in my heart that I am going to grow old with her; a piece of paper isn't going to change my mind." Booth smiled at his own revelation. _I'm beginning to sound like Bones, and her theory of a piece of paper making something legal_…

"Shrimp, I know times are different now than when I was your age... It wouldn't have been looked upon too favorably for a man and woman to cohabitate without marriage, but as long as you're happy, and she's happy, that's what's important." He smiled, seeing his grandson's relief that he wasn't about to receive a lecture from the old man. "And I can't tell you how happy I am for you both. I can't remember seeing either of you so relaxed around each other. You're good for each other."

"Thanks Pops. I'm glad you still approve." He lowered his eyes to where his hands rested on his own lap, and then eyed Hank from the corner of his eye. "She's nuts about you, Pops. She loves you like you were her own flesh and blood. And Parker… My God, she _loves_ Parker…And Parker more than adores her…They tag-team up against me every chance they get; you should see 'em, it's a riot." He snorted a gentle laugh.

"And she loves you, Seeley. She loves _you_." Hank smiled.

"Yeah. She does." Booth grinned, and then shook his head slightly, lost in thought. "You know, she used to believe the things people said about her. She used to think that she was cold-hearted and distant; unlovable; frigid… Nothing, _I mean nothing_, could be furthest from the truth. I've never met a woman with a more open, giving, and warm heart… _never_…"

Their discussion was interrupted by a loud knock at the door and Booth strode over to see who it was. He opened it slowly and found Jack and Sweets standing outside, garment bags in hand. He opened the door all the way. "Hey guys, come in," Booth nodded as they walked through the threshold. "I didn't know you were coming Sweets, how did you get kicked outta your house if Daisy's not even there?" Booth wrinkled his forehead in confusion at Boy-wonder showing up with Hodgins.

"Yeah, well, I was going to stay home, but Angela said that since all the girls are getting ready together, we should too… So she told Daisy and Daisy told me and lo and behold, here I am."

Jack nodded in agreement, "something about male bonding… Dr. B tried to tell her you weren't exactly the bonding-type, but you know Angie… Once she gets and idea in her head…" he shrugged at the fact that his wife wouldn't let the topic drop, no matter how hard they pushed.

Booth chuckled, "no problem guys, c'mon in. Pops is in here." Booth ushered them into the living room where Pops was seated in the lounge chair. "Here, let me put your suits in Parker's room," Booth took the guys' bags and indicated for them to sit.

After greeting Hank, both men sat on the sofa, one on each end, leaving the middle cushion empty between them.

"So, Mr. Booth, how are you doing? It's been a while since we saw you," Sweets addressed the older man, of whom he was quite fond.

"I'm doing very well, thank you doctor." Hank spoke clearly and grammatically correct, wanting to avoid any possible slang terms that would send the young doctor into a psychological evaluation of someone his age using slang…

Sweets waved his hands, "Please, call me Lance, or Sweets. No need for the Dr. title," he smiled at the older man who nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you, Lance." Hank turned to Hodgins, "and how's that pretty wife of yours, Jack?" Hank winked playfully. Jack Hodgins was another of his grandson's acquaintances that he'd taken a quick liking to upon meeting him years before.

"Angela's great, thanks. She's… well, she's just _Angie_. She's converted our guest den into a salon, kicked me out of my own house and instructed me on what she expects out of the fund-raising-fiasco that we're going to face tonight." Jack turned as Booth sat down in the chair opposite Hank's. "Dr. B told her about the little bit of intel you guys received regarding the _method_ of raising money. Sounds like Hacker's doing, if you ask me…" Jack's voice dripped with disdain, thinking back to how Hacker had tried to bully his way around the lab during their search for Brennan, and about how the Assistant Director then continued to insult the scientists who were working so hard to locate their friend. "Can't stand that guy…"

"Oh, it was his thing, alright… Sully told us so."

Sweets felt like he was at a tennis match. "What? Wait... Huh? What are you two talking about?"

Booth laughed ruefully, "Oh you didn't hear about the ingenious way our boss decided to raise money this year, huh? Well, get this. At some point during the evening, I'm gunna have to bid on my own girl to be able to dance with her… They're holding an 'auction' to raise money, and the women who are nominated to go up on the 'block' will have to spend some time, whatever the designated time is, with her winning bidder…Dancing or talking or… I don't know… I just know I have to bid on my partner and I sure as hell don't intend to lose."

Jack chimed in at this point, "Yeah, but Booth, no one's going to bid against you for Dr. B. No one is that stupid, man."

"Oh ho-o, you wanna bet? Sully just sold his boat and already told Bones that he plans to use his proceeds to ensure that he will be able to '_spend some time with her, away from her watch-dog_', as he so brazenly put it. The money is going for the Childrens' homes in the tri-state area, something that he knew Bones would feel strong about; so I assume that his aim was to impress her into agreeing… the bastard…" He let his voice trail off as he grabbed the TV remote, flipping on ESPN.

"Wait a minute, Shrimp," Hank spoke up from across the room. "You mean that guy, Sully, the one who used to date Temperance? Didn't he leave to sail around the world?"

Booth tossed the remote to the couch for the guys to find something they wanted to watch, "yeah, that's the guy. He's back - apparently for good. He got another job at the Hoover, sold his boat, rented an apartment _near Bones' building_…Wants to get back together with her…Says he loves her still…"

Hank interjected, "Well, doesn't he know about you two? Doesn't he know you're together? How could he _not_ know?"

"We still haven't told anyone officially. We were waiting until Caroline could find us a loophole so our partnership wouldn't be split. As the policy reads now, as I understand it, we are in violation of our _professional_ relationship by being in a _personal_ relationship. Caroline was trying to find us a loophole, some way around it, so we won't have to be separated, but she was called out of town unexpectedly for a family emergency and hasn't been back since. She was supposed to be back in time for tonight, but I haven't heard from her, so I suspect she's gotten held up again." Booth shrugged in disappointment. "But me and Bones, we're still gonna be there together. We just have to behave ourselves – we can't let on, you know, that we're an '_us'_ now."

Hank shook his head. "It's a real shame that the FBI has such rules in place. Here you are, the best partnership they've got, and they would split you up because you happen to love each other… Sometimes I wonder who's writing the rules up there…" Hank shook his head and looked at his handsome grandson. "It'll all work out, I'm sure it will." Hank scooted forward and rose from the chair. "And, since there are so many of us, I think I had better go start to get ready so everyone can have a chance to dress in peace. Some of us move a little slower than others…" He smiled and shuffled slowly past their guests and made his way down the hall, to the master bedroom, where Booth had placed his suit when they arrived home.

The men continued to chat idly until they all agreed that it was time to make themselves presentable. Leaving Jack and Sweets to work out their own logistics on who got changed where, Booth chuckled as he entered his room quietly, finding Pops snoring while seated upright in the corner chair, already dressed for the banquet. Booth moved silently through his room, taking his tux from the closet and relocating into the bathroom so he wouldn't disturb his napping grandfather.

Stripped down to his boxers, Booth stood before the mirror observing at how his body had changed over the years. He was in excellent shape for a man his age, hell, better than a lot of guys half his age, but he specifically thought about how he'd changed since meeting Bones eight years ago. He carried a bit more weight around his middle now than he did back then; his neck a bit thicker and his Adams Apple, perhaps a bit more pronounced. His shoulders had broadened; he knew this to be a fact, as he had to have new suit jackets sized to fit him differently – proof that the upper body work-outs on which he'd focused over the recent years had paid off.

He had scars that he didn't have before meeting her. Scars from an explosion; scars from a gunshot wound; scars from stitches he received while undercover in Vegas, where he posed as a fighter. Looking closer, he could see small wrinkles around his eyes and at the corners of his mouth, all of which hadn't been there eight years ago. He chuckled to himself; _I didn't have the wrinkles back then because I didn't know Dr. Temperance Brennan… I didn't get the wrinkles until she started wreaking havoc in my life. And what wonderful havoc she wreaks.._.

He smiled at his silent admission to aging and grabbed his razor. Carefully, he lathered up his face and neck and slowly dragged the blade along paths he could do in his sleep, making sure to shave each and every whisker, leaving perfectly smooth skin behind for his girl to touch. Satisfied that he was clean-shaven, he splashed on his favorite (_and_ he knew it was her favorite, too) aftershave cologne: Lacoste Pour Homme. The clean earthy scent filled his nostrils, reminiscent of almonds and juniper, vanilla and sandalwood, and he thought about the first time he bought it and wore it to work. He'd caught his partner lingering nearby when she thought he wouldn't notice. But he did… He noticed her close proximity and he _certainly_ noticed that she seemed to inhale deeply whenever he moved, stirring the air up a bit each time. He made a game of it for the rest of the week. He alternated days. Some days he wore standard run-of-the-mill menthol splash. On these days she didn't linger, she didn't inhale sharply, she didn't force herself to still her facial features when his eyes reached hers.

However, on the days when he wore his Lacoste, he was all but physically assaulted by her. Every time he turned around, she was right there. Every time he reached around her to grab something off the desk (and he _purposely_ found reasons to reach around her), he caught the movement of her face as she tilted it in his direction, blinking her eyes slowly. When they went to Wong Foo's, she sat _next_ to him, rather than across from him, claiming to also want to look out the front door, rather than keep her back to the door, as she usually did when she allowed him the protective instinct to keep her safe by knowing who's coming and going from the establishment. He let her have these moments, because he benefited from them as well. He grew accustomed to having her near, brushing her arm slightly with his, pretending not to notice. Mostly, he just enjoyed being so close to her, yet he was simultaneously tortured, knowing he couldn't have what he really wanted.

And he really wanted Temperance Brennan.

Wanted her in the worst possible way.

Wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any other woman.

And now… he had her. He smiled brightly as he loaded his toothbrush, noticing her toothbrush sharing the cup on the sink. _She has a toothbrush in my bathroom. Bones has her very own toothbrush in my bathroom…and her towel hangs alongside mine…and her clothes are intermingled with mine in the hamper…(must __not__ mix colors and whites anymore…oops)…and she shares my bed with me…every night. Every goddamn night_…

His final touch before dressing was his hair. Booth was not the kind of guy who knew a lot about style…He grew up roaming the streets of Philly, playing street hockey and tackle football whenever he wasn't getting beat by his old man. He was the guy who had a lucky streak in the Army and found a niche into which he fit perfectly, having discovered his talent for marksmanship. He was the sniper who left the Army and joined the FBI to atone for all the deaths he took while serving his country. He was the rookie agent who quickly climbed the ranks to become a decorated Special Agent once he'd teamed up with the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Lab…and especially after he teamed up with one Dr. Temperance Brennan. That's who Booth was…he was not a fashion guru.

However, he had a weakness for good hair. He knew he was a good looking guy, sometimes a cocky guy, sometimes he could be a right arrogant prick, and he knew that. Other times he was quiet, reserved, sensitive… But no matter who he was, he _had_ to do it with good hair. And so, he poured a dollop of gel into his palms and pulled his fingers through his dark brown strands. Once he was happy with the spiky results, he nodded at himself and moved to his tux, unzipping the protective bag and pulling out the coal-black tails with an approving nod. _Definitely wearing my tails tonight. Bones likes this better than the straight hem tux. And tonight is about pleasing my partner…my lover…tonight is for Bones_.

B/B/B/B

The foursome, once pressed, dressed and strutting like peacocks, made their way to the Mandarin Oriental, one of the ritziest hotels in DC. Sweets rode with Hodgins, and of course, Hank took Temperance's passenger seat in the SUV for the ride over.

"Pops, I have to make a quick stop on the way. Won't be but a minute." He glanced over at his grandfather's profile, noticing similarities in his bone structure and Parker's.

"Sure thing, Shrimp, no problem." Hank smiled when he saw that his grandson pulled into a parallel parking space directly in front of a small florist's shop. He looked at Booth approvingly, "Good man…good man."

Booth grinned at Pops' summary and moved from his seat. "Be right back, Pops. I'll leave the air running for you." He strode confidently into the shop and gave his name, so he could pick up his special order. He ignored the fact that the woman behind the counter, who was much too young for him, eyed him hungrily while she admired his tux. Once she handed Booth his order, he smiled in appreciation of the single stem snow-white calla lily he held between his thick fingers.

"Someone's sure a lucky lady," the young clerk smiled.

"Nope, I'm a lucky guy…" Booth's response was without hesitation. He was, in fact, the luckier partner in their relationship. Bones could have any man she wanted; men fell all over here wherever she went. But she _chose_ to be with Booth… and _that_ made him not only the happiest man in the world, but also the luckiest.

He looked back down at the delicate bloom. Simple in its structure, the flower exuded sexiness and fragility. Booth knew Bones' favorite flowers were daffodils, but it was autumn - the wrong season for the yellow blossoms. He knew she also liked daisies, and while the shop had some daisies in stock, they were not looking the best. So when he called earlier in the day, to ask about various availabilities, he was pleased to learn that they had just received a shipment of callas, but only had a few whites; so he immediately reserved one, and requested its stem to be wrapped in sapphire blue ribbon. Subconsciously, Booth knew the symbolism behind a calla, but he hoped that Brennan wouldn't hold that against him. The calla is symbolic of purity _and marriage_. He read once that its elegant shape was one of the flowers to most often inspire painters and artists; its curves very reflective of those of a woman's body, its leafy petal soft and delicate. He paid his bill and walked back out to the SUV, locking eyes with Pops as his grandfather watched him exit the store.

"Good choice, Seeley. Very good choice indeed…" Hank knew the meaning behind a calla, because his wife had been an avid gardener all her life, and had adored the basic, graceful flower. From the corner of his eye, Hank watched Booth. The normally cock-sure agent appeared to be nervous, but the reason was unclear to Hank. The older man chalked it up to the possibility that Seeley and Temperance might have to make a few public comments during the awards ceremony. They still had not been clued into the specifics regarding the award, but he knew the pair had prepared a few carefully chosen words that would be appropriate in most any situation, just in case they were called upon.

Booth caught his grandfather's eye and smiled. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason, son. Just lookin'." Hank grinned when he saw Seeley's smile. "Sometimes I can't decide if you look more like your mother or your father, Shrimp."

"I think I favor Mom; Jared looks like Dad. From what I remember, anyway… Hard to tell from pictures, and my memory might be skewed…"

Hank nodded slowly and watched the town go by out the window. They remained in a comfortable silence until Booth spoke again. "Sorry that your date couldn't come with you, Pops. If you get tired or bored or anything, if you want to leave early, just let me know; I can always excuse myself and get you home."

"Nah, I'll be fine, Shrimp. I figured I'd take a cab home tonight. You and Temperance won't want me hanging around." His eyes twinkled with mischief, "you kids'll have some drinks, you'll be dancing, you'll be touching… I know what you'll want to do when you get home… and I don't think I wanna be there to hear it." Hank knew that Booth was almost prudishly private when it came to discussing his love life, and Hank couldn't resist trying to get a rise out of him.

"Geez, Pops… c'mon… Give me a break, huh?" Booth wrinkled his forehead in response to his grandfather's teasing. "You know, we're not teenagers…we _can_ control ourselves."

"Mmm-hmmm… Sure ya can…" He nodded disbelievingly; he knew the pair was passionate about everything they did, and while he didn't want to imagine specifics, he could certainly imagine that they were _very_ passionate with each other. "Anyway, Edna didn't realize her daughter was still going to be in town for the weekend on their visit; that's why I'm going to this shindig stag. But I'm glad she's gotten the chance to visit, she really misses her daughter and grandkids since they moved to North Carolina."

Booth nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can't imagine if I didn't get the chance to see you as often as I do, Pops. It's hard, isn't it, on those residents whose families have moved away?"

"Yeah it is, son. I'm very fortunate." Hank's eyes shone with emotion and he turned to look out his window again, silently thankful that he'd taken in his grandsons so many years ago. It had been a tough decision, but a necessary one, and he didn't regret it for one minute.

B/B/B/B

Arriving at the hotel, Booth walked slowly, never straying far from his grandfather's side as he presented their tickets for the event and gained entrance to the elegantly decorated ballroom. Booth escorted Hank over to their table, where Max was already seated, drinking a tumbler of amber liquid. When he saw Booth and Hank walking over, he stood and extended his hand to Hank.

"Hank, it's great to see you again. How've you been?" They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries while Booth moved to the bar to get his grandfather a 7-Up to drink. When Booth returned, the two older men were seated side by side laughing at a shared joke.

Hank took his glass with an appreciative nod and spoke to Booth. "Turns out Max's date also cancelled out, so we're gonna be the bachelors here tonight! Ha!" The men toasted and continued regaling stories, much like old friends would do upon reuniting with each other after a long time apart. Booth left them chatting and moved to the bar where Hodgins and Sweets appeared to be deep in discussion. Booth ordered a scotch on the rocks and motioned to Wendell when he saw the young intern enter the hall with a pretty little redhead on his arm. Booth didn't recognize the girl, but was happy to see his hockey-mate with a date; he knew that Wendell had mentioned wanting to ask a particular girl out and he wondered if this was the lucky girl. The most 'normal' intern, as Booth considered him, introduced the few present members of the team to Rachel. She was quiet and polite and Booth immediately could tell that Wendell really liked her, based on the rosy flush that colored his cheeks upon introducing her to the guys.

The hall was crowded with men and women, all dressed to impress; tuxedos and evening gowns, sparkling jewels catching the light in an array sparkling reflections, campaign flutes and wine glasses for most of the woman and tumblers for most of the men. While distractedly partaking in the conversation with the guys, Booth looked around in curiosity at who had already arrived and who was missing.

His eyes zeroed in on two particular tuxedos that caused his hackles to rise, ever so slightly. Hacker and Sully stood side by side, deep in conversation. Of course, Booth had no idea as to the topic of discussion that engrossed the men, but he didn't really care – he just hated that they were present. He knew they would be there – it wasn't that he was expecting them not to show… He just _hated_ that they were in the same room… Knocking back the rest of the scotch, he jerked his chin at the bartender for another, a request which was promptly filled.

If there was one thing the FBI could do, it was throw a benefit dinner. They always had a good turn-out and raised huge sums of cash for their chosen causes; Booth suspected a large part of their success was the free-flowing liquor from the bar. He smiled in thanks when his glass was refilled again, and he swirled the thick caramel-colored liquid around his glass before bringing it to his lips. When he lowered his glass he squared his shoulders at seeing the approaching figures, obviously walking towards him.

Placing his glass on the bar, beside the single white calla that rested there, he turned back to greet Deputy Director Cullen and FBI Director Shawn Williams. Extending his hand, it was first taken by Cullen.

"Sir, good evening," Booth spoke first.

"Hi, Booth. I don't believe you've ever met Shawn Williams in person, have you?" Cullen turned to the man on his right and nodded. "Shawn, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth."

Taking Booth's hand in a firm shake, Williams nodded, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Agent Booth," he smiled, "I've heard so much about you. You and your partner are quite legendary, if I may be so bold to say."

"Likewise, sir, it's nice to meet you, too." Booth was suddenly nervous. This is Cullen's boss…The Big Boss...The guy who's _in_ with the US President himself…._Get a grip on yourself_, _Seel_, he told himself. _He's just a guy… just a guy who could play a very, very important role in your career_….

Williams looked around, "your Partner's not here yet, Agent Booth?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, not yet, sir. She is going to arrive here with some of her colleagues from the Jeffersonian. May I introduce you to remainder of that team now?" Booth indicated to the guys standing nearby.

"Yes, please, I've been looking forward to meeting your team for quite some time." He smiled as they moved closer to the bar and to the gentlemen who were gathered in a tight circle.

After introductions and pleasantries were complete, Williams turned back to Booth, "Agent Booth, might I have a few minutes of your time? There is something very important that we need to discuss regarding your partnership and the questions surrounding its…ability to remain intact given some recent changes…" Williams raised an eyebrow to gauge Booth's response, which was nearly impossible, given the poker face that looked at him in return.

Booth gave one slow nod and turned to grab his drink and the flower from the bar top. He momentarily considered asking Hodgins to hold the flower, seeing as how he was about to enter into a discussion with his highest superior, undoubtedly, surrounding the intended recipient of said flower. But he decided that he would take responsibility of it and address the topic at hand candidly. "Please, just call me Booth." He walked alongside the men to a vacant section of the bar. As he walked along, listening to Cullen and Williams speak freely about their wives and plans for the upcoming holiday season, he caught sight of Hacker and Sully watching him carefully, conspiratorially, as he followed their bosses. He wondered which one of them had mentioned the suspicions around his relationship with Bones. Based solely on the tiny smirk that danced across Sully's lips, he suspected his former friend was to blame.

When they reached an empty high table to the side of the bar, the three men gathered around it, placing their drinks down, and Booth laid the flower alongside his glass and took a deep breath before looking up to meet Cullen's eyes. When Booth's glance darted to Williams, he noticed the man smiling at the bright white bloom before he looked up and met Booth eye to eye.

"Booth," Williams began, stilling his features, "there is something we need to discuss, and I'd like to get it out of the way now, before the evening gets too late and we lose track of time." He waited for Booth's acknowledgement, which came almost immediately in the form of a single nod, just as he had moments before. Williams looked to Cullen, who pulled an envelope out from the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket, before he continued speaking. "Booth, it has been brought to my attention that there may or may not be a personal relationship between you and Dr. Brennan…something beyond your professional partnership. Do you care to comment on this topic?"

B/B/B/B

_Meanwhile…_

Hodgins, Sweets, Wendell and Rachel had been joined by Clark and his date, as well as Paul, Cam's date. They gathered and watched as the three impressively framed men stood around the tiny bar table at the other end of the room.

"Oh, man," Jack said, "that looks dismal…Look at the way Booth's jaw is clenched." They all nodded at Jack's observation; Booth did, in fact have his jaw clenched tight as he nodded almost imperceptibly at his superiors as they each spoke in turn, spreading open documents in front of the agent.

Sweets looked taken aback. "No one said anything to me that indicated there was any concern for Booth or Dr. Brennan. They're probably just discussing a case or something." His statement was distracted and vague, as if he, himself, didn't even believe it. But internally he was battling because he was the partners' therapist, and the little impromptu meeting did, in fact, look bleak, and no one had spoken to him for his opinion on the pair.

The guys looked at him in disbelief. Wendell shook his head, "you tryin' to convince us of that, or yourself?" He spoke to Sweets, but kept his eyes trained on the quiet meeting across the way.

Without another word, the group just watched, wondering and hoping that Booth was alright over there on his own.

B/B/B/B

_Meanwhile …._

Across the ballroom, Hacker and Sully also watched the little meeting unfold.

"You went to Williams, man?" Hacker looked at Sully as if he was crazy. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Hacker had been planning to open an investigation on the partners, despite the fact that Cullen had previously instructed him to 'lay-off'. Hacker had read the policies, he did the research, and he knew that entering into an intrapersonal relationship with a partner, whether that partner is another agent or a contracted liaison, was in breach of protocol. He didn't expect to actually split the pair up personally, because he had come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, _together_, but he intended to split the professional partnership. He saw them as a liability; he saw them as a dangerous example to the new blood coming in from the academy. But mostly he saw them as partners who thought they were above the law, so to speak. And he intended to set an example, making it clear, that when he moves up into Cullen's position, once Cullen retired in a few years, insubordination will not be tolerated, in any way, shape or form.

But Hacker never planned to go _directly_ to Shawn Williams. There were steps in place for opening a grievance. There was a chain of command, and Sullivan had not followed that plan at all. Hacker just shook his head in disbelief.

"Look, Andrew, you know as well as I do, that they have Cullen by the nads. He's going to do anything he can to protect them. They're his best team, and I understand that he wants to have a good record under him when he retires, but Jesus Christ, man, _something_ has to be done about them. Who the hell to they think they are, anyway?"

"They're Booth & Brennan. They're the reason this is not only a benefit dinner, but an awards ceremony as well. They're the most successful team in FBI history, taking into account the short amount of time they've been partnered and the high number of cases they've solved. That's who they are…" Hacker replied in a flat tone of voice, not wanting to imagine what Williams' reaction was when he received Sully's report.

B/B/B/B

_Meanwhile…_

As the discussion drew to a close around the little table, Booth took the tri-folded paper, which had previously been in Cullen's pocket, and placed it into his own. He met Cullen's eyes, then Williams' before picking up his glass and the flower.

"I'll be sure to discuss this with Bones, sir," he addressed Williams. "And I'll make sure I bring her over and introduce her when she arrives." A small smile flashed across Booth's face, the first indication of emotion since the meeting started. He directed his gaze back to Cullen and let his smile grow, "I know she will want to see you again, also, sir."

Cullen smiled fully and Williams nodded as Booth moved away, heading back over towards his team, where they were still gathered at the bar. "He's quite intense, isn't he Sam?" Williams nodded towards the retreating Booth as he picked up his own glass. "And given his extremely skilled poker face, and stern look, I can understand why suspects are intimidated by him. I can see why he's so good."

Cullen nodded and took a slow drink from his own glass. "Yeah, you have no idea, Shawn… no idea. I've never worked with partners like them. Ever. But whatever they're doing, they're obviously doing it right, hmm?"

Shawn nodded with a smile at a passing server, offering appetizers from a tray. Taking a small meatball on a toothpick, he looked back to Cullen, "How pissed was he about Sullivan's allegations? Are we going to have problems?"

"It's not Booth I'm worried about; I can handle him. It's Dr. Brennan that concerns me… She's a spitfire; you'll see. And she and Sullivan have somewhat of a past. They dated briefly before he left to sail around the world, leaving her behind. I don't think we were ever at risk of losing her partnership with the FBI to go sailing with him, because she wouldn't have left Booth willingly, but word had it that Tim took it pretty hard when she chose to stay… Even back then, Booth and Dr. Brennan were more than partners, Shawn – they just weren't aware of it themselves... So, she might have a thing or two to say to Sullivan regarding the case he opened against them, but if anyone can rein her in, it'll be Booth. I think, in the end, it'll be fine." The men moved back towards the crowd, where Sam could introduce Williams to more of his staff, allowing people to put a name and face with the actual person that was FBI Director Shawn Williams.

B/B/B/B

"What the hell was that about, Booth?" Sweets was, surprisingly, the first to pounce on the Special Agent when he returned to their little corner of the world.

Booth shook his head slightly, "something for me to discuss with Bones. Not you." He raised his glass to the barkeep, indicating the need for yet another refill.

"C'mon, man," Jack interjected, hoping to get something... anything… regarding meeting, apparently an intense meeting, given the speed with which Booth killed off his refill and nodded for another. "Whoa, take it easy, Booth. Everything alright?"

Booth turned and Jack saw something in his eyes, something he didn't quite recognize, but it didn't look like anger, as the scientist expected. But before Hodgins could inquire further, he noticed Booth's gaze shift and his entire facial expression change to one of wonder and awe. The agent's jaw loosened and his lips parted slightly as he took in a sudden gasp of air, one corner of his mouth curling up in a gentle smile. Jack turned to follow his vision path and immediately knew the reason for the change in demeanor.

There, in the doorway across the ballroom, were four of the most beautiful, elegant ladies he'd ever laid eyes on, handing over their invitation passes to the doorman. Even Jack had to take a second to simply admire the sheer grace and style that filled his view. Before he knew it, Booth was moving past him, on a direct course for the door and a slightly cocky swagger to his step. Hodgins, Sweets and Paul all followed suit and made their way across the room to greet their dates, leaving behind Wendell and Clark and their guests to keep their spots at the bar.

B/B/B/B

As Brennan handed over her entrance card, her eyes immediately found the man for whom she was so anxious to see. The ladies had an enjoyable time getting ready for the gala, and she was grateful to Angela for arranging the extra pampering. But while she dressed, she found herself growing increasingly excited and anxious all at once, at the prospect of seeing Booth in his tux. She hadn't asked him, but she hoped he would wear his white-tie tuxedo, complete with his custom fitted tailcoat, as opposed to his traditional straight hem jacket. She always admired the way he looked when he dressed in his tux tails, and as her pale blue eyes honed in on him immediately, as he stood by the bar, she was not disappointed.

Booth was a beautiful specimen of the male race. _He would complain to me if I told him he's beautiful_, she pondered with a soft grin. She stood at the top of the three stairs leading into the ballroom and watched her partner approach the foyer. She had to remind herself to breathe, because when she saw how handsome he looked, the air escaped her lungs and didn't replenish itself instinctually. His shoulders appeared impossibly broad in his tailored jacket and his neck deliciously thick against his white bowtie. The expanse of his chest tapered perfectly to his narrow waist and hips, giving him the well-proportioned triangular shape that so many men sought after. His hair was styled in his typical spiky mess that suited him so well, and as he moved towards her, the light caught his cufflinks, and she smiled, knowing he'd worn the pair she gave to him.

Angela, Cam and Daisy all walked ahead, greeting their dates affectionately and moving towards the bar. But Brennan remained, frozen in place, as her lover approached. Her bright blue eyes met his intensely dark browns as he crossed the room, and she felt as though she was in a trance, awaiting his arrival at her side.

Booth couldn't believe his eyes. She was breathtakingly striking. Gorgeous. She was always beautiful, but tonight…wow… Brennan wore a royal blue satin gown, a tight corset bodice down to her hips, where it flared out slightly into a flowing floor length gown. Her neckline was a sweetheart scoop, allowing Booth a peek at her delicious cleavage, and her silky shoulders were exposed beneath a bundle of spaghetti straps banded together with rhinestone accents. As Booth would notice later, those thin bundled straps spread out across her upper shoulders and back, crisscrossing with the straps from the opposite side, forming themselves into a lattice pattern. The interwoven material provided the perfect camouflage for her scars, about which she'd worried incessantly. The bottoms of the straps met the skirt of her dress, at the low-slung hem that rested just at the small of her back. She wore a sheer royal blue stole to ward off the evening breeze, which she allowed to drape down her arms, and rest in the crook of her elbows.

Brennan's shiny chestnut hair was pulled into an elegant French twist, with a scattering of loose curled tendrils framing her porcelain face and long, shapely neck. She wore smoky makeup, bringing out the brightness of her blue eyes and a simple, pale lip gloss, which shimmered in the soft light, drawing Booth's eyes to his partner's perfectly shaped lips.

Her gown was perfectly complimented by her jewelry: the set that Booth had given her. The sapphire and diamond jewels sparkled as she moved, projecting tiny colorful prisms against her alabaster skin, and Booth had a difficult time tearing his gaze away from the elegance of her long neck, as it was adorned with gems that he and his son had mined with their own two hands.

She started to walk down the stairs and was met by Booth's extended palm, into which she placed her much smaller hand, thankful for the stability as she walked in small heels for the first time since her injuries occurred. When she reached the floor, he raised his other hand, offering her a delicate white Calla Lily, which she accepted with a smile and a light blush.

"Bones," he breathed her name as he stood, still holding her hand in his. Booth's eyes skipped over her face, taking in her radiance. His pulse quickened and his mouth went dry just looking at her. "Bones, you look stunning…You're breath-taking." He couldn't say more; he was simply speechless at the view he was admiring. He fought off the natural urge to crush her to his chest and take control of those supple lips. He wanted to run his hands down her sides to her hips and around to his spot on her back. He felt the undeniable tugging low in his gut, signaling that 'Little Booth' had noticed her irresistibility as well.

He drew her fingers to his mouth and kissed her hand gently, taking the time to stroke her soft skin with his calloused thumb. In raising her hand to his lips, he actually pulled her closer to him and he could inhale her perfume, from which he immediately became intoxicated. Her scent was more powerful to him than any drink they were serving up at the bar; it was a potent drug that spoke directly to his soul, directly to his mind and directly to his body. It was, undoubtedly, an expensive brand of cologne, about which he had no clue, but when mingled with the scent that was distinctly His Bones, it was all he could do to not latch onto her invitingly bare throat and suckle like a baby.

They had been to plenty of formal affairs during their 8-year partnership, but Booth was certain that she had never looked as wonderful as she did that night. Maybe it was because of the progress they'd made, maybe it was because he knew what was hidden immediately beneath the thin material of her evening gown, maybe it was simply because he was finally allowed to admire her without the fear of her kicking his ass for doing so. Whatever the reason, he simply held onto her tiny fingers and smiled into her eyes, much closer together than typical partners would stand, but then again, they had never been typical partners.

"Thank you for my flower, Booth. It's lovely." She kept her voice quiet and inhaled deeply, taking in his clean scent and instantly recognizing that he had splashed on her favorite cologne, Lacoste Pour Homme. It had been a long time since she experienced that scent on his skin. During their time apart she had missed it more than she ever dreamed possible to miss a specific scent. When they reunited, so to speak, from their respective corners of the world, Brennan knew it was no longer appropriate to metaphorically get lost in his aroma while working side by side with him every day. But, she found herself occasionally stopping at the cologne counter in department stores to ask for a sample card of the cologne, and she would try to imagine his unique Boothy pheromones mixed with the spritzed sample card she carried from the store. Those were usually the nights, thinking back, that she would cry herself to sleep, curled up in a blanket on the couch in her living room, mourning the loss of the love she was certain to never regain. She forced those memories from her mind and leaned towards him ever so slightly, listening while he spoke quietly.

"It's the wrong season for daffodils. And their daisies weren't nearly pretty enough for you." His dark eyes met hers, "but I always thought callas were beautiful. And I hoped that you would, too." He smiled when he saw a gentle smile grow across her soft, kissable lips.

"I think callas are my new favorites, Booth. Its beauty lies within its simplicity. It's perfect." She rewarded him with one of her Just-For-Booth crooked smiles and he felt warmth spread through his chest at her response.

"You're perfect, Bones."

As they spoke, they had been drifting closer and closer together, and before they knew it, their bodies were mere centimeters apart. He maintained his hold on her hand, though he'd lowered it so their arms were nearly straight to their sides, causing her stole to bunch itself at their wrists.

"You wanna drink, Bones?" He tilted his head towards the bar where their friends were gathered and she nodded in the affirmative.

"White zinfandel, tonight, I think."

"C'mon," he reluctantly dropped her hand; after all, it _would_ seem a little out-of-the-ordinary if they walked across the room hand in hand. He automatically relocated his palm to the small of her back, which is when he noticed the sexiness of her dress, seeing her pale skin peeking through the interwoven straps that laced across her back. "Jesus, Bones," he mumbled in her ear, "are you _trying_ to kill me tonight?" He applied gentle pressure with his fingertips, ushering her towards their team and away from the increasingly growing crowd as more and more agents and guests began to arrive.

In response to his question, she simply smiled and met his eyes with a sweet, innocent look. "I don't know what that means, Booth."

"Bullshit, Bones… you do, too…" he chuckled at her playfulness. "But don't worry; you'll pay for your teasing later."

"I was hoping that would be the case," was her simple reply to his vague 'threat', and their conversation surrounding his plans drew to a close as they approached their friends.

B/B/B/B

From across the room, Sully watched the interaction between his former friend and colleague and the woman he wanted to be with. He knocked back the rest of his Long Island Iced Tea and ordered another from a passing waiter, aggravated that Hacker wasn't there to witness the blatant display of affection he'd just seen. _But Andrew is turning soft_, he thought to himself. _I saw how worried he was when I told him I opened a case with Williams. But I'm not going to let it rest; I'm tired of Booth thinking he can do whatever the hell he wants. Besides, he doesn't really love Temperance; not the way I do_… The evening was still young, but Tim Sullivan was on his fifth Long Island Iced Tea, made with top shelf ingredients, and he was beginning to feel no pain. _Just wait for the bidding to begin, there Boothy-boy_, the talked to himself again, _I know you're not going to be able to win…and you won't be able to start a scene with everyone around. Tempe will have to spend some time with me, and that's when I will be able to remind her of just how much I love her, and just how fabulous we are together_…

B/B/B/B

From the other side of the ballroom, Cullen and Williams stood with their wives, and Cullen pointed out Dr. Brennan and her colleagues when they arrived at the door. Mrs. Cullen, who'd always admired Dr. Brennan, commented on how lovely she was and how perfect she looked standing together with her partner. Mrs. Williams, while not knowing Brennan, agreed that the pair looked good together and eyed her husband cautiously, knowing that he and Sam would be stepping away in just a few minutes to address the young anthropologist about the complicated situation in which they all found themselves. "Sometimes," she began quietly, "two people are just destined to be together. You always said _we_ were, Shawn." She smiled up at her husband, the highest ranking Director of the FBI, as he looked down and met her knowing gaze.

"Yes, Sarah, I know what I always said. I also know what the rules are and what needs to be done." He finished his drink and turned to Sam. "Shall we go take care of this now?"

Cullen nodded slowly and leaned into kiss his wife's soft cheek. "We'll be back sweetie. I'm going to introduce Shawn to Dr. Brennan."

"You won't have to go far, Sam," his wife said as she looked over his shoulder, "she and Agent Booth are walking this way now."

Both men turned to see Booth and Brennan coming over, each with a drink in one hand and Booth with his hand in his trademark location, on Brennan's lower back.

Mrs. Cullen stepped forward, wanting to greet the young woman before they all started talking business. "Temperance," the slightly older woman extended her hands in a warm gesture, "you look lovely."

"Kathleen, it's so nice to see you again. Are you keeping well?"

"Yes, thank you. Let me introduce you to Sarah Williams," Mrs. Cullen indicated to Shawn's wife.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Brennan. I've heard wonderful things about you."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say." She turned to Sam who stepped forward and kissed her in a friendly manner, on her cheek. "Temperance, Kathy's right, you look lovely," he pulled back and motioned to Shawn while looking at Booth.

Clearing his throat, Booth stepped forward, "Sir, this here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute. Bones, this is FBI Director Shawn Williams," he eyed his partner, silently begging her to behave during introductions.

Brennan extended her hand assertively, and shook the senior supervisor's hand. "Good evening, Director. I understand you have something you wish to discuss with me, regarding my partnership with Agent Booth?" Her tone went from warm and friendly with Kathy Cullen, to all business, cold and curt when addressing Booth's boss. Internally, Booth cringed a little; _he's not the enemy, Bones… take it easy_… But Booth had resolved to just get this little meeting over with, so they could get on with enjoying their evening.

"Wow… it's nice to finally meet you, Dr. Brennan. Please, feel free to call me Shawn."

She nodded once, "and you may continue to address me as Dr. Brennan."

Booth tightened his jaw and eyed her from the corners of his eyes… "Bo-o-ones… behave…" he growled low through clenched teeth, a warning to calm herself. When he started to tell her that he wanted to introduce her to his boss, he tried to explain about when to expect, but she had immediately jumped to the worse possible outcome and turned from the bar and began to march over to where the men stood, on her own, ready for a verbal argument and possible debate. He had caught up with her in two quick strides, but by the time they'd reached Cullen and Williams, he hadn't gotten the chance to give her any warning about when the discussion would entail.

"So, I see the rumors are true," Williams joked unwittingly, not knowing about the catastrophe from a few weeks back, concerning rumors. "You really do get right down to business."

Booth recognized the way Bones' stature stiffened at the distinct memory of her meltdown in Cullen's office, after hearing the harsh rumors about her personality. He quickly prepared himself for an impending firing if Bones cut loose on this guy regarding the possibility that he'd heard the rumors that she was remembering. However, Booth understood what the Director was saying, because he mentioned earlier that he heard Dr. Brennan preferred the more direct method of communication rather than 'beating around the bush,' as the saying goes.

Brennan interrupted his thoughts with a firm defense of herself, "Well, Director, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. Rumors are not always true. In fact, most rumors are nothing more than exaggerated falsehoods designed to boost the tiny egos of the small-minded and weak individuals who are uneducated in their beliefs that the lies won't make it back to the person about whom they are spread. I don't listen, nor do I spread rumors, sir, and I would suggest that you begin to live by the same code. Otherwise, you may fall victim to the rapidly growing societal structure that consists of ill-informed supervisors who have no idea what's happening in the world which they are meant to oversee."

At this point, Booth regained his sensibility and interjected, meeting the Director's stunned eyes while placing a loose hand around Bones' arm, attempting to pull her back from her alpha-aggressive stance which caused her to lean forward while addressing the boss. "What he means, _Bones_, is that he heard you prefer communication to be open and direct, as opposed to discussions that are filled with political correctness to the point that the meanings are obscured. In other words, you don't like to beat around the bush, Bones, you like to get right to business." His dark eyes begged her to back-off.

"Oh…" she wrinkled her forehead, "well, why didn't you just say that?" Her question was directed towards Williams, and her brows rose in query.

Williams tried to hide his smirk; Cullen had warned him about Dr. Brennan's bluntness and about how she often misconstrued common sayings and colloquialisms. Sam had also explained that Booth often had to 'bail her out', when she spoke too soon, often jumping to conclusions before allowing Booth the chance to explain. This was a perfect example of what the DC Deputy Director was trying to describe. Williams could see Booth's concern become evident as his partner rambled in a language he didn't altogether understand, but the point of which was crystal clear to him: Temperance Brennan didn't like rumors. Williams also witnessed the gentle way Agent Booth took control of the conversation, interjecting a sense of calm, which seemed to override Dr. Brennan's hyper-rational sense of urgency.

Turning back to Dir. Williams, Booth's smile faltered slightly, "Sorry, sir…"

The man raised his hands, waving off the misunderstanding, "Nothing to apologize for, Agent. I should have been clearer in my phrasing." He looked back to the bright blue eyes that were waiting for an answer to her question, "Dr. Brennan, forgive me, I meant no offense. But what your partner says is true, I heard that you would likely prefer for me to be direct rather than indirect in addressing my concern."

His eyes appeared to be genuinely sorry, and in her time as Booth's partner, Brennan had learned to read some body language, though not nearly as skillfully. She simply nodded in acceptance of his apology and waited for him to continue.

Before they could get another word in edgewise, however, they were interrupted by a voice over the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening." There were gentle "shhh's" and "quiet down's" before the man on stage continued. "Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. Welcome to the 5th Annual FBI Fund Raising Gala and special Awards Ceremony. Please, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, we'd like to begin our evening's festivities…"

Booth's eyes met Cullen's and he could tell the older man was apologetic that they couldn't get their meeting done before the ceremony started, but he nodded at his agent in silent promise that as soon as the ceremony was complete, they would continue their discussion.

Williams turned back to the partners, "how about we continue our talk a little bit later this evening?"

Booth nodded and started to guide Bones with him, towards the table, "yes, sir. That'll be fine. Thank you." They walked together to their assigned seats as the emcee began his speech about the purpose of their gathering that evening. Booth only half listened to the man on stage as he steered his Bones through the milling crowd, everyone trying to take their seats. When they reached the table, he pulled out her chair and brushed her shoulder slightly when he moved to sit next to her. Secretly reaching for her hand where it rested on her thigh, he gave her a quick squeeze. "Don't worry, Bones. It'll be alright; we'll talk in a little while."

She looked at him with concern in her eyes and leaned in to whisper. "I don't want to be split up, Booth. I won't work with another agent. Period."

"Shh… I know. We're going to talk to him about that; about our plans, the FBIs plans and if we can make it work; but for now, let's just try to enjoy our evening. OK?"

The each moved their hands to rest on the table, allowing their pinkies to touch, both partners experiencing the electricity that arced between them. When their eyes met, they held the gaze for several moments before Bones blushed under the intensity of Booth's obvious adoration. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, his warm breath against her skin caused goose bumps. "You look beautiful, Bones. And I love you more that you will ever know."

When he pulled back to look at her, she was smiling shyly while staring at their nearly-touching hands. Raising her eyes, but not her face she looked at her mate. "Thank you," she mouthed silently before refocusing her attention to the man on stage. When Booth's pinky finger reached out and looped with hers, she sighed in appreciation of his touch and remained still through the rest of the speech, not willing to break their connection.

Booth watched his partner silently. His mind wandered to the folded piece of paper in his pocket. He wished they'd gotten to talk to Williams first, but now he knew it would have to wait until after the awards, and probably until after dinner was served. But, when he thought about it, he waited eight long years for his chance with Bones; he could wait a couple more hours before the fate of their relationship and partnership was determined. He squeezed his little finger around her much frailer one and sat back in his seat, trying to pay attention to what was happening on stage, and failing miserably, as his focus kept drifting back to the appearance of the woman sitting by his side. _God, please don't leave me, Bones_, he silently prayed. _Please stay with me, follow my lead, and trust me_…

**Postscript A/N **

**Well, what is on the paper in Booth's pocket? Is it the actual complaint filed by Sully? Is it the proof that they are in breach of the FBI protocol? AHHHH! My Muse is an evil woman to leave us hanging like that…. **

**So, did you like it? **

**Please let me know your thoughts! I value each and every review I receive and I do my very best to take into account the ideas that are tossed my way and the suggestions for improvement that are uncovered. **

**Thank you for taking the time to read my story! **

**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~Jazzy**


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N Welcome back! **

**Wow, wasn't the Bones 150****th**** episode **_**awesome**_**? **

**Excellent job HH & crew… (yeah, I know, they don't read this crap, but I feel better for saying it!)**

**It feels like it's been more than 11 days since I posted chapter 59, but honest, that's all it's been! **

**I hope you still like the story, and I hope you're all looking forward to the auction, because…**

**:::::: IT'S HERE! ::::::**

**Auction sequences, I found, are very difficult to capture…I hope that you like it. **

**OK, I am going to just say something that I was reminded about while writing this chapter… This is *FICTION*. And since it is *FICTION*, I can stretch truths and pretty much make anything I want to have happen, happen. So that's what I did here… maybe it's exaggerated and over the top, but let's be honest here, isn't all FF a *bit* over the top? **

**Thank you for continuing to follow my story and I look forward to hearing from you all after you've read it (HINT HINT)!**

**I know I was not so good at Review Replies this last time around, but I had to dedicate my time to *either* writing responses to reviews or working on chapter 60, given my work load in RL. I figured if I didn't work on chapter 60, there was going to be an uprising and someone was going to hunt me down and slay me… LOL **

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do I have to go through this again? NO, I still don't own anything of any value! ;) **

The room was abuzz with journalists asking questions, taking statements, and ordering their cameramen on whom to focus. Still photographers were busy taking shots of attendees and their camera flashes lit the room up as the constant noise of name dropping filled the air. Finally, everyone's attention was once again drawn to the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," an unknown spokesman began. "Welcome to the 5th Annual FBI Fund Raising Gala. We are so pleased to see all of you this evening and truly appreciate the time you've taken to be with us." He smiled into the crowd, "we are especially happy to have a very special guest with us; FBI Head Director Shawn Williams has joined us, and I'd like to invite him up on stage at this time." Stepping back, he joined the audience in applauding the approaching Director as Williams took his place behind the podium, smiling at the same photographers who'd just moments before been interviewing some of his colleagues.

"Thank you," Williams spoke into the microphone, "and good evening. It is my great pleasure to be able to join all of you at such a worthwhile event. Every year, as many of you are well aware, the FBI chooses an upstanding and worthy organization to be the recipients of the funds which are raised at such an event as we are hosting this evening. This year, it brings me great pleasure to announce that we have designated the _Foster Care System of the Tri-State Area, including the District of Columbia_, to receive tonight's earnings. We welcome Dr. Beverly Shields, Director of the FCSTSA, DC Chapter Foundation. Later this evening, we will hear from Dr. Shields, but before proceeding, I would like to make some very special introductions." He scanned the tables at the front, immediately finding the Jeffersonian staff, spread across two round tables, and in particular, he located Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth with a smile.

"By this time, you should all be aware that this evening is not only a fund raiser. We have a very special presentation to make; one that brings us all great honor. We are in the company of a very special team of people. I don't think it will come to anyone's surprise when I say it is high time that the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Lab is recognized for the extensive work they perform, hand in hand with the FBI, every single day. Without the Medico-Legal Lab's affiliation and cooperation, the FBI would have a much more extensive portfolio of unsolved cold cases. At this time, I would like to invite the following teammates to join me on stage to receive a special Award of Appreciation:

Dr. Camille Saroyan, Head of the Forensics Division, Forensic Pathologist and Head of the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Lab

Dr. Jack Hodgins, Head Entomologist, Head Botanist, and Head Mineralogist

Mrs. Angela Montenegro-Hodgins, Professional Forensic Artist specializing in Forensic Facial Reconstruction

Dr. Clark Edison, Forensic Anthropologist, First Assistant to Dr. Temperance Brennan

Mr. Wendell Bray, Anthropological Intern and recipient of the esteemed Jeffersonian Institute's Scholarship Program

Ms. Daisy Wick, Anthropological Intern.

Unable to with us tonight, but also to be in receipt of these Awards of Appreciation are Mr. Arastoo Vaziri & Mr. Colin Fisher, both Anthropological Interns."

As the team filed on stage, they received a standing ovation from the audience, led by Brennan and Booth, both of whom beamed with pride at their little team of super heroes.

As Williams continued to speak, Cullen came on stage, followed by Charlie, carrying framed certificates and boxed Medals of Appreciation for each member of the team, handing them out in order with a hand shake for the men and a kiss on the cheek for the women. As the eclectic family stood on stage, shoulder to shoulder, smiling at the audience, they all, in turn, nodded to Booth & Brennan, knowing it was their leadership that brought them to receive this recognition. There were various thoughts running through their minds, but most focused on the same topics:

_Eight years ago we were mocked and called 'squints' in a negative sense. _

_Without Booth & Brennan's support and guidance, we wouldn't be here; we wouldn't even be known. _

_We are actually making a difference with each and every case we solve. _

Williams continued his narration as the team received their awards. "Eight years ago, the Jeffersonian entered into a contract with the FBI to partner with our agents in the quest to solve cold cases and investigate current cases when the FBI labs are unable to successfully process evidence for various reasons. Since the onset of that partnership, I am pleased to announce that we have been able to put to rest an astonishing 175 cases, consisting of both unsolved cold cases, up to 9 years old, as well as current cases assigned on an ongoing basis as they occur. In some situations, it was simply a matter of putting a name with unknown remains and finally being able to notify the families of those lost. In the majority of the cases, however, the involvement of this _amazing_ team has resulted in convicting 129 criminals. Historically speaking, in such a short amount of time as this partnership has existed, the FBI has never been able to claim such a high Successful Closure Rate for violent homicide cases. It is with gratitude and unending appreciation that we extend our thanks to the team standing before you."

Williams stepped away from the podium and swept his hand in the direction of the award recipients. Once again, there was an onslaught of flash photography from newspaper reporters, taking close-ups of each teammate, sure to make the next morning's local news editions, along with the muted sounds of TV reporters standing to the side of the auditorium, quietly narrating what the audience just witnessed.

Looking at her team beside her, Cam nodded and stepped forward to the podium. She didn't have anything prepared to say, as she wasn't expecting to be recognized; they were all at the banquet, expecting Booth and Brennan to be receiving something instead. Nevertheless, she approached the microphone and smiled with grace and ease.

"Thank you," she nodded pointedly to Williams, and then to Cullen, who was standing at the side of the stage after having handed out the awards. She then turned back to the audience and eyed Brennan and Booth, as they continued to stand at their seats, each smiling and clapping. "Thank you. On behalf of my team, I'd like to extend our deepest appreciation for your recognition and support. We are all humbled by our affiliation with the FBI and honored to be part of such a landmark Success Rate as 175 solved cases. I wasn't part of this team eight years ago when they joined forces with the FBI; I came along about a year later. But from my very first moment as a member of this amazing group of professionals, I can tell you that I knew we were destined for greatness, as a whole. That you have welcomed us, and accepted our respective professions as part of your world, astonishes us every day, and I can tell you, we are honored to be here this evening. We, in turn, would like to express _our_ appreciation to Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth, whose leadership from the field throughout the years has brought us to where we are today. I may be the lead in the lab, but we all know that without Booth and Brennan, none of us would be partaking in this amazing work." She pointedly nodded to her colleagues as she mentioned their names, "Thank you Dr. Brennan, thank you Agent Booth, for bringing us into your crime-fighting world. Your 'squints' appreciate you both more than you'll ever know." At that point, the team on stage joined the audience in applauding the duo as they stood at the table, nodding to Cam in acknowledgement of her thanks.

Williams moved back to the mic as Cam moved away, once more expressing his thanks to each of the scientists as they moved off stage, smiling at each other as they walked. He waited patiently while the members of the team each took a moment in passing Booth and Brennan, to stop and give hugs and handshakes before moving to their assigned table spaces. Once they each took their seats, Williams continued. "Thank you, Dr. Saroyan, for those words; they are a perfect segue to what I'd like to say next." He looked to Booth & Brennan with a smile. "Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan have been the unofficial leaders of this group of experts during their eight years together. While there have been other FBI Agents affiliated with various cases, it has always come back to Agent Booth's and Dr. Brennan's involvement as the liaisons between the FBI and the Jeffersonian that has permitted for such a great Success Rate." The audience clapped enthusiastically as Booth & Brennan nodded to Williams.

"At this time, I would like to invite two very special guests on stage to present the next award." He smiled at someone off stage, obviously getting the go-ahead to continue. "To present Presidential Sets of Medals of Honor, please welcome Agent Booth's son, Parker Booth, accompanied by the President of the United States of America." Williams' smile grew wide as he stepped back while applauding the approaching presenters.

Booth and Brennan's jaws dropped in unison as they watched the approaching figures entering the stage area from the sidelines. Parker beamed as he walked beside the President, looking very smart in a fitted tuxedo, carrying what were obviously framed medals. He looked down at his Dad with a sparkle in his eye and a bounce to his step. The President walked beside the boy, resting his arm around Parker's shoulders, guiding him to where he should stand, knowing the eleven-year-old was simply too excited at being able to present his Dad with an award of such honor, that he didn't really know where to go. With a large, gleaming smile, the President then faced the audience and waved while nodding to various tables.

Booth and Brennan remained standing, along with the rest of the audience, as the thunder of applause died down. Brennan flashed a bright grin in Booth's direction, seeing Booth's eyes wet with emotion as he watched his son on stage.

Unable to contain his excitement, Parker juggled the frames into one arm and gave a quick little wave to Booth and a loud whisper, "Hi Dad! Hi Bones!"

They both laughed and waved back, hearing chuckles from the audience around them as well. "Hey Parks!" Booth mouthed with a wink while Brennan blew him a little kiss. Without thinking twice, Booth puffed his chest with pride at his son's presence and put his arm around Brennan's waist, drawing her into his side in what could have been construed as a simple Partner-like-gesture, had it not been followed by Brennan's next action. Booth's embrace was a motion into which she easily gave, briefly tilting her head towards his broad shoulder before shifting her stance so she was standing directly in front of him, with her back to his chest, leaning into his possessive hold as he encircled her with both arms, resting his open palms across her tummy. He rested his jaw against her temple as they leaned together, sighing in unison and stunned into awe at the fact that Booth's eleven-year-old was standing on stage beside the President of the Unites States (!).

Their public display of intimacy was a movement that felt so natural that neither partner gave it a second thought, but it was a clear indication to anyone watching the pair that they were much more than Partners. Their gathered family smiled with pride and happiness for the couple. But, there were those standing behind the 'just-partners' who glared at the movement; namely one Timothy Sullivan, who was seated several tables behind the Jeffersonian Tables, but hadn't let his eyes drift away from the curvaceous back of Temperance Brennan since the beginning of the speeches. Also eyeing the partners with thinly veiled jealousy was a perky blond who was narrating the scene that her cameraman was filming; Hannah stumbled over her words as she tried to regain her composure, but was unable to tear her eyes from the tenderness playing out at the front of the banquet hall.

The President, after indicating that the audience should cease clapping, began to speak, "Special Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, would you join us on stage, please?" He eyed the pair and smiled knowingly as Booth unwrapped his arms from his lover's midsection, and moved his hand to Brennan's lower back, guiding her towards the staircase. The President admired the proud father's posture as he smiled at his boy, while the eleven-year-old stood there on stage, trying so hard to remain still, but somewhat failing with all the excitement, shifting from foot to foot in anticipation. As soon as Booth finished climbing the stairs, Parker hurriedly made his way over to the strong Agent and leaned into his father's abdomen.

Booth held his boy close to his side, between himself and Brennan, as they moved across the stage closer to the presentation podium. The President took a moment before speaking to greet each partner with a handshake and a warm smile before turning back to the microphone.

"Good evening. Tonight, I've had the great pleasure of getting to know this remarkable young man, Parker Booth, while waiting for the ceremony to begin. And may I say, Agent Booth," he eyed Booth with a smile, "you have raised a very intelligent and well-spoken son. You should be _so_ proud; he is wise beyond his years… And very loquacious." His smile broadened when he saw Booth's appreciation of his compliment, mixed with the slight dread of a typical father concerned about what his boy had chatted on about. "And Parker had such wonderful things to say about you both, that I feel I know each of you so much better than I did after simply reading your impressive histories." He turned back to the audience. "Tonight, we are here not only to celebrate the relationship between the FBI and the Jeffersonian Institute, but to commemorate an obviously successful partnership between a decorated FBI Special Agent and an accomplished Forensic Anthropologist. The FBI offers a number of Honorary Medals for various achievements, however, this is the first time in recent history that a sitting US President has had the privilege of presenting not just one, but _two_ Presidential Sets of Medals of Honor. The United States recognizes the dedication and loyalty with which Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan perform their duties, not only throughout the investigation process of a case, but in their leadership qualities as they manage the talent which surrounds them. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan know the differing strengths of their many teammates, and encourage the growth and implementation of those talents in real-world scenarios, which has proven a successful combination of coaching and motivation. Their actions have resulted in a record-breaking number of effectively solved cases, percentage-wise, in relation to the length of time their partnership has been in existence. Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth enjoy a celebrated 97.6% Success Rate, and for such a young conglomeration, that is unheard of."

The audience members rose to their feet once more, applauding the partners enthusiastically while photographers continued to snap pictures from the floor. Parker looked up at his Dad, then to Bones, then back to Booth, smiling broadly at them both. Booth & Brennan smiled back at Parker, then eyed each other carefully, trying to still their emotions, but still smiling brightly. Booth fulfilled his desire to hug someone, namely Bones, by looping one arm over Parker's shoulder, and pulling the boy close, instead. Brennan, wishing she could reach out and touch Booth's shoulder, opted to run her fingers through Parker's dark blond curls playfully. Parker simply enjoyed the attention he was receiving from each adult.

The President continued after a few minutes. He nodded to Parker, indicating it was time to present the Partners with their framed awards. "The _**FBI Star**_ is awarded to those seriously injured in the line of duty during confrontations with criminal adversaries. The _**FBI Medal for Meritorious Achievement**_ is awarded to those who perform exceptional, _laudable_ service while facing extreme challenge and displaying great responsibility, or in saving the life of another, while placing oneself in extreme jeopardy in the line of duty. The _**FBI Shield of Bravery**_ honors brave and courageous acts during active line of duty within FBI employment, or in this case, it also extends to active FBI contracted employees; everything from undercover operations to crisis interventions may be encompassed within the realm of this award. The _**FBI Medal of Valor**_ is presented for exceptional acts of heroism in the face of personal safety while under FBI employment or contract, when facing criminal adversaries."

Moving quietly while the President explained the awards to the audience, Parker smiled as he proudly handed Bones her award first, with a big kiss on the cheek and warm hug. "I love you, Bones," he whispered to her ear before he pulled back, "I'm glad I got to be here tonight for this. Did I surprise you?" He blushed as his idol palmed his young face, kissing him on the cheek in return.

"I love you too, Parker. Yes, I am pleasantly surprised. Thank you." She whispered as she pressed her forehead to his in mutual adoration.

Parker then turned to Booth, handing his frame over with a warm smile and a knuckles break-out, followed by a big bear hug, during which the boy buried his face against his Dad's abdomen. Booth spoke into his son's bouncy hair with a smile, "I can't believe you're here, kiddo; I'm so glad." He kissed the top of Parker's head, "I love you, Parks."

Parker smiled, pleased that he had kept his secret about coming home for the party. It was _so_ difficult for him to keep quiet about coming back from his grandparents' house; especially after hearing his dad's disappointment at first learning that he wasn't going to be there. "Love you too, Dad. I'm glad I surprised you." He smiled up as he turned back to stand side by side between the partners, continuing to listen to the explanations behind each of the medals contained within the frames he'd just handed to his Dad and Bones.

The President smiled, seeing that he once more had the attention of his guests of honor. "I consider it a privilege to share the stage with you both. It is with great gratitude that you are presented with these medals. You've done justice to your positions within your respective organizations and the United States has certainly benefited from your diligence and dedication." The audience once again broke out in applause at the praise of the partners while the President turned to shake Brennan's hand first and kissed her cheek; he then turned to Booth, taking his hand while slapping the Agent lightly on the shoulder. After stepping back, he looked down at Parker. "Thank you for your help with the presentation, Parker. I've really enjoyed meeting you." He shook the boy's hand then stood back up to his full 6'2" height and leaned towards the mic, looking at the partners, "perhaps we can encourage Dr. Brennan or Agent Booth to share with us, a little but about their success…?" The audience applauded louder as the President extended his hands towards the podium, waiting for one of the pair to step forward.

Booth looked to Bones and motioned with his arm to the podium, allowing her to take the spot light first, and secretly hoping she would speak for them both, because he really didn't like talking in front of crowds. She smiled and moved forward, handing her frame to Booth to hold.

"Modesty, Bones…Modesty…" Booth warned with a smile, wanting her to maintain some decorum of humility in the face of the current praise bestowed upon them.

She nodded slightly, flashing him a gentle smile of her own before resting her hands on either side of the stand; she looked out at her friends, family, colleagues and a sea of strangers. She smiled, turned back to Booth and received the reward of a Boothy wink before looking back at the faces observing them.

"Wow…" she paused, taking in the enormity of what just occurred. "I believe it is safe for me to speak for Booth as well, when I say _Thank You_. Thank you, Mr. President, thank you Director Williams, thank you Deputy Director Cullen. Thank you all for taking the time to acknowledge not just Booth and myself, but perhaps more importantly, for recognizing that we don't do this job alone. It would be impossible for either of us to successfully perform our jobs singularly. By our sides every single day, we have an _amazing_ network of people without whom we wouldn't have been able to close nearly as many cases as we have." She looked back to Booth for confirmation that she could continue speaking. Upon receiving his nod of approval, she smiled back to the room. "Eight years ago, Agent Booth approached me with a challenge which ignited a fire deep within my metaphorical soul; never before had my skills been tested in a way comparable to that challenge presented by the FBI. I experienced the satisfaction of bringing justice to a fallen victim and emotional relief to the grief-stricken family. Even as we closed that first case, I didn't fully understand the impact our partnership would have in the future…" She paused, wondering if she should continue, and immediately decided yes, she should. "And then… after successfully closing the case, Booth had to fire me… because my temper had gotten _little_ bit out of control…" She smiled at the distant memory of punching a judge, being told by Booth that he thought it was _hot_, and then him getting her drunk so he could fire her. She looked over to her partner, who was looking down at his shoes, but she could tell he was hiding a smirk at the same memories as he rocked from his heels to the balls of his feet and back. Some of the crowd knew the story and chuckled quietly as well. "A year later, the FBI needed the assistance of the Medico-Legal Lab once again. And, so, Booth found me. He had a difficult time of convincing me to come back, but eventually I conceded... We disagreed on almost everything from filtering crime scene evidence through the Jeffersonian Institute to him taking me on as his full-time Partner. I was not an easy person to work with, I'm _still_ not an easy person to work with, but intrinsically, Booth knew that we could succeed if we could overcome our differences." She smiled quietly, realizing that they truly had, _finally_, overcome their differences. "Then one day, as we sat in Deputy Director Cullen's office, Agent Booth _vouched_ for me. He vouched for my character, vouched for my safety and vouched to his boss that he'd take complete responsibility of anything that I did. Booth accepted me as his Partner and we've been working side by side ever since." She smiled back at the handsome man standing behind her, slightly to her left, then looked back at the front tables, where her family and friends were seated. "And it was the eight-year journey accompanied by those people you see there," she indicated to her team, "that has brought us to this place tonight. And we are humbled by your recognition." She nodded to Cullen and Williams and finally at the President, as she backed away from the podium.

Booth smiled at the applauding audience in appreciation as Bones backed-up towards him. Placing his open palm against the small of her back when she got within reaching distance, he applied a light pressure to bring her to his side, where she belonged. He yearned to pull her in for a warm embrace... He longed to wrap his arms around her waist and nuzzle into her neck… He longed to press his strong lips to her much-softer ones… But he maintained control of his desires as she took her rightful place, and he simply flashed a wide, toothy smile in her direction, curling his fingers into her flesh as the pads of his fore and middle fingers slipped in between the interwoven straps across her lower back.

They were motioned off stage by an attendant, as was the President, when the emcee took control of the mic once again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin dinner service in just a few moments. Please enjoy the music of Acoustic Trinity while you dine. I'll be back a little later this evening, once dessert has been completed, to announce the remainder of the evening's events. Thank you." He cut the power to the microphone as the quiet dinner music began and people started shifting their chairs back around their respective tables, preparing for their highly anticipated meal.

As Booth and Brennan made their way back to the table, Parker reached up and took Brennan's hand, walking close to her side and almost leaning into her. She beamed happily at the warmth she felt spread through her chest when her partner's son displayed so openly, the affection he felt towards her. She wrapped her fingers around his much smaller hand and pulled him close, scooping down and planting a tiny kiss on top of his soft curls.

Parker smiled up into Brennan's blue eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Can I stay Bones? Can I stay with you and Dad for tonight? Mom is waiting to take me home, because she didn't know what you guys had planned, but I really wanna stay…"

She stopped as they reached their table and squatted down to face the young man, "Of course you can, Parker. I know your dad will be happy to have you stay; and so would I." She smiled when she felt Booth step up immediately behind her, allowing his shins to serve as a back support, as well as to provide a little bit of visual protection for her. Since she was confined to such a tight fitted dress, when she stooped trying to accommodate his son's conversation, the low cut back of her gown dipped even lower, and Booth was not happy with the idea that anyone else could view what should be hidden.

Booth reached out and placed the pair of framed awards onto the table before lowering his hand to his partner so she could pull herself up, which she gratefully accepted. He wasn't sure about the conversation that they were having, but Parker looked pleased and that, in itself, was enough for Booth. Once Bones was back at his side, Booth opened his arm to his boy as Parker crashed into his unoccupied side.

Looking up at Booth, Parker's eyes were pleading, "Bones said she is OK with me staying. Is that alright with you, too, Dad? Can I stay tonight? Can I stay here at the dinner and then go home with you?" His words were hopeful and it made Booth feel fulfilled beyond words that he had a son who wanted to spend time with him. So many kids in Parker's class had already started pulling away from their parents, that it was always in the back of Booth's mind that his boy would start to do the same any day. To know that he still wanted to stay with him, hang out with him, and share important talks, made Booth's pride grow increasingly stronger.

"Absolutely, Bub. I was hoping you'd want to stay." He clamped his hand over Parker's tux-covered-shoulder. "You really surprised me, Kiddo. And look at you! You look great, Parker."

Parker's smile grew bigger at Booth's praise then looked back to where his mom was approaching. Rebecca had obviously not planned to stay at the function, she was dressed in a simple skirt suit, but she was unsure of the plans Parker was trying to arrange with his father. She approached with a smile and extended her hand to Brennan. "Congratulations, Temperance. That was quite an honor…" She smiled at the woman her son idolized as they clasped hands.

"Thank you, Rebecca. And thank you, for bringing Parker back early." She leaned in a little, speaking softly to Parker's mother. "I'm almost more honored that Parker cared enough to come back, that _you_ cared enough to bring him home, than I am at the President's recognition."

Rebecca laughed, "Well, when we received the call from Mr. Cullen, indicating his desire to have Parker on stage with the _President_… well… I think I would have been deemed worst mother in the world if I didn't let him do it. Besides, I am so glad he could participate; he loves his father so much. He loves _you_ so much. Initially he was heartbroken about not being with you for a longer period of time while you were staying with Seeley." She cocked her head gently, wondering how the relationship-situation was working out, but not really wanting to pry. "Now that you're healed, I guess you're back at home?"

Brennan was often clueless, but she was not stupid. Rebecca wanted to know her status with Booth, and rightfully so; after all, she was Parker's mother, and had a right to know of_ any_ details that could affect Parker's visits with his father. Keeping her voice soft, the conversation between just the two of them, Brennan answered the thin blonde woman.

"Well, I'm not home yet, Rebecca; I'm still staying with Booth." She felt a rush of color fill her cheeks. "We haven't yet worked out the logistics of our living arrangements. It's been a very busy couple of weeks, with the investigation, that we decided to wait until things settled down to really explore which avenue would be best." She smiled, wanting to put Rebecca at ease. "But I, in no way, plan to interfere with Parker's visitation schedule. Booth values his time with his son and I will not hinder that, I promise you. If anything, I hope to be part of those visits as well… Are you, in any way… _uncomfortable_… with me being in Parker's life?"

Reaching for Brennan's hand, Rebecca held her fingers. "Parker's very happy to have you in his life. And what's important to me is that he's happy. I just hope that you and Seeley can find some…_stability_… now that things are _different_." Rebecca wanted to tread carefully; the last thing she wanted to do was upset the woman of honor at her own reception. But at the same time, Rebecca didn't want Parker's emotions dragged through a split-up if the partners decided to part ways again.

Once again, Brennan recognized what was being said. "Rebecca, things _are_ different. _Better_. I won't do anything to hurt Parker. Or Booth. I promise. We've come too far; I love them both too much."

Rebecca smiled warmly and pulled the anthropologist in for a hug. There was a time she would have been too hesitant to do such an action, but since first meeting Temperance Brennan, Rebecca had seen the woman change, evolve, and accept those around her. "Parker's very lucky to have you in his life, Temperance. Thank you for being so good to my boy." Then with a bit of additional hesitation, she pulled back and looked into the pale blue eyes staring back at her. "And Seeley's really lucky too… I could never have been for him what he needed; even all those years ago I knew that I wasn't the woman for him. I knew, somehow, that you were still out there and that you two just hadn't found each other." Rebecca felt a faint twinge of regret in her gut. She had, of course, reserved a special place in her heart for Seeley Booth. He was, after all, the father of her son. There was a time she considered marrying him, when he proposed to her after finding out about the pregnancy. Then, after a tumultuous couple of years involving custody battles and visitation arguments, she had considered giving the man another chance. In fact, she _had_ gotten back together with Booth for a few fleeting nights of amazing sex…Until she met his partner. The day she met Temperance Brennan, she knew that her chances of ever being _with_ Booth were gone. He had given his heart to someone else and for a short while she mourned that loss. Then, she mourned for the partners as they went through their ups and downs. Most recently she mourned for her son, who had lost the close relationship he'd once shared with the 'amazing Bones,' when Booth brought a new girlfriend home from a warzone. But now, as she stood there, reflecting on the short synopsis that Brennan had given to the audience, regarding her partnership with Booth, Rebecca knew that they were going to be fine. "They're both very lucky men, Temperance; don't ever forget that."

Brennan smiled and blushed at the praise. With downcast eyes, she momentarily noted how things had changed for her. All within the frame of an instant, she knew she had changed; she had become softer and more accepting; she had opened her metaphorical heart and as a result, was standing here with her boyfriend's ex having a quiet conversation about the men they shared in common. There was a time, even a very recent history, when Brennan would have been uncomfortable speaking so candidly about her feelings. But the scientist_ had changed_…for all her stubbornness, all her resistance to emotional change, Brennan had evolved. She raised her eyes to meet Rebecca's, "no, I'm the lucky one. I have _two_ Booth men who care about me."

Rebecca laughed again, "Three if you count Pops... he was so proud of you, sitting over there with your father, while you were speaking. He and your dad had tears." She pointed to where the men currently sat, speaking to one another and animatedly including Russ's two girls in their conversation.

As the ladies turned towards the table in conversation, Booth decided that his current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend had had enough time speaking quietly. With a grin, he brought his conversation with Russ to a close and excused himself, pulling Parker along with him, so the boy could say good night to his mom.

"What are you two conspiring about over here?" He grinned as he sidled up beside his Bones, who flashed him a questioning glance at his smiling accusation.

Rebecca leaned in and gave Booth a loose hug. "Congratulations, Seeley. You have been well honored tonight; your whole team has been!" She pulled away from him and smiled as he, in turn, smiled at his partner. Rebecca looked down at Parker, who looked as though he wanted to so sit with Hayley and Emma, but didn't dare walk away from his parents until he was excused. Drawing his attention by placing her palm against his soft cheek, she bent over. "Are you staying with your father and Dr. Brennan?"

He smiled brightly with an enthusiastic nod. "Yup, I asked 'em both and they want me to stay mom. Is that still OK?"

"Of course, Parks. Be good. Don't lose your tux jacket." She raised an eyebrow at him, reminding him gently about the last suit jacket that he'd discarded at a function, only to never see the jacket again. "And be polite."

"I know mom!" He rolled his eyes in typical eleven-year-old fashion and leaned in for a hug.

"Ok, I'll see you after school on Monday, alright?" She felt him nod against her shoulder and took a deep breath before continuing. "Maybe this week we can talk to your dad about longer visiting times, like you wanted, OK?"

Parker pulled back and grinned like a maniac. "That'd be great mom. Really?"

"Yes. Not tonight; but this coming week we'll talk, alright?" Rebecca smiled. Her son was growing up so fast. _Their_ son; not _her_ son. And Parker wanted to be with his father more, she knew that. And she realized that the older he got, the more he was going to _need_ to be close to Booth. She just hated seeing her baby growing up…

Parker crashed into her, hugging her tight. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, Parks. Now, I think there are a couple of young girls over there, waiting for you to join them…. Look, they pulled a chair up between them." She pointed to Russ and Amy's young daughters who were waiting patiently for their pseudo-cousin to come join them at the table.

Standing up to her height, she bid goodnight to Booth and Brennan, promising to pick Parker up after school on Monday and quickly asking if they'd be available for dinner one night next week, to which they replied in the affirmative. As Rebecca made her way back through the hall, towards the exit, she was stopped by Cullen as he thanked her for making concessions in her plans, so Parker could partake in the evening's functions. After some idle talk, she continued on her way and exited, with one last glance over her shoulder at her happy son and his exceedingly happier father, as they started in on the meals that had been placed in front of them.

B/B/B/B

Dinner was enjoyed against a backdrop of acoustic guitarists softly playing classic tunes that would be recognized by most of the attendees at the function. Booth and Brennan's table consisted of their immediate family: Pops, Parker, Max, Russ, Amy and the girls; their neighboring table housed the rest of their team. At some point through the meal, the tables had been pushed closer together, though unable to actually butt up against each other, since they were round. But they were almost touching and the group managed to rearrange their seating so they could easily intermingle with each other. Throughout the meal, Booth continued to watch Bones from the corner of his eye. They were careful to avoid physical contact, because they both knew the chances their relationship would be discovered grew exponentially the moment they touched, so they consciously limited as much temptation as possible. Booth wanted to get her alone, to discuss the papers in his pocket. But he knew that Williams and Cullen also wanted to speak with her directly regarding Sully's accusations and the expected outcome to the grievance case.

As dessert was completed, the mood in the room became more festive. The music started to liven up a little as the wait staff busied themselves clearing the tables and refreshing drinks from the bar. As the noise in the room began to increase, the emcee took the stage once again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, did you enjoy your meal?" Upon receiving several affirmative nods and a few sporadic claps, he began to applaud loudly. "Then let's hear it for the wonderful service we're receiving tonight! The servers, the bussers, the chefs, the _**bartenders**_! Show 'em some love, folks!" The room exploded with wolf whistles and applause while appreciative workers smiled and nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know we're all excited to get this evening's festivities underway, so without further ado, I would like to welcome Assistant Deputy Director Andrew Hacker to the stage. Mr. Hacker is going to emcee this evening's events, so please, make him feel welcome!" Stepping back, the unnamed speaker motioned to the podium as Hacker stepped forward, smiling at his colleagues and acquaintances.

"Good evening everyone! We have a fun evening planned ahead of us." He smiled as he looked around the room. "We have a fantastic silent auction set up in the neighboring ballroom, which is just now being opened," he indicated to the rear of the room where staff members were pulling open the accordion walls that connected their room with the next. "If you'd like to participate in bidding, please see one of the lovely young ladies at the desks, just inside the entrance, to obtain your bidder number. The rules are simple: you browse the selection of merchandise and services available, find all the items that you simply can't live without, bid early, bid often and stay through the end of the evening to collect your items. The bidding sheets are in front of each item, write your bidder number along with your offer on the next available line and enjoy your evening while you wait to find out if you've won. All final bids must be written on the sheets by 11:30 this evening." He grinned when he saw the happy faces of the audience members.

Booth looked at Bones with an impish grin as he leaned in her direction, "I love auctions, Bones!" He whispered against her neck as he leaned in, causing shivers to ripple down her spine.

She grinned and turned in his direction. She laughed at his boyish excitement and nudged him with her shoulder as he almost rested against her, causing him to pull back with a deep chuckle. He sat back in his seat and threw his arm across the back of her chair as Hacker continued speaking. Before Bones turned back to face the stage, she caught the quick wink Booth flashed at her, causing her to blush ever so slightly.

Hacker continued, "We're also running another, _much-anticipated_ auction tonight." Hacker's smile grew as he gazed out into the crowd. "Everyone is going to have a chance to enjoy some dancing this evening, but before we open the dance floor up, we have a very special fund-raising effort. As was announced earlier this evening, all monies raised tonight will be donated to the FCSTSA, DC Chapter Foundation, and we are excited to invite everyone to partake in a Dance Auction." He smiled as most of the crowd applauded in anticipation. "The rules to this auction, like the silent auction, are _simple_. Gentlemen, you may nominate a lady of your choice to be brought up in front of the house to be bid upon. You are bidding on the privilege of experiencing the first and final dances of the night. Once all the nominations and bids are complete, we'll invite to the floor to those winning couples, and then when the first dance is over, we'll open the dancefloor to the rest of the house, so everyone can enjoy the band. However, the winning bidders also reserve the right to have the final dance of the evening as well…So ladies, keep track of your high bidders; high bidders, keep track of your ladies!"

For the most part, the audience responded excitedly to the energy built up by the idea of bidding to dance. A round of applause and whistles broke out from the guys, (mostly the single guys), and giddy laughter broke out from the ladies, most of whom were also single. As Booth looked at Bones, she turned her head to meet his gaze over her shoulder. Neither partner was smiling at the prospect of what they were about to face, but Booth nodded reassuringly and stretched his fingers from where they rested on her chair-back, and brushed them against her lower shoulder. He could see that she reacted to his fingertips by leaning slightly into them and he sat forward to speak into her ear.

"I'm not nominating you, Bones. I won't send you up there. But if he does, then I promise I will win." She closed her eyes at hearing his deep voice, at feeling his warm breath against her ear, and she inhaled deeply, taking in her favorite scent of his aftershave, still strong on his skin.

She nodded in acceptance to what he was saying. She was glad he wouldn't nominate her; she didn't like the idea of being put up on 'the block,' but knowing that he would win warmed her slightly.

Hacker spoke loudly through the mic once more. "So, ladies and gentlemen, what are we waiting for? Men, if you have someone you'd like to nominate, stand up, speak up! Let her know you're thinking of her! Bring your lady friends up; let's get this stage filled with the most beautiful women in DC!"

Again, mostly it was the single guys who were getting a charge out of this challenge, whooping and clapping as they jostled their dates forward. A few of the married couples laughed as the husbands encouraged their wives to join the scores of ladies approaching the stage. Hacker was joined by a few other agents in escorting the women up onto the stage and into a shoulder-to-shoulder line. It was obvious that many of the women were tipsy from the free-flowing alcohol, and Booth knew that would translate well to the goal of raising funds, because the men would also be intoxicated, resulting in high bids going straight to the children.

The partners breathed a sigh of relief when no one had nominated Brennan. By the time that the rush to the stage had slowed, Bones sat back in her chair, relaxing against the outline of Booth's arm, certain they had, by some small miracle, escaped Sully's initial plan. She turned and smiled, meeting his happy gaze just as a voice invaded her ears from behind.

"Tempe, I nominate you. C'mon." Sully's voice was gruff and his words slightly slurred, and it was obvious to the pair that he had drunk too much. He tried to take Brennan's hand as he walked around to her side, but she pulled her arm away.

"Sully," she kept her voice low, "I don't think this is appropriate; if you want to give money to the children, just donate it." She didn't want to stand at his side; she didn't want him to escort her to the stage. She wanted to remain seated at her table, with her family; with her friends; with her Booth.

"You can't deny a nomination, Tempe. You have to go up on stage. Besides, I don't want to just donate the money. I want to guarantee at least two dances with you this evening, and I know your wolf-hound over there isn't going to let you dance with me because he's got a savior syndrome complex, and he thinks he owns the rights to you."

Brennan creased her forehead, clearly unhappy that Sully was insulting Booth so openly. She looked back to her partner, pleading with her eyes to not have to walk up on stage.

Booth was about to give in to her silent plea and flatten Sully out right there when Angela walked up, positioning herself between Sully and the seated Brennan. She looked down, "C'mon, Sweetie. You can walk up with me. Hodgins is going to bid on me," she smiled. "This way, you won't be alone up there." Within seconds, Cam and Daisy also stood, inviting Wendell to 'nominate' his date as well, which he quickly did, upon receiving her approval, and they were quickly joined by Amy, who was also smiling knowingly at Brennan.

Slowly, Booth stood and extended his hand to Bones, which she gratefully took as she stood slowly from her chair. She pinned Sully with a cold stare, "You won't be walking me up there, Tim; I'm perfectly capable of walking up there on my own." She looked back to Booth, thanking him silently for what he was about to do. He remained silent, but met her glance with warm browns full of promise.

Sully interrupted their silent conversation, "No, I have to walk you up there, Tempe. I'm nominating you, and I want the whole room to know it. _I'm_ the one nominating you, _not_ your wonderful, beloved, _over-bearing_ partner." He spoke through clenched teeth as he glared at Booth over Tempe's shoulder.

Brennan squared her shoulders and looked up at the stage area, where there were a few last women winding their ways through the crowd to climb the stairs. She looked back at Sully with hatred in her eyes; enough to cause him to step backwards, almost stumbling in his drunken state. "You will _not_ walk me to the stairs; I will go with my friends. If you lay a finger on me this evening, I will break every bone in your body. Methodically and with great precision, Sully. You won't win this dance. You won't win anything." With that she turned and smiled at Booth before joining her friends. As the ladies made it into position on stage, Booth moved past Sully, bumping into him with his much wider shoulder, effectively pushing him further away from their table. He sat down next to Hodgins and nodded in appreciation to the guys, who'd readily agreed to donate money towards the cause, simply to give Brennan the support she needed to walk up to the stage for the second time that evening.

Once everyone was in place, Hacker motioned to rearrange a few of the ladies, conducting the order in which the auction would take place. He smiled as he moved his former love-interest to the final slot, whispering to her, "you're the woman of the hour, we should build the suspense before allowing your bidders to raise money to dance with you. I'm sure there will be a lot of interest, Tempe." He smiled evilly with his lips, but his eyes spoke of revenge and anger before he turned quickly back to the podium.

"OH, and one last little rule I failed to include earlier." He scanned the room quickly, finding Sully then immediately finding Booth. "Agents, you are _not_ permitted to bid on your own Partners. You spend every day at her side; it's time to let someone else spend a few quiet moments in her company." He grinned at the raucously roaring laughter. Guys ribbed other guys in humor, women on stage playfully oooohhhh-ed and aaahhhhh-ed. Everyone except for a choice few: Cullen and Williams eyed each other seriously before moving their gazes over to the hardened Agent in his seat at the Jeffersonian table; the entire lab team turned and looked at each other before looking to Booth; Sully glared, wearing a smirk, at the back of Booth's head from the empty seat he'd commandeered behind their table. Brennan exchanged glances with her friends as they stood by her side on stage and she silently begged Booth to look at her; tell her it was going to be alright. But his glare never wavered from its hold on Hacker. Booth's blackened eyes bore into Hacker's from across the room and suddenly the Assistant Deputy Director realized he'd made a mistake at introducing that last rule; he was going to have hell to pay if he bumped into Booth anytime soon….

Forcing himself to break the staring contest, Hacker pulled his eyes from Booth's and looked around the room, painting on a smile for the crowd. "Alright then, should we begin?" The audience cheered and Hacker moved to Nominee Number One and began the bidding at $50.00. Most of the ladies had small bidding wars break out over the idea of sharing a few dances. In _almost_ every case, the ladies' dates won; but not without a little bit of friendly competition from their fellow Agents and co-workers. Most bids ended up in the neighborhood of $500.00. In a few cases, for those who knew they could afford to give a little extra to such a worthy cause, the donations were in excess of $1,500. The crowd loved it when someone randomly bid a higher amount, knowing that children in the immediate area were going to benefit. And much to Booth's expectations, the open bar provided by the FBI had proved beneficial for the Children's homes.

As the stage participants thinned out, causing, by default, the audience crowd to thicken, Booth's eyes barely left Brennan's. He could sense her worry; he could see her fear that she'd be stuck having Sully's hands on her while they danced. Booth clenched his jaw and tightened his fists as they rested on the table in front of him. Max had indicated that he would bid on Tempe, and he had full intentions in doing so, but Max didn't know what they were up against with Sully's boat-sale proceeds. Hank offered to add some funds to Max's pot, giving his comrade a little extra pocket money to spend on his daughter. Russ, Wendell, Paul, Clarke and Sweets were all already bidding on their own dates and were in no position to spend additional money to try to outbid Sully.

But then Hodgins turned to Booth. "I can bid, you know, on Dr. Brennan, Booth. I have the money."

Booth looked at Hodgins as the realization of Hodgins' suggestion sank in. "Yeah, you can, can't you?" He grinned at the scientist. "We can pay you back, you know…"

Hodgins shrugged, "we'll figure it out; just don't sweat it." With a smile, Jack looked back to the stage just as Hacker was finally getting to their friends. He smiled at Angela and winked, trying to convey that everything was going to be alright.

Booth, in turn, looked at Bones and sighed silently, grinning to her and nodding towards Hodgins. She seemed to have gotten the message because he could see her shoulders visibly relax as she met his gaze. They both turned their attention to the auctions happening between their colleagues from the lab. The competition and bidding wars for the Ladies of Honor were quite a bit more escalated than those for the previous nominees. People that the ladies had never even seen before were suddenly offering sums of money to dance with them. But in the end, each of their dates won out, smiling as the ladies rejoined the table one by one to watch the finale. Wendell paid the most modest amount at the table, but not at all to his date's disappointment; Rachel was quite pleased that he had donated a total of $456.00 to dance with her. Hodgins, unsurprisingly, forked out the highest amount, paying $5,405.00 for his own wife. After a series of dark looks he shot an unknown bidder, the guy finally backed off and let the scientist win, (not that there was any chance at him not winning, but it certainly put a dent in his spendable cash that he had free access to without prior approval from the Board of Trustees who managed his Trust Estate.)

Finally, as Brennan took center stage, the crowd erupted in whoops, wolf-whistles and claps, all of which served to piss Booth off even more. He hated that his Bones was up on stage like that; on display for other men to look at, even though there was nothing indecent about the whole spectacle, he felt it was just wrong. And it was very wrong that he couldn't bid on her. Booth knew it was Hacker's rule that stopped him from entering the contest and he silently vowed to make Hacker pay for that little prank.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come to our final contestant of the evening. You've all already met her, Dr. Temperance Brennan." Hacker swept his hand dramatically in her direction, but was startled by the dead-pan stare he received from her. She wasn't smiling as the other woman had done and in fact, Hacker thought he heard a faint growl from deep within her throat, but thought better of it; _Tempe wouldn't growl…would she?_

The bidding immediately opened at $3,000 for Brennan, an unknown bidder from the very back of the room called out his offer.

Sully countered $3,500.

Cullen entered the race $3,600, then smiled at Booth, letting his star Agent know that he was trying.

Sully countered $3,700.

Max spoke up $4,000.

Sully: $4,100

Williams: $4,500, with a slight nod to Booth from across the room.

Sully: $4,700.

Max: $4,780 (that was as high as he could go).

Sully: $5,000 (with a snicker).

Hodgins finally entered the race at $5,500.

Sully: $5,600.

Unknown man from the back: $6,000. (This caused Booth to jerk his head around to try to locate the man, but he had no luck, the room was too crowded behind him. His possessive hackles rose as his jaw clenched; Booth didn't like not knowing who else was bidding on his girl).

Sully: $6,500.

Hodgins: $6,800.

Sully: $6,900.

Unknown man: $7,000.

Hodgins: $7,100.

Sully: $7,200.

Hodgins: $7,500.

Sully: $7,800.

Hodgins: $8,000.

Sully jumped it, huffing in exasperation of the tediousness: $8,300.

The crowd was getting into the excitement of a bidding war and clapped wildly, while Booth was sweating beneath his bowtie, finding it difficult to breathe as he eyed his beautiful partner. He skimmed his eyes over her face and body. The multi-colored stage lights caught every little movement of her sapphire and diamond jewelry, sending prisms out to the audience. Her creamy, porcelain skin appeared flawless beneath the lighting. Her pale blue eyes, filled with trepidation, never wavered from his face. He swallowed the lump in his throat, silently praying that the whole spectacle would soon be over.

Hodgins: $8,500.

Sully: $8,700.

Unknown man: $9,000. (_Who the __**fuck **__is that_, Booth wanted to know).

Sully: $9,500 (also curious to know who his competition was).

Hodgins: $10,000. (Locking eyes with Booth, Hodgins shrugged, not knowing how long this might continue).

Booth leaned forward and grabbed Wendell's shoulder, pulling the man to face him. "Go find out who that is back there. Now." Booth left no room for argument and his hockey teammate slowly rose from his seat and wove his way towards the back of the room.

Sully: $10,200. (_I know what you're up to, Bug-guy_…. He glared at the back of Hodgins' head).

Unknown guy: $10,500. (Booth's jaw clamped, causing his lips to form a tight line).

Hodgins: $10,700.

Sully: $11,000. (_They've gotta be running outta funds soon_…)

Unknown man: $12,000.

Hodgins: $12,500.

Sully: $13,000.

Unknown man: $14,000.

Sully: $14,500.

Hodgins: $15,000 ("Booth, man, that's my limit; I can't spend more than $20,000 without prior approval from the Board managing my Trust Estate, and I already spent $5,000 on Angie. I didn't think he'd go this high…")

"Fuck", Booth groaned as he met Brennan's eyes. Immediately, she knew something was wrong.

Sully: $16,000.

Unknown guy: $16,500.

Sully: $17,500.

Wendell returned from his quest, leaning in towards Booth, he whispered. "He's some big donor; here with the secret service, Booth. He's a guy named Peters. Has a whole friggin' army surrounding him…"

Booth shook his head slightly and shrugged, not knowing the man by name. He looked back at Sully and glared as his former colleague smirked deviously at Booth's obvious discomfort. But in secret, Sully was starting to sweat; he was fast approaching his limit…

Unknown man (after deliberation): $18,000.

Sully: $19,000 (there it is, Sully's breaking point).

Booth noticed the outer shell that Tim Sullivan had put up cracked. He saw defeat in the man's eyes. Normally that would have eased Booth's heart, but the unknown spoke up again, bringing him back to the reality that someone other than he was going to have Bones on the first dance.

$20,000.

Booth stood to his full height and turned towards the back of the room, searching for the face of the current high bidder. When he caught sight of him, he tried to search the recess of his mind to figure out if he knew him. Nothing. No recollection at all.

The unknown, Peters, locked eyes with Booth and nodded amicably, not realizing the dangerous game he was playing.

Booth turned back towards the stage, pinning his Bones with a hard stare and determined jaw. He hated to see the vulnerability of his partner up on stage by herself; on display; on auction… Booth moved his eyes to Hacker. "$21,000!" Booth's voice bellowed in the room, drawing everyone's attention away from the man they had all assumed would be the winning bidder.

"Agent Booth," Hacker called into the microphone, "you are not allowed to bid on your own partner. That's the rule." Hacker smiled nervously, knowing he was going to regret this plan.

"You gunna turn down a $21,000 donation to the children, Hacker?"

The audience cheered, siding with Booth.

"$21,500!" The unknown man stood from his seat and squared his shoulders while facing the Agent through the distance separating them.

"$22,000." Booth turned on his heels and stalked through the now-parting crowds, making his way back to the slightly taller, but much less-built, man. He set his jaw and fisted his hands at his side as he tilted his head forward slightly, keeping his eyes on the competition as he approached.

"Agent Booth!" Hacker's voice came through the loud speakers. "You are breaking the rules!"

"$23,000." Now it was a matter of principle; the unknown didn't want to be beaten by the Special Agent.

"$24,000." Booth's voice was deep as he stepped into the man's personal space, only to be blocked by what he was sure were body guards. Booth shouldered his way between them, "Back off, pal." His words were quiet and threatening.

"$25,000." The arrogant man raised his chin, looking down at Booth; daring the agent to bid again.

"$26,000." Booth's tone was deadpanned, meeting the challenge and offering one of his own. "You're not gunna win this, man. I don't know who the hell you are, but you need to back the fuck off, _now_."

The man stilled his features. "I'm a big fan of Dr. Brennan's, Agent Booth. And I _will_ win this. $27,000."

Without missing a beat, Booth spoke up, "$28,000."

Suddenly the tension in the room was so thick it was almost palpable. Silence surrounded the stand-off as the two tuxedo-clad men stood face to face, like two wolves vying for the alpha position. Hacker stood, wiping his brow clean of the sweat that had built up as his imagining of the impending confrontation he was destined to have with Seeley Booth.

Before either man could speak up again, Brennan stepped forward and swiped the microphone from Hacker. "I'll match Agent Booth's donation, penny for penny. That makes the current bid $56,000. In Booth's favor. I will _not_ match the other bidder's offer."

The crowd turned her direction, still silent, but in awe at the history they were witnessing.

The interruption stumped the unknown man, who stood in stunned silence as Booth started to move away from him. "Wait! That's not ethical! Dr. Brennan can't bid on herself!"

Without waiting for another interruption, Hacker saw his chance and dropped the gavel against the wood block resting atop the podium. "Winner, Special Agent Seeley Booth! We can't turn down that kind of donation, right folks?" He pointed the small wooden hammer in Booth's direction as the man wove his way purposefully through the cheering crowd, his eyes never leaving Brennan's as their matching smiles threatened to break free.

Suddenly, Booth's progress was halted by Sully as the intoxicated man rose on shaky legs. "Where the hell did you get that kind of money, Booth!?" Sully's voice carried loud enough for the clapping attendees immediately surrounding him to hear. "You know, the check has to come from _you_, you bastard." Sully pointed his finger into Booth's chest and the larger agent pulled back and with a swift right hook, sent Sully to the floor in the blink of an eye. The crowd quieted down, astonished at yet another unexpected turn of events. They were witness, not only to a record-breaking fundraiser, but also to an unspoken passion between an Agent, who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and his Partner, who stood demurely up on stage watching it all play out in front of her.

Booth leaned over the floored man and growled in response. "Don't _ever_ touch me again, Tim. Don't you _ever_ lay a finger on me; and stay the _fuck_ away from Bones. Or you'll end up much worse off than you are now, you goddamn drunk." Booth moved away as the applause was renewed, and he made his way through the remainder of the crowd.

Behind him, Sully struggled to regain his footing and started to follow Booth, intent on exacting his revenge for the public embarrassment Booth had just caused. He was cut off, however, by a man he recognized, but couldn't quite place.

"Son, I think you'd better leave that situation alone…" the man spoke quietly while pinning him with an intense glare.

"Who the hell are you? Get outta my way, old man, this is none of your business." Sully tried to push past the man only be feel an unexpected grip of steel lock around his arm.

"See, now, _that's_ where you're mistaken; this is, in fact, my business…Let's take a little walk, shall we…?" The man quietly, but firmly, guided the intoxicated former-Agent through the crowd. "We've never had the opportunity to meet in person, Tim Sullivan. But I'm about to remedy that… My name's Max. Max Keenan. Temperance is my little girl; and she's told me quite a lot about you…"

The men exited through a side door, mostly unnoticed, and moved out into the lobby.

B/B/B/B

Booth reached the stage stairs and extended his hand to Brennan as she walked down slowly; blushing at the attention she'd received from the entire room for the second time that evening. Booth tried to contain the emotion he was feeling, but it was hard to reel it in after such a heated 'bidding' battle. Not trusting his lips near her, he pulled her into his side instead, resting his wide palm against her satin covered hip. As they made their way over to the table to fill out their respective checks, he forced himself to keep his eyes forward, afraid of turning his head in her direction, knowing that once he did that, his willpower would be history.

The line that formed behind Booth and Brennan grew quite long as the other participants joined in, prepared to make their donations official. Everyone was jovial, congratulating the partners on an amazing, _astounding_, display of generosity. A few of the guys Booth knew to be first- or second-year rookies approached him cautiously and cheered him on regarding his handling of Tim Sullivan. Booth didn't like losing his temper, it always made him upset, but he justified it the minute Sully put a finger against him. He just hoped that the incident wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. Looking around, he noticed the absence of his girlfriend's ex, and he hoped that Sullivan was gone for good, having taken the hint finally.

After settling their donations, each writing a separate check from the same checkbook, they smiled as they made their way back towards their table, her arm looped through his. "You wanna go check out the silent auction, too, Bones?" Booth leaned in and whispered, "There may be something out there that _I_ can actually afford…" He chuckled when she nudged him with her shoulder.

"Sure, Booth. We can do that. Just let me grab my wine."

They grinned as Parker approached, obviously with something on his mind. Booth looked down at his boy with a raised eyebrow, "Hey Bub. You alright?"

"Dad, are you rich?" Parker's bluntness was so much like Brennan's that Booth had to laugh.

"Not anymore, kiddo." Booth chuckled as he squatted before his son. He grew serious and looked into Parker's brown eyes. "No, Parker, I'm not rich."

"Hayley and Emma said you must be as rich as Bones because you both spent the same amount of money on her dance. But I told her we're not rich."

Not wanting to get into finances with an eleven-year-old, Booth just shook his head slightly, "Parks, we're comfortable, alright? Now, don't worry about money, don't get into discussions about money. We're all rich in our own ways, ok?"

The bouncy blond hair on top of Parker's head bobbed along with his movements as he nodded in agreement to his dad's request to not discuss money. "I'm gunna go back over with the girls. We're playing an Angry Birds tournament on Aunt Amy's Tablet."

Booth and Brennan both picked up on how quickly and easily Parker had taken to referring to Amy as "Aunt" and they wondered who prompted the change in address. Booth didn't want to draw unwanted attention that Parker might take as disapproval to the newest familial title, so Booth let it slide, and just stood up as Parker bounced back towards the table. The partners didn't have to say a word; they both knew they were thinking the same thing about Parker's acceptance of Brennan's family as an extension of his own. Looping her arm through Booth's once more, they continued on their way towards the neighboring room, talking quietly, but they were cut off by the announcement calling out to all of the winning bidders to gather their partners and make their way to the dance floor, as the first dance was about to begin.

Booth and Brennan looked around as a flurry of people excitedly made their way towards the center of the room. They turned to face one another, suddenly finding themselves centimeters apart and breathing shallowly. He wanted to crash his mouth to hers; pull her soft, curvy body flush against his hardened frame. She wanted to wrap her arms around his wide shoulders and crush her breasts against his chest, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"That us, Bones. Time to dance." Booth's voice was rough and Brennan knew he was having as much difficulty controlling his urges as she was.

"Yeah. Thank you for bidding on me, Booth. Even though you weren't supposed to."

"Thank you for making it possible for me to win, baby." As they spoke, their faces were pulled closer to the other, as if by an unseen force. "I hated the idea of another man's arms around you… another pair of hands on your hips… Some other man inhaling your scent…_my_ scent…"

His sudden possessiveness caused heat to spread through her abdomen and she felt her cheeks fill with the heat of anticipation. She knew that night would prove to be very passionate; anytime Booth felt their relationship was even slightly threatened, he turned very aggressive _and possessive_ in bed. It was a welcome aggression, though; Brennan knew he would never harm her. In fact, she found, more and more often, that she loved possessive-Booth in bed.

"Dance with me, Booth. Put your arms around me and hold me close." She leaned towards him, inhaling his scent as she let him lead her towards the back end of the polished wood dance floor, finding a relatively private corner in which they could be as close as possible while in public.

He swung her gently around so she faced him, placed his right hand on her left hip and gripped her right hand with his left while looking deep into her crystal clear blue eyes. After standing still for a few moments, just getting lost in each other, Booth slid his hand from her hip around to the small of her back and pulled her tighter against his torso. Brennan closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his right shoulder so her forehead was against his neck. Reaching up and wrapping her arm around his shoulders, she pulled against him with barely-hidden desire. They began to slowly sway to the music, rocking gently to the rhythms resounding over the sound system.

When Booth finally remembered to breathe, he inhaled deeply, getting lost in her perfume, and he finally gave into temptation, lowering his nose into the hair just above her temple. Booth pulled her hand in close, so it was nestled against his chest, while he interwove their fingers intimately. With his back to the rest of the room, Booth planted a feathery light kiss where his lips fell at the tip of her ear.

Shivers ran down his spine when her frail hand found the short hairs at the nape of his neck. She brushed the pads of her fingers against his hairline before cupping the back of his neck. Getting lost in the warmth of his arms, in the strength that surrounded her, she arched her neck ever so slightly and brushed her nose against his neck, bringing it to rest just below his ear so she could breathe him in. Without a second thought and with blatant disregard to where they were, her lips found his skin and she could feel his Adams Apple move beneath her lips as he swallowed in response to her soft kiss.

The feel of her breath, the softness of her lips, caused Booth's libido to skyrocket. He could feel a familiar tugging low in his gut, which ran straight through his body to the base of his spine. Involuntarily, his hips moved against hers, pressing his growing erection into her hip.

"Bones…" he breathed into her ear. The warmth of his breath caused shivers to riddle her body, just as her touch had done to him seconds before. He splayed his hand wide across her lower back, tucking his fingers into the crisscrossed straps he found there and pulled her tighter, repositioning their hips so they aligned perfectly. He knew she had been disappointed that she wasn't able to wear higher heeled shoes, like she was used to wearing to formal affairs; but in that moment, he was happy that she had chosen the shorter height, because it meant she was still shorter than he. He knew it was wrong, but nonetheless, he experienced a satisfaction at looking _down_ into her beautifully smoky eyes, tucking her head _beneath_ his chin, craning his head _downward_ to take in her scent. He knew if he voiced these preferences, she would likely kick his ass. It wasn't that he looked down at her, intellectually or emotionally, he quite simply liked the physical difference in their heights; he enjoyed being larger than her. It gave him a sense that he was protecting her, even though he knew she was capable of protecting herself. It gave him a sense of purpose.

What he didn't know, however, is that she _loved_ feeling smaller next to him. Being a tall woman, she often dated men closer to her height, and she never felt particularly fragile around those men. And despite recognizing the juxtaposition of her desire to be strong and independent versus her feminine desire to feel delicate and treasured, she allowed herself mold against Booth's expansive chest as he swayed them back and forth to the music.

"Bones," he cleared his voice, "I love you…" He kissed her hair softly, not caring at that point who saw their interaction. "I love you so much, baby."

"Mmm, I love _you_, Booth…" she spoke against the side of his throat, letting her lips linger against the male roughness she felt there.

"I have something to tell you, babe." He pulled his face back to gaze down at her, taking in her slightly flushed appearance.

"What's the matter, Booth?" She searched his eyes, wondering about the sudden seriousness that looked back at her.

"Nothing's the matter, Bones." Booth let his eyes dance across her angular features before settling on her eyes once again. "We need to talk to Cullen and Williams tonight. They already cornered me earlier, but wanted to talk to both of us. Asked if we could speak with them in private, following this first dance.

"Are they separating us, Booth? Please don't drag it out, just tell me. Rip the Band-Aid off quickly, Booth. Like you always say…" she started to still their dance, wanting to address the issue immediately.

He didn't let her stop their movement, instead, he forcibly moved her once again. "Bones…Sully opened a case against us; directly with Williams… and that prompted Williams to start questioning Cullen." Booth's voice was quiet as he drew her back into his embrace, and he spoke against her ear once more. "When he approached Cullen, there wasn't a lot Cullen could do to cover our asses…he had to be honest about what he knew. He had to report our relationship…" He gripped her hand in his tighter when he felt her slight panic start to set in.

"Booth…" Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears at the knowledge that their relationship was now in jeopardy, as was their partnership. "What are they going to do? I won't work with another…"

"Shh…" he pressed her hand to his chest then brought his palm to her cheek, catching a tear as it escaped from her lower lid. "Bones, listen baby, we're gonna be alright." He smiled warmly, before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

She looked up at him in curious confusion.

He once again weaved his fingers in with hers while her hand was still against his chest, his palm covering the back of her much smaller hand as he pressed it into himself. "Bones, listen to me." He stilled their movement, but didn't pull away from his partner. "Cullen and Williams are _both_ on our side, baby." He smiled despite himself as he rested his forehead against hers. "Earlier, they reviewed with me, a copy of the complaint that Tim filed. I'll show you, I have a copy. But listen, Caroline is on her way. She'll be here by 9:00. And she's bringing a contract with her."

"Booth…? What does this mean?" She was breathless with anticipation as she listened to the deep timbre of his voice.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, Sully got what was coming to him in the form of a good swift right-hook, compliments of Booth… AND I can only imagine what he and Max are going to *discuss*…. Heh heh heh **

**Yeah, Hacker is an ass… a Total Ass… but in the end, Booth won anyway! Yay! (Did we really have any doubts?) And Who The Hell was that unknown bidder, anyway?**

**So, did you HATE the auction scene? I couldn't do it in paragraph format, it just didn't flow; but at the same time, I didn't want it too wordy. **

**And who wouldn't be proud to see their little boy come out on stage with the President? Hello!? Parker with the President was just a little bit of fun toss in there. After all, the President is actually in charge of the FBI, so naturally he'd go make a presentation, right….? Right….? Welcome to Jazzy's world….**

**Wikipedia provided me with information for the Medals presented by the FBI. There was no mention of a Presidential Set… that was my doing…. But the individual medals, do in fact, exist. **

**Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Sorry there was no smut this chapter, but I promise to make up for it in the very near future! ;) **

**Peace & love my friends, **

**~jazzy**


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N**

**Hello and welcome back! I am sorry for the delay in posting. I had a little heart-to-heart chat with my Muse last night and explained that it was not acceptable for her to go on strike at this time of the year, much less when we are so close to the end of the story… Once I threatened to replace her with a newer model, she seemed to kick into gear and spewed forth with this tiny chapter… OK, so it's not a small chapter and it took mostly all night to write it, but once I got typing, it came pretty easily… **

**I hope you enjoy and as always, I look forward to hearing from you after you've read it! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I STILL do not own Bones… Sad but true. I only own this story line. **

_Chapter 60 end: _

"_Shh…" [Booth] pressed her hand to his chest then brought his palm to her cheek, catching a tear as it escaped from her lower lid. "Bones, listen baby, we're gonna be alright." .…._

_[edited for recap] " Caroline is on her way. She'll be here by 9:00. And she's bringing a contract with her."_

"_Booth…? What does this mean?" She was breathless with anticipation as she listened to the deep timbre of his voice. _

Booth looked deep into Brennan's eyes. "I don't know exactly what the contract will say." He started swaying to the music again so they didn't draw attention to themselves by being the only stationary dancers on the floor. "But Cullen said that if all goes according to preliminary plans, we should be relatively happy with the outcome."

"Relatively happy? I want to be completely happy, Booth. I want to be able to remain partners, and work with you in the field and still go home with you at night. That would make me happy, if it's much less than that, I don't know if I will agree to sign this contract." She squared her shoulders and looked up into his deep brown eyes, daring him to challenge her.

With a smile, he pulled her close. "I love Stubborn-Bones, have I ever told you that?" He leaned into her ear, breathing his words rather than speaking them. "Stubborn-Bones is _hot_, baby…"

Playfully, she pressed him away, resuming their previous dancing-position. "I'm not being stubborn, just honest, Booth. I would hope you think honesty is _hot_, too…" She flashed him a crooked smile and leaned into his shoulder as they continued their dance.

"Every bit of you is hot, Bones. Every. Last. Bit." He swayed her slowly before finishing off the dance with a gentle and subtle dip, affording him a quick flash of her delicious throat and ample cleavage before he pulled her back up to his chest.

They stood staring at each other for second, maybe minutes, neither really knew, but when the music picked up its tempo and nearby dancers infiltrated their quiet moment, they knew it was time to move off the floor.

"C'mon, Bones. Let's check out the Silent Auction until Cullen is ready for us, huh?"

They moved through the crowd, stopping at the table to check on Max, the kids and Pops.

"Where's my Dad, Hank?" Brennan looked around their immediate area, not seeing Max at the bar, on the dance floor or talking with their friends.

"Oh, he, uh, stepped out for air, I think. He was feeling a little warm and just wanted some air. I'm keeping an eye on his drink, making sure these efficient bus boys don't whisk it away." He winked and chuckled, hoping that he didn't give anything away. He knew exactly to where Max had disappeared; but made a promise to his 'partner in crime' to keep Tempe in the dark about his extracurricular activities for the evening. Hank supported the confrontation that Max initiated, and was happy to see that Russ had shadowed his father, just in case things went sideways.

Brennan accepted the explanation and nodded while she picked up her wine glass to take it with her. She turned to Booth, who was engaged in a discussion with Parker.

"Well, you'll have to show me what you saw, buddy, because I want to see it before I agree to bid on it. Bones and I are going over there now, you wanna walk with us? Then you can show me." Booth was squatted down so he could hear Parker over the music. Obviously, the boy had wondered over to the Silent Auction himself and found something the simply couldn't live without. But since he was only eleven, he needed his Dad to bid on the item.

Parker looked up to Bones when she moved to his Dad's side, and smiled up at her warm smile. He blushed when she simply reached out and touched his cheek. "Hi Bones."

"Hey Parker. What are you guys talking about?" She looked from the boy that she loved as if he was her very own, to the man with whom she hoped she would someday share an offspring or two. Feeling her own cheeks heat up at her mental admission, she smiled at Booth as he stood back up, rising to his full 6'1" height.

"Parker wants to show me something over at the Silent Auction." He smiled as Brennan slipped her arm into his. "C'mon, Parks, lead the way, son." Booth smiled as Parker, instead of walking in front of them, fell into step on the other side of Bones. He was once again overwhelmed with gratitude and warmth spreading through his chest, that his son and lover had such an easy relationship with one another. After so much angst and discomfort while Hannah had been in the picture, he was even more grateful that Bones and Parker had rekindled their mutual admiration for one another. Of course, he knew that Parker still secretly had a crush on Bones, (_hell_, what eleven-year-old wouldn't?), but there was something more in the way his son idolized his partner. And the warm way that Bones addressed Parker and spoke to him, almost as more of an adult than a child, demonstrated her belief in Parker's aptitude for intelligence. Booth almost believed that treatment might be more of Parker's measure of crushability than Bones' _incredible_ blue eyes, but he'd never ask his son; Booth would not want to embarrass him and risk the relationship they shared.

The trio made their way into Ballroom B and obtained a bidder number before Parker finally started to pull Booth down an aisle.

"It's this way, Dad. I think you should bid on it… then if you win, we can do it together." Parker's bright smile caused Booth to chuckle as they made their way towards Parker's focus. They stopped abruptly in front of the "Flyers Fans Ideal Gift Pack", and Brennan noted how both of her Booth-boys wore matching smiles as they reviewed, through dreamy eyes, the details that the high bidder would enjoy when winning this auction.

"Bones," Booth looked at her with a youthful excitement she hadn't witnessed in a long time, "Check this out! This kicks ass!" Then he grew serious and looked at Parker, "sorry, Parks, you can't say that. I shouldn't swear, and if you let me hear you say that, you'll be grounded."

Parker rolled his eyes, "yeah, I know Dad, I'm allowed to swear once I turn 18", then Booth joined in, rolling his own eyes in jest, and they spoke in unison, "and _not_ before… I know, I know…" Booth laid his hand on Parker's shoulder and pulled him into his side as they continued to drool over the checklist on which Booth was considering bidding.

Brennan laughed at the conversation; obviously this was a regularly discussed topic, though she hadn't been privy to this specific subject before. She felt a sudden flush of warmth at seeing Booth slip easily into a gentle disciplinarian father-role, so shortly after holding her so-very-intimately on the dance floor. Of course, it was nothing new to watch her partner with his son… But there _was_ something new to being so personally involved with him, sharing so many new intimate secrets, and yet, still seeing that familiar personality shine through. Emotions that she couldn't quite explain invaded her unexpectedly. Booth, _her_ _lover,_ was a spectacular _father,_ and Brennan experienced a spontaneous desire to wrap her arms around him and kiss him senseless. Metaphorically speaking, of course. She felt, in the pit of her stomach, and somewhere within the protective regions of her ribcage, an ache, a want – a need, to give this man something she knew, deep down, that he wanted. Something she _herself_, wanted.

She wanted to give Booth a baby. She wanted to give birth to Booth's offspring. She wanted to make a family with the man at her side…

At the mental image of her own body, swollen with his progeny, she felt a flurry of activity in her abdomen. The butterflies are back… I want to make a child with Booth. I really want this. We talked about it…the night we argued about Hannah…He brought ice cream home for me. His hand was so warm against my skin…against my belly… And the way he looked at me when-

"Hello? Booones…?"

Brennan's eyes snapped into focus when she felt Booth's large hands against her biceps. She was startled to see the concern in his eyes as he stared squarely into her crystal blue orbs. Stepping close, he lowered his voice, "Baby, are you alright? What's wrong, Bones?"

She smiled, feeling a rush of crimson reach cheeks. "No, yeah… I mean, I'm fine, Booth." She wrapped her fingers around his forearms as he still held her in his grasp. "I just – I guess I was just daydreaming…" Brennan was embarrassed that Booth had obviously been trying to get her attention, but she hadn't heard him. "I'm sorry, Booth. That was rude of me…" She lowered her eyes shyly and dropped her voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry." _Does he know what I was thinking? Is he going to be upset with me for thinking like this while we're with his son? What is the contract going to say?_

"Hey, Bones, it's OK…. You don't need to be sorry. I'm the one who's sorry… Apparently you don't get as excited about hockey as Parker and I do… I didn't mean to bore you with these details." He pulled her in for a quick, albeit loose, embrace, not wanting to linger close to her body for too long, otherwise he'd get pulled to her in more ways than one. When he stood back, he smiled at her in good humor, "Did you hear any of what Parker and I were telling you?"

The adorable baffled look that crossed her face made even Parker chuckle in realization that Bones had zoned out. Once again, Booth threw his arm around her, but this time, in a fun, jostling fashion as he pulled her along. He paused just a moment and checked that his Silent bid contained all the pertinent information, before they continued on their journey around the auction room. Parker, who'd already been around the tables twice, received permission to be excused, and declared that he was returning to the table to hang out with the girls.

Booth and Brennan walked slowly along the tables, reading over descriptions of objects and services available for bids. Booth waited for Bones to address her dreaminess, but she seemed content to avoid the topic. He was concerned however, because it wasn't an action she was prone to doing, so he decided to question her.

Leaning against her shoulder as they walked side by side, he nudged her gently, "so, ah, what was that about back there, Bones? What had you so deep in thought, if it wasn't the awesomeness of the "Flyers Fans Ideal Gift Pack"?" He grinned at his own cheekiness, but locked her eyes with an unwavering stare as he awaited her reply.

She shrugged her shoulder and encouraged him to keep walking, by hooking her arm back through his and giving a gentle pull. "I don't know, Booth… I was just thinking." She spoke while they perused the tables, and he remained quiet, allowing her to formulate her sentences, as he knew she was doing in her mind. Finally, as they came to the end of one row of tables, she looked up and caught his gaze. "I was thinking about us, I guess…" She wasn't comfortable having the 'baby' conversation here in the ballroom, and at that realization, she knew that it was an important topic, because she hardly ever shied away from a topic of discussion that she felt was important, regardless of where they found themselves. But somehow, she instinctually knew that was a discussion to have at home. In private. But she could reveal her other concerns. "I am wondering what the contract is going to read. I hope that they don't expect us to partner with other agents…And I hope that they permit us to, you know, be together. But I worry about what we will do if they don't allow it, Booth." She met his soulful, loving expression and something inside of her snapped.

She felt the sudden sting of tears behind her eyes and struggled to keep them at bay. Booth noticed immediately untangled their joined arms and brought his palms to her bare shoulders, squaring their stances so they were face to face. "Bones," he locked his eyes on hers, "we're going to be fine. I already told Williams that if they tried to split us up, they'd lose you all together and Cullen agreed that they won't want that to happen." While keeping his large hands cupped on her shoulders, he let his thumbs slip beneath the bundled spaghetti straps and rubbed them along the length of the straps, feeling the silkiness of her skin beneath his own calloused pads. "Bones, take a deep breath," he could see she was about to lose the battle of her tears and knew how upset she'd be with herself if she lost control of her emotions in public. When her breathing increased in speed, but grew shallow, he saw the first droplet escape from the corner of her left eye. He moved his hand and caught the betraying tear before it rolled down her cheek, "C'mon," he dropped his left hand from her shoulder and grabbed her right hand firmly as he pulled her from their position at the end of the second Auction aisle. Making their way towards a set of French doors, Booth looked around, wondering who might be observing them. Seeing no one specifically watching them, he dropped her hand and looped his forearm around her waist and settled his palm on her hip, pulling her into his side as he opened the door outwards.

The Partners found themselves on an elegantly lit raised patio platform, overlooking the Mandarin's beautifully manicured gardens. Small fairy lights twinkled from topiaries and candles burned at a few small tables spaced far enough apart to afford some privacy to anyone who might sit outside. Booth sighed in relief when he saw that they were alone on the patio. Instinctively knowing that Brennan wouldn't want to sit at a table, he guided her over towards the short stone wall at the far end of the platform.

Without saying a word, she turned into his full embrace as he brought his other arm up to encircle her shoulders. Her head immediately fell to his shoulder and he felt her body shudder as she inhaled and tried to gain some semblance of emotional control. Burying her face against his neck, she did what felt most natural; she looped her arms around his waist, tucked beneath his tux jacket, and gripped the back waistband of his pants, just above his ass. Allowing her the time he knew she needed, he simply held her, quietly tracing his fingers and palms along her back, in no particular pattern.

Finally, he felt her form relax against him and he dipped his head forward and to the side, as he tried to look at her. "Everything alright now, Babe?"

She didn't speak; she simply nodded and hugged him tighter. He kissed her temple and brought his head back upright, then tilted the opposite direction and rested his cheek against her hair. He could feel the softness of her strands, but he also felt the stiffness of the hair spray she used that night to keep her style in place. Stilling his hands, he splayed open his fingers wide, one hand at the small of her back and the other hand just above that, covering the middle of her upper back.

"I'm sorry, Booth." She spoke quietly. Booth felt his skin prickle with the heat of her breath as she spoke. "I don't know what happened back there to make me so upset. I just…I don't know… I just suddenly imagined them telling us that we couldn't work together, or that we can't be romantically involved. It's irrational, I know, because you already advised me that Cullen believes we'll be happy with the outcome of the contract. However, I still feel anxious." She raised her head, causing him to straighten his once more, so he could look down into her now-clear-eyes.

"Don't apologize, Bones. You never have to apologize for emotions. Never." He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there an extra few seconds, just so he could relish the feeling.

Brennan closed her eyes at the touch of his lips and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the scent of Booth. It was his unique smell that helped her calm her nerves. It was his cologne mixed with his body wash and shampoo, mixed with his personal pheromones that had been assaulting her senses for eight years. "Thank you, Booth," she whispered as she opened her eyes back up to meet his.

He smiled that special crooked grin that he only ever flashed at her; the same one that always made her stomach metaphorically flip. He raised his eyes and looked behind his partner then lowered his gaze back to hers. He jerked his chin towards something beyond, "you should turn around, look at the gardens. They're beautiful, Bones." He turned her in his arms, so her back was flush to his chest. He rested his palms on her hips and pressed his jaw and lower cheek against her temple.

"Yes, they have lovely gardens, Booth. The lights look very nice." Brennan's voice was soft as she let her eyes skip across the lavish lawn sprawled out before them. There were a number of topiaries, each aglow with twinkling white miniature lights. There was a small forest of cherry blossom trees, and while they were not in bloom, the trees, like the smaller topiaries, were adorned with twinkling lights.

Brennan felt herself sinking back into Booth's chest and, in doing so, into his warmth. She hadn't realized she was chilly, until she noticed the difference of temperature between her own bare shoulders and arms and Booth's solid chest. Involuntarily, her body shuddered against the cool night breeze, light though it was.

When Booth felt her body shiver, he pulled her closer and raised his hands from her hips, bringing his arms up around her torso, effectively trapping her arms beneath his. When she crossed her forearms across the front of her body, trying to capture some heat, he let his arms follow hers so he essentially wrapped her in his warmth.

"We should go back inside, Bones. You're cold." He whispered, his breath dancing on her neck where he bowed his head to drop a small kiss on her bare skin. "I don't want you to get sick."

"I'm fine for a little while longer, Booth. This is nice out here. It's just the proximity of your body heat against mine that caused me to shiver." She chuckled quietly, "you're like a furnace, you know… Even at night, your body emits a good amount of warmth." She leaned her head back, landing it against the side of his neck. "Mmm…This is much nicer than being inside with everyone." Her statement was spoken absently, almost to herself, but Booth managed to hear it just fine.

"Yeah. It's always better to be alone with you, Bones, than in a crowd." He grinned against her hair just above her ear, where he dropped yet another tiny kiss.

Booth felt his heart rate increase at the mere closeness of his partner. The back of her body pressing against his front was intoxicating, her smell was all-encompassing, and her voice was hypnotic. The curve of her ass pressed into his crotch enticingly and he struggled to control his physiological reactions. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears as he inhaled slowly and deeply.

_This is as perfect a time as ever_, he thought, somewhat nervously. He looked at his lover from the corner of his eyes. _She's so beautiful… Jesus, what if she gets scared… what if she runs again. Everything she has said recently supports her actions…She could have gone back home already, if she really wanted to, but she's still with me. She seeks contact with me more and more every day. She hasn't pushed me away…yet. Will she? Will you, Bones?_ Booth spoke to himself and let his gaze follow hers back out into the gardens. _The evidence is clear…she loves me… And good God, I love her…I would do anything for her. Does she know that? Does she know the extent I would go to for her?_

"Bones?" Booth's voice was rough with nerves, although he tried to keep his volume low, wanting to keep this as intimate as possible.

She turned her face to look at him, leaning a bit to the side so she could see him better. With a raise of her eyebrow, she met his eyes with her own crystal clear oceans. "Yes, Booth?"

Booth's tongue darted out to wet his lips as he rolled them between his teeth; a telltale sign of nerves. "Bones, you know, don't you, that I love you more than anything? You _do_ know that I'd do anything for you, right? No matter what, no matter when… I'd do _anything_, Bones, to make you happy."

Brennan felt a twist in her stomach; _something is different in Booth's eyes_, the thought. _There's a vulnerability there that's not normal. What is he worried about?_ She wrinkled her forehead, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "Yes, Booth. You've told me that. Several times."

"But more than me just telling you, you _know_ it, right? You believe me?"

"Yes. I used to think I didn't have faith. But when Hodgins and I were buried by the gravedigger, he told me that what I had was 'faith' in you. I knew you were looking for us. I knew you wouldn't give up. I knew you would find us. Logically, I had no proof for my beliefs. Yes, I had seen the evidence of your dedication to solving cases, and I knew you would focus on nothing more than locating me and Hodgins. But I had no hard evidence, Booth. So Hodgins told me, and I quote, 'what you've got is faith, baby'…" She wrinkled her nose adorably, "well, maybe that wasn't exactly the verbiage, but it definitely was the message; and he called me 'baby', and then promptly apologized." She leaned her forehead back against his neck as he tightened his hold on her. "And again, most recently, I knew, somewhere deep down, that you would not rest until you found me, no matter the distance that had been between us these past several months. I knew that this kidnapping was no different to when I was taken by the gravedigger; you would not let me down." Once again raising her gaze to his, she smiled over her shoulder. "And all the times in between, Booth… I know the extents you would go to for me. And I hope that you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

Booth kissed her forehead softly, then reestablished their eye contact. "I have a gift for you, Bones."

"Booth – you've done too much for me already… you don't need to buy me gifts." She blushed in flattery at his actions, but didn't want him to think she needed him to make purchases in order for her to love him. However, she couldn't deny the slight excitement she felt blossom in her chest at the fact that she was with a man who loved her enough to buy her things… Never before had a man just randomly bought her things, but she didn't want Booth to feel obligated.

He pulled her tighter to his chest, still trapping her arms beneath his as they crossed her torso. Smiling into her hair as he pressed his lips to the side of her head, he spoke quietly. "This one's different, Bones. I didn't just buy it; I've had it for a while." He took a deep breath, albeit slightly shaky, and continued. "But you need to promise me something, Bones."

Leaning back against him, she smiled into the night, admiring the twinkling lights while listening to the deep tenor timbre of his voice. "I promise, Booth."

He chuckled, "you don't know what you're promising yet, Baby…" He dipped his head and kissed her shoulder lightly.

Through the closed French doors behind them, they could head the band's music as it transformed from upbeat, dancing songs to a slower ballad, surely welcoming couples back up to the dance floor. Unconsciously, Booth started swaying gently in time with the tempo, and she easily followed, allowing him to tighten his hold even more. "It doesn't matter what it is, Booth. If you're asking me for a promise, then I will promise." She turned her head to gaze at him over her shoulder, and in doing so, she caught a hint of concern in his deep brown eyes.

He lowered his gaze to her kissable lips then back up to her bottomless blue pools. "Just promise me, Bones…that you won't run. Promise me that if you get the inclination that you need to get out of this relationship for some reason, or that I am smothering you, or _anything_ else that might trigger your flight tendencies once more, you'll talk to me first."

"Booth, if I wanted to run, I would have already. I'm done running; I told you that and I am certain of that… I don't say things I don't mean. I love you, and I am not going anywhere. You have my word."

His relieved smile spread wide across his handsome face and she found herself falling a little more in love with the boyish happiness she saw in his eyes. Moving his right hand briefly from where he was holding her arm, he reached into his tux pocket. Not knowing exactly what he was doing, Brennan found herself simply missing the warmth of his arm around her, and found its absence, however brief, to be disturbing. But as soon as she thought it, his arm encircled her once more, reintroducing the heat that she so desperately wanted to feel.

He kissed her cheek and spoke quietly, his voice was thick and deep, "OK, Bones. I need you to listen to me. Don't freak out, alright? I know where you stand on tradition, Bones, and I'm not asking you to go against that belief. I don't want you to change your views; I don't want you to change a damn thing. I'm not trying to pressure you; I just wanna give you a gift." He felt her body stiffen slightly and his mind started to panic. _She knows what I want… She's jumping to the conclusion that I want it right now… Gotta get through this before she bolts_… Booth quickly reeled in his thoughts and worked his way through his semi-prepared-speech, which was quickly fleeting from the recesses of his brain. "Bones, I love you and I've waited all my life to be with someone like you; someone who challenges me, respects me, supports me, and loves me." He let his eyes skip over her angular features, falling further in love with her as he spoke. "I will stand by you, no matter what, you have my word. I will never, _ever_, leave you, Bones."

Brennan was listening intently to Booth's voice, to his words, and read his body language like only she could. _He wants my commitment. What else would have him so nervous? He knows my past views of monogamous relationships; he's worried that I am going to change my mind_…

"Bones, don't read more into it than its intention… I only want to give you this as a token of my love. It's a sign of my devotion to you and it's my promise, my word, that I love you, and _only_ you… I know I'm not perfect, but I'm trying, Bones. I try my best to be a good man. And I don't have a lot to offer you, other than everything I am, everything I own. And I offer you my heart, Bones; here on a silver platter, I offer everything that makes me Seeley Booth, and I ask you to accept it." He could see her pulse increase at the pressure point just below her ear, and her mouth was slightly open so she could inhale deeply as she listened to him, never breaking eye contact. "Bones, I would be honored, if you would accept this…" His right hand moved once again, this time sliding from where he grasped her left arm at the elbow and he settled down at her wrist, before moving slowly to her hand. "You don't have to wear it all the time if you don't want, but maybe sometimes, when we go out, you can show it off…" He moved measuredly slow as his hand trailed to the ends of her fingers.

She could feel cold metal moving against the tip of her ring finger, but she never once wavered in their eye contact, and he never once blinked. Slowly, she felt his fingers push what was undoubtedly a ring onto her left hand. She felt it glide onto her slender finger, an unmistakably perfect fit, and she knew that when she looked down, she was going to cry…Booth had bought her something that she never, _ever_, dreamed she would have. Without even knowing what it looked like, she knew it would be beautiful; she knew, because it was something that he had chosen…and had fitted to her size…something he bought specifically for her… And she felt a lump in her throat the size of a golf ball and she was frozen in place. She was not terrified; she was not at all ready to run; she was ready to make her own promise to the one man who'd been at her side through all the rough patches over the past eight years. The one man who'd promised to never leave her, and although they tried to distance themselves, they always came back to each other – he never left her… _Just like he promised... Now it's my turn to make the promise, _she thought_. He's kept his word all this time, even when I made it so hard on him by turning down his offer; he still stayed by my side. I promise him…I promise_.

Booth felt a rising panic at her silence. "It doesn't have to mean anything traditional if you don't want it to, Bones. But I would be… _honored_… if you would wear my ring. I don't want to scare you; I'm not doing this to push you away. I'm offering this to you because I love you, more than I've ever loved any other human being. And I want the world to know that you are loved. I want everyone who looks at you to know, there's a man waiting for you at home, a man who has devoted himself to you completely. And I want you to remember that, above all else: I am completely, totally, devoted to you and to your happiness. I swear, I will be loyal to you; I will be honest with you; I will be there for you. I will never leave your side, even when you push me and try to make me go away… I may give you some space, some breathing room, but I will never leave. You wear your mother's ring on your right hand; will you wear mine on your left? Will you accept this as my vow that when, _and if_, you're ever ready to move beyond a Promise Ring, I will be ready as well? And if you never want to take that step, it's OK. As long as I can be at your side, and have you at mine, that's good enough for me. I love you, Bones…Temperance…And I just…" Booth started to choke up, fighting back tears of his own when he saw her eyes start to fill with unshed emotion. "I just ask you to please be with me, Bones. Be with me as much as you can; be with me for as long as you can. I know you don't believe in 'forever,' but if we take it one day at a time, we can find 'forever' together, baby, I know we can…"

With that, he raised her hand, flat out in his own palm, and held it for her to see. He lowered his own gaze, breaking the eye contact first, and caught his breath at the sight of her fragile, yet strong hand, held tenderly in his much larger one; a sapphire and diamond ring to match the rest of her set, catching the rays of light from the hundreds of twinkling bulbs surrounding them. It was a sight he thought he'd never get to see…It was a sight he'd dreamed of, only in the furthest recesses of his mind, as he knew she didn't believe in marriage. But this – this ring was not intended to be an engagement ring…Well, initially it may have been his plan, but he knew instinctually, that if he pushed too hard, no matter how many times she promised, he would break her…and that was the definitely _not_ what his heart wanted.

Slowly, Brennan moved her eyes from where they had locked on the side of his chiseled face when he looked down at their joined hands. She could feel her fingers trembling in his much steadier grip and when her eyes found the point of focus that has grabbed his attention, she gasped. A small cry escaped her throat without permission and the tears that she had been fighting to keep at bay sprang loose from beneath her lower lids, rolling slowly down her cheek and falling silently onto his jacket sleeve.

"Don't be scared, please don't be afraid," he looked at her rolling tears and brought one of his fingers up to brush the wetness away. "I don't want to scare you, baby. I just want…I just want _you_, Bones. Just like you are; I don't want you to change, I don't want you to give up your work or your independence. I love all those things about you…"

"Booth-" she choked, barely audible. "Oh my God, Booth…it's beautiful… It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen." Her voice was thick with emotion that she was trying to fight. The large blue sapphire in the center of the setting threw a rainbow of prisms against her dress. The diamonds surrounding the marquis cut sparkled in the night, catching the reflections of their only witnesses: the fairy lights in the night. "It's… It… it matches my necklace and earrings, Booth…" she raised her eyes quickly to find that he was watching her while she spoke. "You mined this stone also? This is one of yours?"

He nodded silently as the pad of his thumb started to caress her fingers across her knuckles. He pulled her hand up higher, bringing it to his lips, and he pressed a firm kiss to her soft skin. "It's yours now, Bones… If you'll accept it. Please? Please don't leave, Bones; don't be scared… I promise that I'm not trying to pressure you." His eyes watered as he looked into her crying cerulean oceans. "I just want people to know… I want _everyone_ to know that you have someone who loves you, beyond any shadow of a doubt. To hell with whatever comes of our meeting tonight. I want people to know that you are loved. That _I_ am the man who loves you. I am the man who's always loved you, Bones."

Turning quickly in his arms, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself into his chest. "Booth," she cried into his neck, "It's beautiful. I love it. I love you. Yes, I accept it…of course I accept it. But I am going to wear it _all_ the time, Booth, not only when we go out… This ring deserves to be seen, not tucked into a drawer and brought out only on special occasions… Is that alright?"

He splayed his large hands across her back and pulled her impossibly close, pressing her chest to his, his hips to hers, their thighs aligned perfectly. "Of course that's alright, Bones… I want you to wear it as often as you want. I'd love you to wear it every day, if that's what you want." He pressed his lips to her temple, his breathy words sending shivers down her spine as they crossed the shell of her ear. "I am honored that you want to wear it often."

She pulled back and palmed his face, looking deep into his eyes, and then she slowly let her eyes dance across the rest of his face. She visually drank in his strong features, his masculine jawline, the soft curve of his strong lips, and the straight line of his nose, marred only by a small bump – a result of a broken nose courtesy of his captors when he was a prisoner of war. _Whoever set his nose did a good job_, she momentarily thought, _if I hadn't seen his medical history, I might not have known his nose was ever broken_. She moved her eyes to his high cheekbones, followed quickly by the hollow of his cheeks just below said cheekbones. _He is very symmetrically balanced…He is very handsome…and he loves me. He loves me for who I am. I don't have to pretend, I don't have to be worried about what he thinks of me when I don't understand something. Booth loves __me_…

"I'm the one who's honored, Booth. You've always been so patient with me. You've always protected me, even when I didn't think I needed protection. You pulled me with you when I tried to push you away… You never gave up, you never stopped loving me…you never went back on your word. And I don't intend on ever going back on mine. I am proud to wear your ring. I am touched, beyond my capability of actually being able to verbalize my feelings, Booth. I have all these emotions going through me right now, and I can't even put a name on them. But I can name my feelings for _you_… I'm in love with you; you make me happy; you fill the emptiness I've always felt; you make me want to do my job more thoroughly, not for the sake of science, but for the sake of justice; you make me a better woman, Booth. And I am, in the simplest of terms, humbled by your gift." She leaned up and pressed her lips to his, not caring who saw or who didn't. She wanted to, she _needed_ to taste him, feel him, smell him, touch him… And as he brought his own hands up to cradle her angular jaw that he loved so much, they deepened their kiss and let their tongues dance to a song as old as time.

They lost track of how long they'd been outside, simply holding onto each other, dancing to the muffled sounds of the band from the other side of the closed doors. They talked about nothing and everything. They made additional promises to each other. They kissed. They touched. They nipped and sucked.

Booth made her wear his jacket when she refused to go back inside, claiming to be enjoying herself too much to be bothered with the stuffy rooms filled with idle chatter. Having lost all track of time, the pair continued to dance - sometimes slow dancing while pressing their bodies impossibly close together, other times fast dancing jitter-bug style while laughing at themselves. Whether Booth was swinging her at arm's length or Brennan was wrapping her arms firmly around his broad shoulders, they never broke contact with each other.

The rest of the world faded away, as was often the case, the longer they spent in each other's arms. A sudden and unexpected clearing of one's throat brought them back to reality mid-dip, and both partners froze in their tracks, looking towards the door; Brennan, while her head was still upside down, her neck craning and exposing her throat to her now-distracted-partner, who was currently hunched over her arched body, his arm wrapped securely around her back for support and holding her hand in his other. Pulling her back upright, it took a moment for Brennan to regain her balance after the blood rushed to her head. Once Booth was certain his girl was stable, he turned to face Cullen.

"Uh, hi sir..." He didn't know what else to say, but the smirk on his boss's face told Booth that he wasn't in too much trouble. He moved towards where Cullen stood, not far from the now-open French door, and Brennan immediately looped her right arm through Booth's left.

Cullen smiled, having watched them dance for a little while, and he chuckled internally at the matching guilty looks his best team was giving him. He knew they were meant for each other, he'd been rooting for the pair for years, but he couldn't admit that to anyone. But hopefully, in a few moments, they would be able to show the world what only a select few were privy to. "Booth, Temperance, I've been looking for you. Caroline is here, and she's ready to talk if you are." He looked from one apprehensive face to an even more anxious one. "Relax, you two." He patted Booth on the bicep and smiled at Brennan. "You guys look terrified. But just a few short minutes ago, you were both so happy; I saw it with my own eyes…" His smile grew as Brennan leaned against Booth, almost imperceptibly. As she moved, she raised her left hand across her body, and joined it with her right hand, which peeked out from the crook of Booth's elbow. The new addition to her hand did not go unnoticed by the keen Deputy Director and slowly, he nodded his head, still smiling. "Happy indeed…" He caught Booth's eye and gave him a look of approval, "very nice."

Booth bowed his head, studying his shifting feet as he tried to swallow the happy laughter that was struggling to break free. When he reestablished eye contact with his boss, after taking a deep breath, he nodded, "we're ready, sir. Sorry to have kept you waiting. I guess we, uh, just got dstracted out here. It's such a nice night, y'know?" He shrugged guiltily, and flexed the arm Bones held, feeling her fingers tighten their grip.

Cullen looked to Brennan, ensuring she was also ready to talk to Caroline, and she nodded readily.

"Alright, then. C'mon you two." Cullen turned and walked back into the crowded room, motioning for the partners to follow.

Trailing only steps behind his boss, Booth quickly dropped a kiss on Brennan's temple before they entered the ballroom from the patio. "I love you, Bones," he whispered, to which she replied with a simple, but honest smile.

B/B/B/B

"Well, it's about time. You two think I have all night to sit around waiting for you? I have some hob-nobbin' to do tonight also, you know…" Caroline tried to hide the smile that threatened to break loose while making a fuss at the time it took Cullen to track down the partners.

Booth grinned in return, ushering Brennan further into the room, his hand planted firmly on her lower back. "It's good to see you, too, Caroline. I hope all is well back at home in Louisiana?"

Caroline waved off the comment with a flourish that only she had. "Oh, those people…Sometimes I can't even believe they're my relatives… But you can't very well pick your family, now, can ya…" She eyed Booth sideways as he moved over to the small table that was centered in the room. "And I hear that you were quite successful in locating the guilty parties involved in the kidnapping of your Lady-Scientist?" She spoke of Brennan as if the anthropologist wasn't in the room, but Brennan paid no attention. After finally getting used to Caroline's humor, she knew the US Attorney's Prosecutor meant no harm at the playful title.

Booth smiled and nodded the affirmative, "We sure were, weren't we Bones? We did what needed to be done."

His lover smiled at him in agreement as she moved her eyes towards movement from the opposite side of the room. Gaining Booth's attention as well, the door opened wide and through it came two armed Secret Service guards, followed by the President, who was then followed by two more guards.

Growing instantly serious and quiet, Booth dropped his hand from Brennan's back and stood tall, falling into an old habit of standing at attention, long drilled into his brain from years of service in the US Army. While the President may not be an officer in the military, Booth had still been instilled with the etiquette expected of an Army Ranger when, and if, he was ever presented with the opportunity to meet the leader of their country.

Brennan, however, simply tilted her head sideways slightly and smiled at the taller man. "I would have thought you had better things to do than stay at an FBI Banquet, Mr. President. Aren't there more pressing matters at hand?" Her question was not intended to be disrespectful or rude; it was a perfectly logical question, as far as Temperance Brennan was concerned.

Booth, on the other hand, became immediately mortified and turned his eyes to his partner in disbelief as his picture perfect stance faltered. "Booooones!" he growled through clenched teeth, "that's not how you address the President of the United States!" He gently placed his hand on her arm to turn her in his direction as he leaned in close, "You should apologize, Bones…"

Brennan turned her enlarged blue eyes in the President's direction and caught the smirk that he tried to wipe off his face at experiencing, first-hand, what he'd been warned about all night, starting with the young Parker Booth. Temperance Brennan was blunt and to the point, but meant no harm in the words she spoke. When she opened her mouth to apologize, (for what, she wasn't quite certain), the President immediately shook his head, "No, no. There's no need to apologize, Dr. Brennan, your directness is a welcome change to what I'm used to." He smiled and extended his hand towards the FBI Consultant. "Thank you for meeting with me; I know you have a busy night, so I won't keep you long."

She shook his hand attentively and let her smile grow while she flashed a momentary _I-Told-You-So-Look_ in Booth's direction before responding to her boyfriend's ultimate boss. "It's our pleasure, Mr. President. I don't think we were aware you were going to be part of the meeting," turning back to Booth, "_were_ we?" She raised an eyebrow in question, wondering if Booth had forgotten to include that little tidbit of information when he told her they were meeting with Caroline.

Booth shook his head at her question and took his place returning the President's firm handshake. "No, Sir, we didn't know. Sorry to have kept you waiting. We, um, lost track of time."

A sarcastic voice from behind interrupted the conversation, "OH, I see… It's _OK _to leave Caroline Julian waiting… but _Noooo_, let's _apologize_ for keeping the _President_ waiting…No respect, I tell you…" the woman grumbled playfully as she pulled folders from her briefcase and set them on the table, waving everyone over to join her. "C'mon you people… get over here. You too, Mr. President. Sit." She pointed at a seat, and in her typical creole charming style, ordered them where to plant themselves.

Finally, they were joined by Williams, who could be heard excusing himself as he entered the room discreetly, squeezing in the barely-opened door. As he closed the door behind him, he rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "_Finally_! I don't know how you manage to work with that Daisy Wick, Agent Booth…She could talk a dead horse to the grave." He grinned as he moved across the room to the seat that Caroline was pointing to, while watching him, un-amused.

"Oh, Booth doesn't have to work with Ms. Wick, Director Williams, she's my intern. _I_ have to work with her. Though, I don't completely understand your metaphor of talking to dead horses, seems an illogical thing to do if the horse is dead… even if the horse was alive it wouldn't make sense to converse with it, as they cannot communicate in return… And while Ms. Wick can be annoying at best, she is not illogical… However, I _do_ think I understand the gist of what you're trying to convey. She talks _a lot_."

Booth snickered and lowered his eyes to his folded hands where they rested on the table. He'd explain the metaphor later…

"Well, now that we're all here, shall we begin? I think there are other things we'd like to be doing besides sitting in this stuffy room together; am I right?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at the good doctor and gave her a crooked, disbelieving smile before shaking her head gently and matching the eyes of everyone around the table.

"Please," the President responded with a chuckle and gentle extension of his hand, indicating that he was quite ready to begin. Everyone else nodded in agreement as Caroline passed out copies of the forms she had pulled from her bag.

"Alright, I think we all know why we're here," she began gruffly, and then broke into a broad smile aimed at the partners. "You two are finally ready to admit what we've all been saying for eight years, now, aren't you?" Her voice became playful as she let her southern accent peek through, a saccharine sweet drawl that caused everyone to break out in a smile in response.

"What you have before you is a copy of a custom-contract drawn up specifically for your situation, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. As you both know, the FBI has a standing policy that prohibits partners from entering into a personal relationship while remaining partners. I have gone through amendments, rewrites and overrides and everything in between, but there were no loop holes into which you two could slip, allowing you to continue your relationship. However, you are the most successful team the FBI has, and to split you prematurely would not benefit anyone, least of all, the FBI. In contradiction to popular belief, the government is pretty intelligent, and we have obtained the appropriate permission from the highest ranking official to proceed with this amendment to the standing policy. And, in case you haven't figured it out yet, that highest ranking official is, in fact, the President. The President of the United States is ultimately in charge of the FBI, and Mr. Williams over here, reports directly to him." Caroline was speaking directly to Booth and Brennan, but everyone paid close attention to what she was saying.

Booth looked to the President with slight apprehension, "so, you knew, sir, when you were awarding us tonight, that we were already in a relationship?"

"I did," he replied. "I knew as soon as I had word that you had saved Dr. Brennan from her captor, and she was staying with you, that you were more than partners. Of course, that was all speculation until Cullen and Williams came to me last week, with a rough draft of this contract." He grinned and his eyes sparkled with mischief, "of course, if I didn't know already, your boy would have given you away. He's thrilled that you two are together, you know." He glanced between the partners, "but don't be upset, he swore me to secrecy as soon as he spilled the beans. Begged me not to fire you once he learned that the FBI actually reported up to me."

Booth groaned and put his face into his palms, "Oh, Parks…" he whispered in exasperation then looked at Brennan with a small smile, "I should have known my kid couldn't have kept his excitement contained for too long. He loves you too much."

She reached over and patted his arm in consolation as Caroline continued.

"Yeah, yeah, are we ready to continue?" She was no-nonsense and ready to get this meeting over. "If you want to take it home and read it and sign it at a later date, that's fine, but I can summarize it if you'd rather."

"Was the contract drawn up by yourself, Caroline, or by someone else?" Brennan inquired in response to her question.

"I did it. You think I'm gonna trust the future of my best team to someone else? Now, now, Dr. Brennan, how long have you known me?" Caroline gave her an incredulous look at such a suggestion.

Brennan shrugged and looked to Booth, "I'm fine with a summary; I trust Caroline. What about you, Booth? Would you rather wait and have my attorney review it before we sign it?"

"NO," he answered, almost too quickly. Regaining his composure, he lowered his voice a bit, "no, I don't need to wait. I know Caroline wouldn't put something in here that would adversely affect our partnership."

The pair looked back to Caroline and Booth spoke for them, "Nope, we're good Caroline, we'll sign." He grabbed a pen from the center of the table and started to flip to the last page.

"Wait a moment, Agent Booth," Caroline laughed, "I am obligated to explain what you're signing before you sign it," she snagged the pen from his tight grip and eyed him seriously, as a mother would her young child, if he were acting up in public. "_Listen_."

Booth sat back in his seat and looked from Caroline to Cullen, who was having trouble containing his own grin.

Caroline grew serious, all business, and gained the attention of the partners in question as well as the other three men sitting at the table. "OK, this contract is an addendum to Policy A13-1783, paragraph 13, which prohibits fraternization between FBI partners under any circumstance. It will also override, with special provisions, Policy Amendment PD89-73, which states that FBI partners, including contracted non-employees, will have their professional partnership severed if they are determined to be in an intrapersonal relationship at any time during their service to the FBI. This contract was drawn up specifically for Special Agent Seeley Joseph Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute's Medico-Legal Lab and can at any time be revoked upon determination that either of you are in breach of the contents herein.

"The contract, in summary, states that you have gained the permission from the Deputy Director of the DC Field Office, the Head Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the President of the United States of America, as leader of the FBI, to enter into an intrapersonal relationship as long as certain provisions are adhered to. While at work, you are both expected to act in a professional manner, keeping all personal conversation out of the workplace. You are to continue your weekly therapy sessions with Dr. Lance Sweets, FBI Psychologist, or his successor should he not continue as your therapist. If at any time, Dr. Sweets or his successor observes behavior that is deemed unprofessional or dangerous to your professional partnership, said partnership will be put under continued close observation, and the volatility of continued partnership will be determined at that time. If, at any time, your personal relationship interferes with the success of your professional partnership, said partnership may be severed. If your personal relationship is, at any time, determined a liability to the FBI, or to your professional partnership, or to any open case on which you are working, or to your individual lives or those of your colleagues, said partnership may be severed. In order for your partnership to be severed, the signatures of two of the three highest ranking officials will be required, however in order to pass this Addendum, the signatures of all three officials is required, hence the reason we're all here tonight."

Caroline looked between the partners, then to the gentlemen present before continuing. "Are there any questions regarding what I've just explained?"

"Nope, where do we sign?" Booth's response was immediate and Brennan readily agreed with an earnest shake then nod of her head as she grabbed for another pen from the middle of the table.

"Mr. President, Mr. Williams, Mr. Cullen, do any of you have anything to add to this summary?"

A unanimous "no" resounded from all three.

"Alright, if we are all ready, then, I will have Agent Booth sign, and then Dr. Brennan, and finally, the three of you will sign in turn." Caroline turned the original document towards Booth and indicated where he should sign while returning his pen to him.

After everyone had signed in their appropriate locations, Caroline smiled at the partners. "Alrighty, you two, you're free to go. Just remember no hanky-panky at work and you should be fine. Everything else will fall into place; it always has…" Booth gave her a loose hug followed by Brennan doing the same.

They turned and shook hands with the President, who smiled at Brennan pointedly and told her he'd be "returning to more important issues at hand, now that this meeting was complete." Brennan blushed at his teasing and mentally decided that while she didn't support some of his political stances, she liked the man on a personal note; he was quite easy to talk to. She thanked him for his support as well as his discretion at knowing their secret before it was public knowledge. Booth, in turn, thanked him for the kind words he spoke to them and for his patience that he obviously had while having his ear talked-off by a very chatty-Parker.

After saying goodnight to Cullen and Williams, Booth and Brennan returned to the banquet hall suppressing smiles that no longer needed suppressing. They walked to their table, hand in hand and sat down with Angela and Jack, Max and Hank and the kids. Russ and Amy were dancing and from the flushed look on Angela's face, Brennan deduced that her friend had just returned to the table after sharing the dance floor as well.

Angela gave them a toothy smile that caused her eyes to dance. "So, what have you two been up to? Hopefully something that I would be up to if I could…"

"We've just come out of a meeting with Cullen, Williams, Caroline and the President." Brennan kept her features calm, not sure how Booth wanted to make it known that they had the go ahead with their relationship. She looked to him for guidance.

Sensing her unsure vibes, he smiled at her then at Angela. "Yeah, we, uh, got the go ahead. We're officially allowed to be together and still remain as partners." His smile beamed and his excitement was practically radiating from his body. He openly grabbed Brennan's hand as it rested on the table top, but quickly had it ripped from his grip as Angela assaulted her best friend, pulling her up into a big hug.

"Oh, Sweetie, that's wonderful." She pulled back, but kept her hands on Brennan's shoulders. "So, they're letting you go public and they're not going to break the partnership? For good?"

"As long as we remain professional and refrain from engaging in intercourse while working."

"Jesus, Bones… C'mon… my _kid's_ sitting over there!" He flared his eyes and tightened his lips into a thin line, a sure-tell sign to her that she needed to cease talking. "The contract said we have to remain _professional_. It didn't say anything about _intercourse_ whatsoever." Booth's voice was low as he rubbed his forehead in knowing exasperation.

"Well, it _basically_ said that…" she turned back to Angela, who was watching the two with humor. "That's basically what it said, Angela."

"OK, so they don't want your personal relationship to enter into the field with your business partnership, right?" Ange translated.

"That's what I said." Brennan wrinkled her forehead at her friend as she took her seat by Booth once more, leaning into his shoulder as he draped his arm around her shoulder. It was then that she realized she was still wearing his tux jacket over her dress. Looking down at herself, she then looked to Booth. "Why didn't you remind me I had your jacket? We just talked to the President and I am wearing your jacket, Booth…"

"Aw, you look cute, Bones. It's entirely too big for you, but you look adorable. Besides, they knew we were outside; it only goes to reason that I would let you wear it to keep warm."

She sat forward to shrug out of the jacket while eyeing him from the corner of her eyes, a small smirk dancing on her lips. While Booth assisted her, he brushed his fingertips against the smooth skin of her upper back, and unable to resist feeling it again, he slid his hand across her shoulders as he rose to put his own jacket on once again. He winked at Hank from where he stood and was happy to see that his grandfather appeared to be having a good time. Squeezing Brennan's neck gently, he let her continue chatting with Angela and moved over to talk to Hank and Max, and to check on the kids.

"Parker, girls, are you all doing alright?" He stood behind Parker, with his hands on the boy's shoulders as three sets of eyes turned up towards him. "Yup, we're good dad," was Parker's immediate response followed quickly by a unanimous "Yes, Uncle Booth, we're fine" from the two little girls. Booth's chest expanded ever-so-slightly at the title given to him by the girls and he flashed a smile to his son, who looked at his dad knowingly. Parker had taken to calling Amy "aunt" earlier that evening and Booth could only assume that it was Parker's doing that caused the girls to call him "uncle". Regardless of what prompted the address, Booth was fine with it. He chuckled, though, that he was "Uncle Booth" rather than "Uncle Seeley", but he didn't question it. He just smiled at the girls and looked at Parker, "OK, Pal, you let us know if you need anything."

Booth then moved next to Pops and Max, pulling up an empty chair to join them. "You alright Pops? You're not too tired?" Booth's concerned eyes were met in response with Pops' bright browns, alert and obviously enjoying himself.

"No, Shrimp, I'm good. We're just chatting, you know us old guys gotta stick together," he winked at Max, causing Booth to turn his gaze to his girlfriend's father.

With alarm, Booth's attention was immediately drawn to where Max's hand rested on his lap, covered by a bag of ice he'd obviously gotten from the bar. Looking back up to Max's face, he was met with a sheepish grin and wary eyes.

"Don't tell Tempe, Booth. I don't want her to worry."

Leaning towards the criminal he was oddly proud to consider 'family', he spoke between clenched teeth. "What the hell happened here, Max? What did you do?"

"Oh, it's nothing really, Booth," Max played down his injury, sorry that he wasn't able to avoid the conversation all together, but he knew that would be impossible. "I, uh, sorta fell…." His nervous eyes darted between the steely stare of one intense FBI agent and his daughter across the table, who was still deep in conversation with her friend then back to the agent again. "…into someone's face…." Max swallowed nervously, "…four times…"

"Oh Jesus Christ, Max! What the hell?" Booth kept his voice down, but it took great effort to do so. Looking into Max's light eyes, he saw something that didn't quite resemble remorse, but definitely recognized that he'd done something he shouldn't have. "Wait a minute-" Booth thought for a moment; when he'd won the auction for Bones' dance, Max had been there, but Max was missing by the time they'd actually danced to the first song; and Sully had also been missing by that point. "Max, you didn't… You didn't take into your own hands, something that was my fight, did you?"

"It was as much my fight as yours, Booth…" Max's face became serious, hard and firm. "Tempe's my little girl, and while I know I was not a great father to her growing up, I don't take it lightly when someone hurts my baby. And that man hurt my Tempe." Seeing that Booth was going to blow a gasket at Max's actions, he raised his unhurt hand in a silencing motion. "Now you wait just a minute before you go freaking out, Booth. When you hit him, you had just cause, he laid a hand on you, and you can claim self-defense if he ever came after you about that…" his voice dropped to a mumble, "which I highly doubt he would ever be stupid enough to consider doing now…" Then Max's volume increased back to a normal talking decibel. "But if you were to go after him again, you could be risking your job. And if you think I want my little girl involved with a guy who can't keep his job because he has a bad temper, you're mistaken. So, I took the temptation out of the equation." Seeing Booth's eyebrow arch at the insinuation that Booth had a bad -temper, Max back-tracked. "Well, not that you have a bad temper exactly, but that you are a passionate man, Booth… and if someone hurts Tempe, you react the same way I do… and I would rather take the heat for any fallout residue than to have you reprimanded for the same action."

Booth dropped his head into his hand then looked to his grandfather. "You knew about this, didn't you? That's why you said Max took a walk when Bones was looking for him?"

Hank pleaded innocent, "I don't know what you're talking about Shrimp. I don't recall that conversation." He smirked at his partner-in-crime and then schooled his features when he looked back at his grandson. "But I would imagine that whoever caught Max when he 'fell' deserved being fallen upon…all four times…"

Knowing he wouldn't get anywhere with those two, Booth just eyed the older men and pushed up from his seat. "I think I am going to go ask my girl to dance now, and wipe my hands clean of this conspiracy…" He stood up and patted Max's shoulder in an action of silent gratitude for what he did before he continued, "By the way, it's official; Bones and I can remain partners and still be in a romantic relationship. _Finally_." Booth's happiness was obvious as his grandfather and Max smiled up at him then turned to look at the object of Booth's attraction, sitting opposite from them.

Max reached out and grabbed Booth's arm, "You won't tell her, right Booth? I don't want her getting upset. Tonight's a special night and I don't want to see her upset."

Booth sighed, "Well, if she asks, I won't lie to her. But I won't bring it up, Max. Let's just hope, for your sake, that she doesn't notice that leaking bag of ice…" He nodded to the wet floor at Max's feet as he moved over towards Brennan. Booth could see, from the corner of his eye, Max and Hank scurrying to get napkins to wipe up the small puddle that had formed beneath their portion of the table.

Booth was going to sit with his girl again, since she was so engrossed in conversation with Angela, but as he pulled the chair out, the band started to play a familiar song, inviting special couples up to the dance floor once again. Bending over and brushing his lips against her temple, he whispered to his partner, "dance with me again, Bones." Brennan didn't hesitate in excusing herself from her best friend, who, upon hearing the song, decided to grab Hodgins and pull him to the dance floor as well.

As she let Booth pull her close to his body, much closer than they'd ever danced in public before, Brennan let herself fall into his all-encompassing embrace. "I remember this song, Booth…" He could see her metaphorical wheels turning as she tried to determine why it was so familiar. He saw her eyes light up and knew the moment she recalled _why_ she remembered the song. "This is the song, isn't it Booth? The one that played when you held me in your room after you saved me. The one when you asked me to dance, but you had to hold me…?"

He smiled warmly as the words for 'To Make You Feel My Love' filled the room and they swayed gently to the rhythm. "Yeah, Bones, it is." He felt his chest tighten with love for the woman in his arms and, as her bright eyes looked up at him, he was reminded that they could finally love each other openly. He couldn't remember a time when he felt happier or more complete. Thinking back to the night he brought her home from the shit-hole-hell where she'd been tortured, he fought back emotions that resurfaced at the fragile state to which she'd been reduced. "I was afraid you'd run from me, Bones, as soon as you were well enough. I was so afraid I was going to lose you all over again." He searched her eyes and found an openness staring back at him, different from ever before. "I had to tell you; I had to be honest with you about my feelings… I knew it was probably too soon after your ordeal, but I _needed_ you to know that I still loved you…that I never stopped…"

She slid her hands up along his shoulders and palmed the sides of his neck, cradling his lower jaw in the crooks formed between her extended thumbs and fingers. "I'm so grateful that you took that step, Booth, in telling me. I'm not happy about the circumstances that brought us to finally be together, but I'm beyond words that we're here…" She smiled and ran her thumbs, in a mirror image to each other, down to his chin and back up along his jaw, following the movement with her eyes and finally settling her gaze on his lips. "Is this party considered 'work', Booth?" Her words were breathy, quiet, but her question loud and clear to Booth.

Leaning in close, he slowed their dance to a near stand-still. He could feel her breath against his parted lips and saw the question in her eyes. Flashing a quick half-grin, he moved in even closer, brushing his lips against hers as he spoke. "I'm off the clock, Bones… and I am going to kiss you now… Temperance…" He smiled against her, keeping his eyes open, and pulled her upper lip between his, drawing his tongue against the softness he found. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled back and moved to her lower lip, chuckling at her disappointed groan when he shifted the kiss. Instantly, she pulled his upper lip between hers in return as he tugged at her lower one. Finally, he slanted his lips and covered her mouth completely, holding her close by splaying his hands wide around the ribs along her sides.

Booth swept his tongue into her warmth immediately, relishing in the feeling of her silky tongue against his. He could taste her wine mixed with the chocolates she had just been munching on with Angela. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth to his probing tongue, moaning into their kiss and wrapping her fingers tighter around his neck, holding him near. He tasted like the top-shelf scotch he'd been drinking, and the peppermint that he ate, and his own unique Boothiness. He tasted like _home_. He tasted like he always tasted, but sweeter somehow… _Is it because we can do this publicly now?_ She wondered… Then she stopped wondering, because it wasn't important. What was important is that they were together, and after their little display, everyone would know it.

Brennan could feel his blatant desire pressing against her lower stomach as he grew with desire, causing a pool of familiar warm moisture to gather at her core. Booth pressed into her while grabbing her hips before finally pulling back to visually take-in her radiance. When she opened her bright eyes to meet his darkened browns, she smiled lazily and pressed her lips against his chin and then lowered her forehead to his shoulder. He spread his arms across her back, one circling her waist completely and the other angling up to reach the back of her shoulder as he dropped a kiss into her soft hair.

"I love you, Booth," she muffled into his shoulder and pulled herself into his chest, wanting to get lost in his hold; wanting to forget that they were in a room full of people; wanting, for the first time in her personal history, to be with only one person for the rest of her life.

From the edges of the dance floor, their friends and family looked on, smiling happily for the couple. Angela was beside herself with elation for her best friend; Cam was happy that the man she could never have made happy had finally found the one with whom he was meant to be; Wendell was glad that his mentor and his friend had finally found their ways to each other; Sweets was confused about how he should feel – as their therapist or as their friend – but he quickly decided that he felt privileged to be counted among their friends; Daisy swooned at the closeness she was witnessing; Clark…well, Clark continued dancing with his girlfriend, trying to avoid all the 'personal-stuff' that was occurring around them. Max and Hank smiled and shook hands, both men relieved that they could stop lecturing their respective "kids". Russ admitted to Amy that Booth was good for his sister. Single women from the bureau felt their stomachs knot in realization that Booth, the most sought-after bachelor in the FBI, was apparently _officially_ off-the-market. Single men around the room shrugged in envy that Booth had finally made his move, and that the sexy Dr. Brennan would never give any of them the time of day. Charlie collected his winnings from the pool that he'd won, accepting the envelope from Cullen with a satisfied I-told-you-so smile aimed at a couple of rookie agents who thought they knew better. The only people who didn't seem to care about what was happening up on the dance floor were Parker and the girls. Parker paid no attention because he'd seen them together at home, and it no longer fazed him, although it made him exceedingly happy that his dad was _finally_ with the one he considered 'the smartest person in the whole world'. The girls were more interested in beating their older pseudo-cousin at Temple Run on their mom's tablet.

Hacker stood to the side of the room, defeated and jealous, but accepted the disappointing fact that Booth and Brennan had obviously received a green-light on their relationship. He watched when they were led into a closed-door meeting in an adjoining room, and he continued to watch when they left the meeting with Caroline and his bosses. At their open display of affection, he felt a rock form in the pit of his stomach. Despite having a date for the evening, an attractive woman who was obviously interested in an intimate relationship with him, he felt a blanket of loneliness envelope him. Temperance Brennan would never entertain the possibility of dating him again.

On the other side of the room, where the media was gathered, an ambitious blond reporter stood frozen in place as she watched the scene unfold, as if it were happening in slow motion. She watched the man she still loved, the man she'd followed back to DC, the man who had claimed to love her but obviously had never gotten over the deeper love he felt for his partner. She wasn't bitter; it was too late for bitterness. The day she met Temperance Brennan, Hannah had known, somewhere deep down inside, that she didn't have a chance at keeping Seeley Booth happy. When she met Booth, he was a broken man – a broken _hearted_ man – who explained that he was just getting over someone… She didn't care about his past, because she wanted him. She was fascinated by the seasoned Army Sergeant Major when he arrested her, and she had been willing to overlook, _ignore even_, the possibility of being a rebound-girl. Hannah Burley was unaccustomed to being on the rebound-end of relationships; she was more commonly the one _leaving_ and forcing _her ex's _to find someone else to help them bounce-back into social society. But as she stood silently watching the dance floor grow more and more crowded, she couldn't tear her eyes from the one couple who dominated the scene, and they didn't even know what they were doing to her. Nor would they care, she realized; because once Booth and Brennan lost themselves in each other, the rest of the world faded away. Hannah turned to her cameraman, who was no dummy, by the way, and she declared that she was ready to leave. She saw no further need to stick around; she felt they had all the footage they needed for a quick recap on the 11:00 report.

As the evening drew to a close, the winners of the silent auction were announced. The 'Flyers Fan Ideal Gift Pack' was won by another bidder; the price had gone up way too high for Booth's comfort, much to Parker's dismay. However, when Brennan promised the boy that she would speak with her agent about gaining the same privileges as those that the pack had offered, he was appeased and hugged her tightly in appreciation. There was nothing Brennan wouldn't do for her partner's son; she realized that as she held him to her chest. In as much as she wanted to make Booth happy, she also wanted the sweet blond boy to be just as happy, and if that meant calling in a few over-due favors from her agent, that was exactly what she would do.

In opposition to the disappointment at the loss of the Flyers pack, Booth was very pleased when he learned he was the high bidder on another silent auction item. Unaware that he had bid on anything else, Brennan eyed him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he'd won. When he returned from the stage area, after claiming his voucher, he flashed a toothy smile in her direction.

Answering her silent question, he leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear. "You still wanna go to Mexico, Bones?" He craned his neck back so he could look into her eyes and saw the answer staring back at him in a smile that caused her beautiful blues to sparkle.

"You won the all-inclusive vacation, Booth?" Her excitement was palpable. She could, obviously, afford to pay for an exclusive all-inclusive if she so chose to. But knowing that Booth had placed a bid on, and won, a vacation that mirrored what they'd just recently discussed wanting to do, gave her a fluttering anticipation in her abdomen.

"Sure did, babe. You wanna join me, or should I go on my own…?" He teased as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"You better take me, Seeley Booth. Otherwise, you'll be sorry." She joked in response to his humor and let him lead her back towards the table, so they could collect his son and their belongings, and get ready to head home.

"Pops, you want to come over tonight? I can take you home in the morning."

"No, Shrimp. Max has offered to drop me off at home on his way outta here tonight. You kids go on; get my great-grandson home so he can get some rest. And you two sleep in tomorrow morning and enjoy your Sunday." Hank embraced Temperance before hugging Booth, and then Parker, goodnight. The couple said their goodbyes to Max, who had managed to keep his banged-up hand out of Brennan's line of vision, and then to Russ, Amy and the girls. The little family parted ways after completing their rounds of 'goodbyes' to their friends and Booth escorted his partner and son out to the SUV so they could get one sleepy boy home to bed.

B/B/B/B

"OK, Parks, I want you to go get ready for bed. I'll be right in to say goodnight." Booth had to use the restroom, but wanted his boy to lie down. It was past midnight and he knew that Parker would get his second wind if he didn't make him get ready for bed. And the last thing Booth wanted was an overly-tired-wound-up-eleven year old on his hands.

"Parker, we should bag your tuxedo so your Dad can take it to the cleaners when he takes his." Brennan placed her arm loosely around Parker's shoulders as they entered the heart of the apartment.

Parker leaned into her embrace and didn't pull away as she followed him towards his room. "OK, Bones. I'll be right there," he said as he headed to the bathroom to pull on his sleep shorts.

Seeing what Parker grabbed to wear, Brennan felt a motherly wave crash over her. "Parker, it's going to be cold in the early morning, why don't you wear your sleep pants, not your shorts, ok?"

Parker didn't argue. He nodded and simply agreed with what he was told, trading the clothing he was holding in his fist for the item which was extending from Brennan's hand. "Sure, Bones. Thanks." He had a momentary thought that if Hannah had told him what to wear, he would have pushed back. However, he didn't think that Hannah would have cared what he wore to bed, because she never paid much attention to him when he was there. In fact, he couldn't remember if Hannah had even stepped foot in his room while she was staying with his Dad. But he found that he didn't really care, because the woman who was taking care of him, even though his dad was just in the next room, was the one he _wanted_ to listen to. He smiled and took the long pants and moved into the bathroom. When he reentered his room, he found that Bones was still in there; she was looking at some photos he had on his nightstand. There was a picture of his mom, a picture of his dad and a picture of himself with Bones.

He crawled into bed without saying a word, but watched her as she looked around his small room. "You're very much like your father, Parker. Do you know that?"

"Yeah, Mom tells me all the time that there's no denying that I am a Booth." Parker smiled proudly at the declaration, happy to be compared to his father. "But why do you say that, Bones?"

She turned to him and smiled. "You like photographs. And you keep your room very neat. I am impressed."

"Thanks, Bones!" Parker settled down into the sheets and pulled them up over his chest. He eyed her hand and smiled. He knew that his Dad had given her the ring, he saw it earlier in the evening, but he didn't say anything at the time. "Dad gave you the ring." It was a statement more than a question. The question came next. "Do you like it?"

She sat down on the edge of his bed and took his much smaller hand in hers. "I do, Parker. It's very beautiful." She looked at it resting on her slender finger. She looked back into his brown eyes, soulful like his father's, but a lighter shade of brown. "So you knew about the ring?"

He nodded, causing his untamed curls to bounce carefreely. "Yeah. I knew about it for a long time… Since waaaay before you went to the Maluku Islands and Dad when to Afghanistan." His tone was matter-of-fact, as if it was the most natural thing in the world that his Dad had a ring for her so long ago.

"Really? You knew about it way back then? He had it back then? I assumed that he'd just had it made recently, using one of his stones."

Parker shook his head adamantly. "Nope. We picked it out when we picked out everything else...When we were still out in Yellowstone. I'm glad you like it. That's cool." He smiled up into the blue eyes of his idol as she brushed hair out of his eyes with her fingers. "Mom held it for him while he was away. I probably wasn't supposed to know, but I overheard him asking mom to keep it safe and he made her promise that if he didn't come home from the war, that she would let me give you the set for Christmas the following year. He said it was made for you and no matter what, he wanted you to have it; even if he wasn't the one giving it to you." Parker lowered his eyes, thinking perhaps he shouldn't have told her that portion. But as always, he was unable to keep any secrets from 'their Bones,' and he kept talking. "I got scared 'cause I knew that if Dad was making Mom promise to let me give you the jewelry, then that meant he knew he was going to be in danger. He was afraid he wasn't going to come home. Mom told him, 'why don't you just give it to her now, Seeley?' but he told Mom that if he gave you the jewelry before you left for your trip, you might never come back. And he said that if you never came back, you and he could never be partners again. And he said that you weren't ready for them yet. That you didn't know that you loved him yet. And that you didn't want him to love you." Parker took a deep breath, running out of air as he prattled on. "Then Mom said that she promised to make sure you got all three pieces if he didn't come home. But then she threatened him that he better come home because I needed him and that sooner or later he would have to confront you about his feelings. Dad got real sad then, and told Mom that he had confronted you, and that you didn't love him back, and that if he did die over there in the war, he just wanted to know that I would give you the stuff. And I guess there was a letter that I was supposed to give to you with the jewelry too. Did he give you the letter, Bones?"

Brennan found herself fighting back tears that threatened the backs of her eyes. "No, Parks," she swallowed, "he didn't give me a letter. But maybe that's not important anymore." She stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Did your mom and dad know you heard this conversation they were having?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. I was supposed to be up in my room. But I was coming downstairs to get something to drink and I heard them in the kitchen. I was kinda surprised that dad was still there. Usually whenever he drops me off, he just stays outside by the door and says goodbye. But that night he came in and sat with mom in the kitchen. I wasn't supposed to hear that stuff, I don't think." He looked back up at her, "do you think I'll get in trouble, Bones?"

"No, I don't think you'll get in trouble, Parker. Sometimes people overhear things that they don't intend to listen to. But that doesn't mean you should make a habit of sitting on staircases listening to adults talking in the kitchen, alright?" She smiled warmly, but felt her heart grow heavy at the knowledge that Booth had expected to possibly die while training soldiers in the war. He had told her, before they parted, that his job was going to be routine, nothing to really worry about. He had obviously played down the truth of his duties. _He may have died over there, never knowing that I loved him…He may have died and I would have been receiving this gift from a little boy who'd lost his father…Booth could have died_…

Brennan leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Parker's forehead. "I think your father must have fallen in." Her comment, and her use of a common colloquialism that he had part in teaching her, made him laugh. "You get some sleep, and we'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"OK, Bones. G'night." He wrapped his thin eleven-year-old arms around her neck as she leaned forward. "I love you, Bones." He kissed her cheek and received a tight squeeze in return.

"I love you too, Parker. And your father loves you…so much." One final kiss on his forehead, and she pulled the sheets up higher. "I know you're too old to be 'tucked in', Parker, but thanks for letting me sit here and talk with you."

"Bones, I'm not really too old to be tucked in… just don't tell my friends." He grinned as he rolled onto his side, tucking down deep into his covers. "Tell Dad 'night, please… Once you've rescued him from the toilet…" Parker made himself laugh at the vision of his dad 'falling in'.

Turning off his light, she pulled the door over, but didn't close it completely. She turned to see Booth sitting by the living room window, his back to Parker's room and his shoulders tight. She knew he had overheard her conversation with the boy. He had removed his tux jacket and shirt and wore just his white t-shirt and his tux slacks, and the tension he was experiencing was clear in the tight muscles of his neck.

She approached slowly, although she knew that Booth knew she was there. Without turning his head towards her, he reached his arm out in her direction, silently beckoning her closer. When she was within touching distance, he took her right hand in his left and pulled her down to sit across his lap. Moving his left arm to cradle her hips as she sat, he grabbed her thighs with his right hand and pulled her close as she sat sideways.

After several quiet moments, Booth broke the silence. "I didn't know he had heard that conversation with Becca. It wasn't intended for his ears. I feel terrible."

"Why, Booth? He's fine. He is here with you now. He loves you. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, it just happened. He's a good kid, Booth…"

"Yeah, I know he's a good kid, Bones. But I didn't want to plant that seed in his mind…that I might not be coming home from the war. I never meant for him to worry about that." He rested his temple against her forehead and reached for her left hand with his right and stared at the adornment she now wore. "I never meant to make him worry." His voice was husky with emotion and regret.

"I know, Booth, but you have to let that go. He's fine. He knew that you were trying to protect him. He's smart." She squeezed the fingers that held hers. "You never indicated to me that you were worried, Booth. You acted like you would not be in danger. But you knew differently before we ever parted, didn't you?"

"Yes. I knew what I was being sent there to do. I knew there was a very good chance that the only way I'd be coming home was in a body bag. But I couldn't tell you that, Bones. You needed to get away from me; from us. And I needed it as well. I didn't want to sound like I was begging you to admit your feelings for me. I didn't want to sound desperate. So I pretended that I would be fine, and that I was certain to see you in one year's time at the coffee cart. But I made sure, in my paperwork, that if I died in the line of duty that you were _not_ to find out by telegram. I made sure that the Army knew where they could find you, and that someone was to come to you in person. And that whoever was going to deliver the message would bring someone along; Cam, Angela, Hodgins, Sweets… Someone who knew you…someone who would hold you when you found out that I was dead. Dead for real, not dead like what the FBI did to us. Because I knew that if you heard that I had died, that you would close yourself off if someone wasn't there to intercept."

She could hear the tears in his voice and she could see them as they remained unshed behind his eyes. "Booth," she reached up and palmed his warm cheek in her cool hand, turning him to face her, "if you had died… if you hadn't come home…if I had lost you again…" She couldn't finish her sentence, as her emotions got the better of her and the tears flowed freely from her crystal blue eyes.

Quickly, he reached for her face, cradling her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, and to him, she was. "Shh… We don't have to think about that, Bones. We don't need to discuss that anymore. We both came home and now we're together, like we were always meant to be." He leaned in and stole a kiss before pulling her to rest against his shoulder.

She rested her hand on his chest and stared silently at the ring that sat upon her finger. _It's a beautiful ring. He's had it for so long. He bought it for me so long ago… he had it made for me, specifically. He's loved me for so long… and I've loved him as well…_ Toying with the V-neckline of his undershirt shirt, she took a deep breath and pulled back to look at him.

"Booth, you told me you loved me from the moment you saw me." When she received his affirmation in the form of a silent nod, she continued nervously. "What if…what if I'm not the same woman you fell in love with eight years ago? What if I've changed?"

"You haven't changed, Bones. You're still the most beautiful, intelligent, successful, independent woman you were back then. Well, you're more successful now, because you've added to your accomplishments in the past eight years."

"No, Booth. I have changed. And what if I'm not the same person? Will you still love me?"

"Bones, I told you that I would love you forever, and I meant that." Booth grew serious as he listened to her doubts about herself. "You're the same wonderful person, Bones. Trust me on this."

"Booth, I _know_ I have changed. There is no doubt that I have _evolved_." She took a deep, shaky breath, terrified to continue, but needing to say what was on her mind. "Booth…what if I've changed my views? What if I have decided that I was wrong and it's not the _ritual_ that I find to be antiquated? What if I've learned that basing my opinions on book studies rather than real-life experience skewed my opinions? Is it too late?"

Booth looked at her in stunned silence. _Did she just say what I think she said? Did she really just say that she is not opposed to…to marriage?_

Breathlessly, Brennan watched as her partner processed her last statement. Finally, unable to wait any longer, she prodded him, "Booth? What if that is the case? What if, you know, I've changed my mind?"

"Bones… are you saying what I think you're saying?"

**A/N Postscript**

**So, is she really asking what Booth thinks she is? Do you think she would have changed her mind already? **

**Please Review and let me know your thoughts! I hope, for the well-being of my Muse, that she behaves herself and doesn't throw me into a fit of writers block again! Your reviews will give me the determination to carry on, so please take a moment and let me know what you think!**

**I don't expect to get the final chapter posted before Christmas, so if you celebrate Christmas, please accept my good wishes. If you celebrate other holidays, if you celebrate the Winter Solstice, if you celebrate friends and family, please also accept my best wishes to you and your families. **

**Be safe. Love each other. Spread peace through patience and understanding. **

**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~jazzyproz**


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N Hello and welcome to chapter 62! Ready for some steaminess? Heh heh **

**If you're not of age to be reading rated M, then you should have been gone long before this chapter… but consider yourselves warned… herein lies a final chapter of smutty goodness. I hope you enjoy. **

**More to follow in my Postscript message. **

**Disclaimer: Nope… I still don't own Bones. If I did, they'd be doing some of this stuff on the big screen, and we'd be making movies. LOL **

"_Bones… are you saying what I think you're saying?" _

Brennan pressed one open palm against Booth's cheek and looked deep into his eyes. "What I'm saying, Booth…is that I _have_ changed since you and I first met, even if you don't think so. My views and opinions have been altered by working with you; and by working with the Jeffersonian and the team we've assembled. But _mostly_, because of you. I have _evolved_, Booth, and while I still don't believe in fate, it's a ludicrous theory, I do believe in myself and I believe in you; and perhaps most importantly, I believe in us." She shifted so she could place her other hand against his opposite cheek, so she could cradle his head in her hands.

"I believe that we are more _complete_ when we are together than either of us could ever be separately. I believe that you will be true to me and that you will keep your promise to never leave me, as long as it's in your power. This past month, regardless of everything that happened and disregarding everything that occurred between us this past year, I have never felt more whole. I have never been completely comfortable with one person to the extent that I am with you, Booth. With you, I can just be myself and I don't have to put up any fronts, no metaphorical masks. You know all my weaknesses and you still tell me, every day, that you love me. You know how stubborn I can be; and you, more than anyone else, certainly know how opinionated I am…But still, you take me in your arms and you hold me and you show me that everything is going to be alright."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, a soft kiss full of promise. He splayed his hands across her ribs as he held her securely on his lap and he sighed into the kiss, sensing that she was going down the path he had always hoped they would travel together.

"Booth," she continued when she pulled away. "What I am saying, is that…if you still have the desire, and if it's something you still desire _with me_, I am no longer opposed to the 'traditional meaning' of the gift you gave me tonight. I used to think, as you well know, that marriage was archaic and that monogamy was a societal-forced institution. All of my studies have taught me that the natural way of Homo Sapiens, in order to reproduce and develop advanced cultures, was to engage in coitus with multiple…" Seeing his eyes darken with disapproval of her tangent, she bit her lower lip and veered back on track to what she intended to tell him. "I'm sorry, Booth, I digress…" She smiled shyly and saw his face slacken back into his relaxed attentive expression.

"Booth, I don't want any regrets – for _either_ of us. And perhaps more importantly, I don't want any doubts. I don't want you to _ever_ doubt how I feel about you. You indicated that you would wait until I was ready to take that next step… For eight years, Booth, you've been patiently waiting for me to be ready. I won't make you wait any longer. I see now that I should have listened, and while I can't change the past, I _can_ help alter our future…"

Booth brought his large hands up to her cheeks and crashed forward, claiming her supple lips with his, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, immediately deepening the kiss. Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close as she swallowed his moan.

Pulling back after several moments, Booth tenderly stroked her cheek, following the path of his fingers with his dark chocolate eyes. "Bones, would you prefer a diamond?"

"I find that I have grown quite fond of sapphires, Booth. They're beautiful, and they mean so much more when they're coming from you." Her words were whispered and husky with her blatant desire for him.

"Marry me, Bones." It came out as more of an order than a question, but he continued nevertheless, his voice quivering with nerves. "Become my wife… be my life partner… make me the happiest man alive. Let's create the life together that we deserve."

"Yes," she started to cry, but she didn't try to hide it, she let the threatening tears escape as they saw fit. "Yes, Booth, I will."

He pulled her tight and kissed her hard, his own tears of happiness and relief now mingling with her obvious emotion as their cheeks brushed against each other's. He felt her surrender under his caress, and he swept her sweet tongue with his, drinking in her flavor, taking his turn in swallowing their combined moans. He wrapped his strong fingers around the nape of her neck, swiping his thumbs up in reflection to each other, finding her earlobes beneath each calloused pad. He felt the weight of the dangling sapphire-heart earrings that matched her ring. _Her engagement ring_, he thought to himself… _Her sapphire engagement ring_…

Having a sudden thought that he might be dreaming, or God-forbid, a tumor reoccurrence, Booth pulled suddenly away and looked deep into her eyes. "Bones," he breathed, "tell me again…Tell me I'm not imagining all this…Tell me you'll be my wife…"

Warming him with a broad smile, Brennan wove her fingers into the short hairs at the back of his head. "I will be your wife, Booth…If you will do me the honor of becoming my husband."

With a deep chuckle of giddy delight, Booth scooped her up in his arms and stood to his full height. With his right arm beneath her legs and his left holding her torso, he carried her down the hall while planting tiny kisses all over her face and neck. She laughed at the ticklish sensation his lips caused and she let herself be carried without protest. When he reached what Booth now considered _their_ bedroom, he lowered her legs slowly so she would stand before him. Her giggles died down to contented hums as she leaned against his expansive chest and turned her face to peer up at his.

His eyes grew serious as his left hand rubbed her back through the multitude of lattice-patterned straps and his right hand caressed her shoulder and neck. "I've waited so long, Bones, to hear you say that." He lowered his lips to brush the outer shell of her ear. "And it was only in my dreams that I ever thought you'd say it." His tongue darted out and blazed a trail from behind her lobe down to the hollow of her throat as she let her head drop back, baring her throat to him the way she knew he loved. "Yes, I will be your husband. I _can't wait_ to be your husband. And I can't wait to have you as my wife." He brought his hand from her back and reached it up to cradle the back of her head as she remained in her submissive position beneath his towering frame. He pulled her upright slowly, supporting her body the whole time, until she once again was standing chest to chest with him. He met her eyes and caught his breath of the depths he saw there. "I love you…Temperance…I have always loved you."

Her soft smile reached up to her eyes through crimson colored cheeks. "I know, Booth… I love you, too. Thank you for being patient."

"I'd wait a lifetime for you, baby… longer if you needed…" he angled his lips over hers, covering her mouth completely and ran his tongue from one corner of her lips to the other, and when she opened to him once more, he pushed into the far reaches of her warmth, battling for dominance within her silkiness.

Brennan brought her fingers to the bottom hem of his t-shirt and pushed her cool hands inside against his warm skin, encouraging him to remove the shirt. When he didn't move fast enough for her liking, she pushed further, causing him to raise his arms while she ripped the shirt from his body. As soon as his hands were free of the encumbering garment, he immediately replaced them on her body, desperate to keep contact with her. He could feel his growing erection straining against his still-fastened tuxedo slacks, but he wanted to get her out of her sinfully sexy dress before he did anything else. Searching the bodice of the gown for a zipper, he finally found it along the side panel and his wide fingers stumbled to grasp the dainty zipper-pull.

His head spun with desire-filled-confusion when she pushed him backwards and he felt the bed at the backs of his knees. _Wasn't I moving her towards the bed? How did we get turned around?_ He pondered to himself, but his thoughts were quickly flushed away as he found new purchase on the side of her neck, latching his lips onto the delicious flesh he found there.

"Booth…" she breathed into the otherwise silent room… "yes…" She continued to hiss as she inhaled through clenched teeth, trying to regain some control. "Wait….wait…." she placed her hands on his bare chest and found herself momentarily distracted, forgetting why she told him to wait. But when she met his pleading stare, she recalled her mission. "Sit down, Booth. Just…watch…" She pushed him gently backwards, so he flopped down onto the edge of the bed, his hands grasping firmly to her hips, squeezing firmly and trying to pull her down with him.

She struggled to remain standing and grabbed his hands in her tight little fingers, pulling them away gently. "The dress is kind of tricky," she said with a smirk, "with all these straps… Let me…"

He watched with smoldering eyes as she oh-so-slowly finished unzipping what he had started, letting the seam fall apart just enough so he could catch a glimpse of her perfect alabaster white skin beneath the royal blue material. When she saw the tip of his tongue dart out to moisten his lips as he watched her in awe, she felt her nipples harden and strain against the thin material of her bra; her breathing hitched in anticipation of what she imagined him doing to do to her. With great care and seductively slow deliberation, Brennan turned while she peeled the dress upward over her body. As the skirt hem rose higher by the inch against her thighs, Booth could feel himself growing harder and harder. By the time the bottom of the dress reached her hips, Brennan's back was to Booth and she pulled the dress off the remainder of the way.

Booth's mouth went dry at what he saw standing before him. Completing her revolution, she turned to face him, her shoulders squared proudly and her chin held high. She stood in front of him, wearing a royal blue lingerie set – lacy, skimpy, and sexy as hell -complete with a garter belt holding up her thigh high hose. Her breasts were nearly spilling over the cups of her bra, and Booth could see her nipples begging for attention. _My attention_, he thought cockily… _Those luscious, pouting tits want my attention_… He was ready to reach for her when his eyes continued their visual tour of his lover's body. In contrast to his previously dry mouth, he suddenly found his saliva glands working overtime as he admired her barely-there-thong panties. Without a second thought, his own hand flew to his hardening cock, grabbing it through his pants as he raked his coal-black eyes over her body.

She stood perfectly still, letting him get an eyeful of her scantily-clad body. She knew he loved her curves, he had told her many times, and she was suddenly appreciative of the successful results from her work-outs and yoga classes. The fact that she was so visually stimulating for him made her smile and she felt her body flush with an overwhelming heat, starting at her core and spreading throughout, as if molten lava was coursing through her veins in a spider-web pattern.

After standing still for several more moments, Brennan took a step forward, her knees nearly touching Booth's as he sat in obvious arousal upon the bed, fisting his growing cock. When his eyes reached hers once more, she flashed him the crooked smile that was so often his undoing. "Do you remember this set, Booth?"

The look of confusion that crossed his eyes told her that his brain wasn't firing on all circuits.

"The first day you took me to my apartment to gather some clothes - you found this set in my drawer. You held it up in your hands and stared at it before replacing it and choosing some more practical undergarments for my recovery." She took a tiny step closer, swinging her weight to her opposite hip. "I surmised from your expression then that you would enjoy seeing it on my body, and I surmise from your expression at this moment that you do, in fact, like it… Am I mistaken?" She smiled knowingly as she shifted her weight yet again, taking another teeny tiny step closer, so she was now standing between his parted knees.

His ebony gaze traveled from her thighs up to her adorable belly button, then to the valley of her breasts before settling over the inviting swells threatening to spill from the confines of the bra. As he looked at her body, he felt his own hand reflexively stroking his aching dick. When he finally met her eyes, he knew that she knew what she was doing. He let go of his grip and reached both of his hands out, grabbing her hips and pulling her against him. He buried his face against her tummy and breathed in her scent. "You're not mistaken, Bones…You hit the nail on the head, baby." He mumbled against her soft skin in between kisses and smiled when she didn't analyze his use of the common phrase. He tilted his head up to look at her and found himself in a dream-state as their eyes locked. "You're gorgeous, Bones. I swear it; you are the most beautiful creature in the world."

She blushed, despite her playful seduction; she always felt her cheeks blossom in heat when he complimented her so openly and honestly. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she lightly drew little circles with her fingertips. "Thank you, Booth…" her words were whispered and rough with barely-contained desire.

With a smirk, he turned his attention back to her abdomen and curled his arms around her hips so he could grab the soft globes of her heart-shaped ass, one cheek in each large palm. He trailed open-mouthed kisses along the waistline elastic of her garter belt, stopping every now and then to tug it with his teeth. His hands massaged her perfectly shaped ass and he let his fingers slip beneath the thong strap as he pulled it from its tight home. Noticing that she had put her panties on after her garter belt, he realized that meant he could take that itsy bitsy blue G-string off and she would still be wearing her garter. Smiling at the realization, he palmed the fleshy part of her hips and turned her around, so she was facing away from him.

Brennan put up very little struggle at his 'man-handling' of her body, and let him control of her movements. Over the past month, she had, several times, allowed herself to be handled by Booth the way he wanted, just as he had allowed her to control him in return. She quite liked when he let his alpha-side loose in the bedroom, and this night would be no different. Well, it would be slightly different because of the enormity of what they'd just agreed to do in moving their relationship full-steam-ahead, but she knew that he was still _her_ Booth and she was still _his_ Bones, and they would continue to be perfect together.

She focused on what she could feel…His hands were squeezing and massaging her hips and stomach as he reached around her waist from behind…His mouth left a trail of wet heat along the small of her back…His knee, which had found its way between hers, pushed her legs just a little further apart, widening her stance to where he wanted it. Reaching up to grab her aching breasts, Brennan squeezed them through the flimsy lace of her bra. She momentarily entertained the idea of removing the article, but thought better of it, knowing how much Booth enjoyed undressing her. He told her one night that when he undressed her, he felt like he was unwrapping the greatest, most sought-after Christmas present in the world. And his grin that night, mixed with the adoration she found in his eyes, made her feel like she was the one receiving the best gift ever.

As Booth moved his mouth further south, nipping and licking in between kissing, the curves of her hips and the soft flesh of her ass, Brennan found her body involuntarily arching back to meet his touches. She felt a pool of warm moisture grow at her core and, while keeping one hand on her breast, she dropped her other to caress herself through the soft royal blue satin triangle that covered her throbbing sex. Knowing what she was up to, Booth seized her wrist in his firm grip, holding it against her torso as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Uh-uh, Bones… not tonight, baby… that's _my_ job." His breath against the still-wet skin that he was kissing caused shivers to rake through her body.

"Booth…. Please….. I need you to…" her words were cut off as she felt his hand slide beneath the delicate vertical strap of her G-string, pulling it from where it was nestled between her buttocks, and he inched the panties down her long legs slowly…almost painfully slow in his movements. Arching the small of her back, she pressed her ass into his hand when he brought it back up to stroke her skin. Finally, he released her wrist and brought that hand to her tummy, letting the tips of his fingers just graze the upper edge of her thin air-strip line of pubic hair. "Please Booth…" she grabbed her tits again, hoping to gain some sort of release of the unmentionable tension that was building up inside her body. "If you don't touch me soon, I think I am going to explode, Booth…"

Smiling against her hip, where his mouth was working its magic, he raised his eyes just enough to catch the sight of her frail, yet strong fingers squeezing her bra-clad tits. The bottom swell of each breast was begging to his attention, as he saw them heaving with each shuddering breath she took, and he could only imagine how hard her pretty little nipples were, just aching for his mouth to pull them between his teeth. "You told me that spontaneous combustion is very rare occurrence, Bones, which has yet to _actually_ be documented… Every case ever reported has been hear-say…"

"Fuck you, Booth…Don't quote my own lectures to me when you're making me so wet with want…" Her words were breathless but playful as she bantered back at him.

Chuckling against her skin, he moved his focus to the opposite hip, causing her to tremble from the unexpected contact as he gently nipped her flesh between his teeth. Without removing his lips from her body, he reached his hands up and trapped hers as he completely covered her full breasts. She let his hands cause hers to squeeze and she let her mind stop thinking…she just let herself feel what was happening to her body…and she fell a little deeper in love with the man bringing about such delicious feelings.

She felt as his mouth moved back to the small of her back and then up the line of her spine, as far as he could reach from his seated position behind her. Feeling his body shift, she realized that he was slowly rising to his feet, and he was soon raking his teeth across her shoulder blades and up to her neck, all the while, his hands still trapped hers against her bra. When he reached her ear, she let her head fall to the side and back a little, resting it against his strong shoulder.

"Never in my life, Bones….never before have I had such difficulty controlling my urges as I do with you… No one has ever driven me crazy the way you do, baby…" He tugged her earring clad lobe into his mouth and moaned in appreciation of her taste. "No other woman has ever completed me the way you do, Bones…" Moving to her jawline, he traced the sharp angle with his tongue. "Everything about you is sexy…Every move, every laugh, every squinty lecture…every moan, every freckle…Every _damn_ thing, baby…" Releasing his hold of her hands, he brought his up to her bare shoulders and rubbed them tenderly as he moved his fingers to the decorative hair combs holding her French twist in place. Pulling the hair barrettes out, he ran his fingers through her silky chestnut hair as he tumbled to her shoulders. Nuzzling his nose into her soft tresses, he trailed his fingertips to the back of her bra, intent on unhooking that last piece of material stopping him from looking at her _completely_. "This lingerie set… Jesus Christ, Bones… It's a good thing I didn't know earlier that you were wearing it…I would have taken you right there on the patio when we were alone…"

When she pressed her ass into his granite erection, she moaned. "You could have taken me if you wanted to, Booth… You could have pumped into me out there on that patio and no one would have known." Feeling his teeth gently dig into her shoulder, she knew he was enjoying the thought of having his way with her in almost-public. She continued grinding back against him while she massaged her own breasts. "You could have hiked my up skirt and bent me over one of those tables, penetrating me from behind with your throbbing cock…you know I would have been ready for you…" She swallowed thickly at her own game. "I'm always ready for you… Or you could have pressed me against the wall, hooking one of my legs on your hip while you rocked into me, your big dick spreading out my tight pussy to the perfect fit…" Hearing him groan as he thrust his hips forward, pressing his erection against the curve of her ass, she smiled… "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?"

Struggling to maintain control of himself, Booth pawed the fleshy skin of her hips, her stomach and up to her tits, joining her own hands in their massages. "So fucking hot, Bones….you're fucking unbelievable…"

She smiled with her eyes closed, as she let his words wash over her, knowing that he was going to pay her back for her teasing... Quietly, she replied, although she knew he wasn't waiting on one. "This is what I needed to get from my apartment, Booth…on the way to Angela's…I wanted to wear this for you tonight…"

"Mmmm…." He growled in her ear, "Well, I approve and I'm glad you asked me to stop at your place…" Tracing his fingers along the edge of her bra down to her lower back, where the style held tight against her body, he released the hooks that were still confining her. Following the lines of her arms back up to her hands, which were still held tight, keeping the cups in place over her bosoms, he slowly peeled her fingers away, allowing the bra to fall to the floor as he pulled her arms down to her sides. He observed her heaving chest as he gazed over her shoulder from behind, and smiled at the perkiness of each pink nipple. Letting her hands go, Booth grabbed her hips and pulled her back against him, so he could grind his straining erection against her once again, letting her know just how much he wanted her.

He wrapped one hand around to cup her dripping core while he brought the other up and pinched one of her begging tits between his thick fingers. "_So_ fucking sexy, Bones… fuckin'-a…"

She smiled at his crude language, knowing by now that when he started talking like that, he was close to losing his ever-present self-control. The notion that he was so on-edge, sent her mind reeling with anticipation and, with a throaty moan, she rocked her ass back against his hardened dick again, encouraging him to keep talking. In moving her ass against him, she managed to thrust her tit further into his grasp at the same time as she ever-so-slightly widened her stance, giving his other fingers more room to fondle her.

Knowing that his lover got off on dirty talk, sometimes even more than he did, he recognized her silent plea. With a solid squeeze of her nipple, and a quick sweep of her slick folds, he returned to his previous purchases, simply cupping her with both hands, one still upon her breast, on covering her throbbing pussy. Clenching his teeth, he growled in appreciation of her sensual movements. Hardly containing himself, he wanted to make her realize just how badly he wanted her… always… "I don't think you know just what you do to me, Bones…You don't realize that whenever you're near, my dick ends up with a throbbing hard-on…I want to take you and bend you over the closest piece of furniture and fuck you till your eyes can't focus. I want to make you scream my name, over and over again, until you're so hoarse you can hardly talk. I want to take you from behind…or up against a wall with your legs wrapped around me…I wanna watch your tits sway while I pump into you from below when you're riding my cock…or simply pound into you while I'm nestled between your sweet parted thighs..." Booth's breathless confessions triggered Brennan's desire to become frantic as she tried to release some pressure by rocking against his lower hand, hoping he'd hit that special spot that drove her over the edge each and every time.

"Booth…" she moaned his name quietly, knowing he could feel her wetness as his fingers playfully parted her slick folds. Turning her head, she reached for his lips with her own and captured them in a passionate kiss, deep and familiar, swallowing his growl of approval. Pulling her mouth from his, she craned her neck, silently inviting him to latch on, knowing that he would do so immediately; he'd told her over and over how much he loved her neck. She wasn't disappointed as he suckled against her skin, grazing his teeth gently before licking to sooth the rough sensation. Leaning her full weigh against his strong posture, Brennan widened her thighs even more, allowing Booth's hand more room to move as he began stroking her vigorously. "Yeah… my clit, Booth… please… circle my clit…" He did as she requested and brought the pads of his middle and forefingers to her hard little nub, and applied just the right amount of pleasure while rubbing her.

"I want you to cum, Bones…Before I ever enter you tonight. I want you to cum all over my fingers, babe… would you like me to make you cum?" He hummed against her neck, letting the vibration of the sound radiate into her body.

"Yes, Booth…yes… Make me cum for you…" Her desperate plea brought a cocky smile to his lips as he intensified the pressure.

"You're mine, Bones… Tell me…"

"Yes…" she would agree to anything, as long as he would bring some relief to her throbbing body. Her mind was foggy, her legs shaking from her attempt to remain upright on her own, her breasts were heavy with desire… "Yes, Booth…I'm yours…Only yours… I want to be your wife, Booth…I'm yours forever…"

_That_ was what Booth wanted to hear…her admittance, once again, to becoming his wife. He wanted to hear more, and promised himself to make her tell him again, but for now, since she did as he asked, he delivered as promised. He increased the pressure to just how he knew she liked it and swept tiny circles around her pert little button. Sensing her body tensing, he knew she was about to shatter, and his mind flashed in momentary panic to the fact that they were not alone in his house. Relinquishing his hold on her soft breast, he brought his hand up to her face, tracing his finger along the thin line of her pouty lower lip. "Suck on that, Bones…You gotta be quiet baby."

His eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the vigor with which she pulled his finger into her warm mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip while she held on with her teeth. Imagining that was his cock sliding between her inviting lips, he quickened the pace of his strokes while pressing his agonizingly hard cock against her ass once more. Barely able to stop himself from slipping his fingers into her dripping pussy, he struggled to make her cum like he said he would…before he ever entered her that night. He was desperate to feel her walls tighten around him while she splintered, but he reminded himself that this was just the beginning…they had the whole night ahead of them. And, thankfully, his Bones was blessed with the ability to orgasm multiple times in a night, making for fun romps between the sheets whenever the mood hit them.

"Yeah, baby….that's it… you feel the pressure building now?" His voice rumbled low in his chest and vibrated into her back as he pressed against her.

Her answer to him was a moan as she sucked his finger harder and rotated her hips against his hand with enthusiasm. She reached up and grabbed her begging tits, squeezing her nipples between her own fingers.

"You ready, Bones? You ready to cum for me? You ready for me to let you shatter?"

"MMMmmmm!" Her cry was muffled by his finger, which was still lodged firmly in between her lips.

Finding the one place that he knew so well…the special spot just at the top of her clit…he swept his fingers lightly before pressing hard against her and rubbing roughly. "Cum for me, Temperance. Cum for me…"

And with that, she splintered at his touch and at his gentle order,(just like always), and sucked hard on his finger as he played with her tongue. Panting raggedly, she slumped against his expansive chest while cradling her own breasts in her hands. When Booth extracted his index finger from between her teeth, be brought his palm to her tummy and held her tenderly, pulling her back against him. He nuzzled into the soft skin of her neck and inhaled her scent deeply. "Mmm… Bones… like I said…so fuckin' sexy…"

Spanning his wide hands around her hips, he turned her to face him and she wrapped her arms around his waist as their eyes met. He smiled at the satisfied expression that danced across her angular features and filled her clear blue eyes. "Thank you, Bones…"

She looked at him quizzically. "You're thanking me? I should be thanking you, Booth…And returning the favor…" she smiled slyly as she pressed him back towards the bed once again.

Standing in place, he didn't let her move him. He cradled her face to force her to be still for a moment. "Yes, I thank you, Bones… I thank you for letting me touch you…and for being so intimate with me…" He skimmed his gaze over her face, from her eyes to her cheeks to her lips and back to her eyes. "I am so in love with you…"

"Make love to me, Booth. Make love to me tonight... Slow and intense…let's break the laws of physics, Booth." Her voice was husky from the aftermath of her orgasm, but full of emotion and open trust.

He bowed his head and captured her lips with his in a deep kiss. He felt her fingers dancing at the waistline of the tuxedo pants he still wore and he smiled into their kiss as she wrapped her fingertips around the button, popping it open in preparation of freeing him from his constraining clothing. He gently spun her around so she fell onto the bed, her knees bending over the edge, so her feet were still on the floor. He pressed her back so she would lay flat on her back and he lowered himself, squatting between her parted thighs, which were still clad in her garter belt and stockings.

"You know, Bones, these are _very_ hot…" he ran his fingertips along her inner thighs, from her knees up to the apex where they met her body, marveling at how her skin was just as soft as the stockings that were hugging her legs. He rose from his squatting position and pressed his fists into the mattress on either side of her waist as he lowered his mouth to her begging tits. As soon as his lips latched onto one nipple, she arched her back upward, pressing further into him while she wrapped her fingers into his short hair.

"Booth…" she breathed his name, unable to say anything else, unable to think of anything other than his mouth on her. "Yesss…"

He moved from breast to breast, lavishing attention equally between her nipples, nibbling as he moved. He pressed his abdomen against her core, feeling her moisture gathering once again, coating the skin of his lower stomach as he rubbed against her. Pulling up from his favorite place between her breasts, he pinned her with a heated stare, one that sent shivers through her body. With a grin, he moved slowly, trailing open kisses along her tummy and finally settling, once again, between her thighs.

Using his shoulders to widen the V of her legs, he brought his hands to her core, gently spreading her silky lips open. He sighed in deep appreciation and arousal at what he witnessed. "Bones…" he breathed against her sex as he lowered his lips for the most intimate kiss possible. Holding her inner folds open, Booth laid the flat of his tongue against her opening and licked from bottom to top, finally settling at her perky little clitoris, sucking it between his lips and teasing it with his tongue.

"Ahhh!" She surprised even herself at her sudden outcry when he suckled her nub. Grabbing a pillow from far above her head, she brought it down and covered her own face with it, trying to muffle her moans. Writhing against his face, Brennan let Booth have his way with her orally… She let him lick her the way he wanted to, she let him finger her as fast or as slow as he wanted to, she let him maneuver her legs into a position that satisfied him. And when she finally shattered for the second time that evening, with Booth's tongue deep inside her pulsing sex and his thumb circling her clit, she begged him to take her completely…

Quick to oblige the woman in his bed, Booth slid up her body, kissing her smooth skin along the way. He crawled along her prostrate length and settled his hips between her parted thighs. Moving his mouth along her jawline, he reached her gaping mouth and took control of it. Her response was immediate as she kissed him in return, eager to please him as he had her. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she lightly scraped her fingernails against his skin, eliciting an approving groan from deep within his chest.

Booth suspended his weight above her by resting his elbows on each side of her head, and when he pulled back from their kiss, he looked deep into her darkened blue eyes, noting the tiny speckles of grey and green against the blue iris that stared back at him. "Bones…" he began hesitantly, "I didn't mean to get so… I don't know… dominant over you tonight." He blushed at the recent memory of how he made her submit to him and wondered if it was something she had enjoyed. "Tonight we're celebrating; it shouldn't have been like that. I'm sorry."

Smiling back at him, she pulled him down for a kiss before she pulled away to answer. "It was perfect, Booth. I enjoyed it; and I know you did, too, which made it even better for me…" Her grin turned mischievous, "but I believe we have some unfinished business…" she swiveled her hips against his, letting him know that she was far from finished. "And I think that you need to release some of your tension…Agent Booth…" She craned her neck to reach his lips again, kissing him deeply as she gathered the momentum and caught him off guard, flipping them over, so he was now lying beneath her, as she straddled his hips. She searched his eyes for any indication of disapproval from him at the change of position, but found nothing but desire staring back at her. "How would you like to release that pent-up frustration?" She purred into his ear as she rubbed her core against his lower belly. "Would you like me to take you in my mouth? Or would you rather take me from behind? It's your call, Booth… I'm yours…completely…so tell me what you want…" She tugged his earlobe between her silky lips and hummed while she sucked gently.

Booth wrapped her hips in his large palms and pulled her weight down on him completely, finally wrapping his arms around the small of her back and spanning his hands as far as they could, covering her smooth skin with his calloused fingers. He didn't supply her with an answer to her question right away; instead, he just let the sensation of her delicious curves against his hardness wash over him. He focused on the feel of her mouth on his neck, certain that she was marking him as he had so often done to her over the past several weeks.

He didn't mind… in fact, he welcomed the evidence that he would carry on his body, proving that he was hers. He was not an idiot – he knew what the women at the Hoover thought of him…he knew that he had been on the 'secret, but not-so-secret' list of most eligible bachelors, an office pool, for several years running. And while it was just a bit of fun, he knew that if he had shown even the slightest bit of interest in any of the women who came on to him after those lists made their way around the various departments, he would have been roped into an office romance in which he _wasn't_ interested. He noticed many of those very same ladies at the banquet earlier in the evening, and saw the jealous stares they shot at his Bones while they were dancing. He observed the whispers, _and_ pointing fingers, when he stepped into the bidding war for his partner. He heard the feminine gasps when he flattened Sully for stepping a little too far over the line. But he chose to ignore all of them. He had eyes for one and only one. The one to whom he had given his heart years prior, and the same one with whom he could finally be romantically involved and not worry about his job. So, to ensure that Bones made it a good mark, one worth showing off, he tilted his head a little further to the side, exposing more skin to her hungry mouth.

When he made the slight adjustment, Brennan knew that he recognized her eagerness, and the fact that he allowed it caused her actions to become even more fervent in her quest to leave her mark upon him. _I'm wearing a ring to prove that I'm taken…what does he have to prove it?_ She thought to herself as she nipped and sucked. _It's my right… that's what Angela said, anyway…_ She had the capability of rationing even the basest instinct, making it a logical choice in her mind, thus allowing her to continue without a guilty conscience. Moving from his neck up to his ear, once she was certain he would have a prominent blue hickey that matched the perfect shape of her mouth, she whispered huskily once more. "So, Booth… you didn't answer my question…How would you like me?"

Without a word, he flipped her onto her back with a gentle grunt and smiled down at her sultry eyes. "I want you every way, Bones." He waggled his eyebrows at her, eliciting a tiny giggle that he adored. Then he grew serious, "But we have plenty of time for that… for tonight, I want to be able to look into your eyes, just like this…" And as he locked her with a loving gaze, cradled her head against one of his palms, he moved his other hand down to align himself with her.

The intensity of his deep brown eyes stilled Brennan's movements and slowed her racing heartbeat. She felt herself fall into a near trance, something that she'd never experienced before. Her hands where placed on his muscular shoulders as he suspended above her, and once her breathing had calmed to almost a natural state, she felt it…

He watched closely as she became visibly soothed. Her breathing had regulated itself back to normal, and he could see the small crooked smile that he loved so much just ghosting on her lips. Her tight grip on his shoulders relaxed, loosening to where she simply rested her hands upon him. As her eyes grew dreamy in their lost moment with each other, he made his move.

Booth rocked his hips forward and slowly entered her welcoming warmth. He hissed at the snug feeling as her walls sheathed him completely, pulling him further into her heat. He fought the urge to close his eyes and experience the sensation by touch alone, and instead his eyes remained trained on his lover below. Bones pressed her body upwards, meeting Booth's gradual pace and she threw her head further into the mattress below, causing her throat to arch, begging for his attention. But Booth didn't lower his mouth to her inviting neck; instead, he maintained his observation as he slowly pulled out from her body before pressing back into her core, pushing deep once he was sheltered inside.

Keeping his weight suspended on his left arm, resting just above her shoulder, Booth brought his right hand to her left, pulling it away from his shoulder and bringing it to his lips. He kissed her palm as he quickened his pace ever-so-slightly, and then turned her hand so he could kiss the finger that held his promise. At his movements, she opened her sea-shaded eyes and just watched him watching her. With her hand still against his lips, and his hips still pressing into hers, he spoke softly, the breath from his words dancing over the fine hairs on the back of her hand. "Marry me, Bones?"

"I will marry you, Booth…" Her answer was an intimate promise, breathed into the night, reaching his ears like the sweetest music he'd ever heard. "I will be your wife…"

He let her hand fall back to his shoulder and he cradled her head, now with both hands, as he picked up the pace even more. He thrust into her with a rhythm as old as time, and she met him at every plunge. He lowered his head finally, to the crook of her neck, knowing he was unable to last much longer. Opening his mouth against her sweet, sweat-coated skin, he tasted her completely, pulling her flesh between his lips tenderly while inhaling her scent. "I can't promise perfection, Bones…But I'll do my damnedest to make sure you're happy. Every day, Baby…Every fucking day…"

His language told her that he was getting close to crashing and she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back, effectively pulling him in closer, more completely. "You already make me happy, Booth…happier than I ever imagined possible…" Her words were spoken in pulses, in perfect timing with his thrusts. "I want to be yours completely, Booth…forever…"

She knew what she was doing… She knew that he loved her unconditionally; but she also knew that her submission to him, whether she did it emotionally or physically, would ultimately push him over the edge. He was an alpha-male through and through, and he couldn't deny that instinct. It's what made him Seeley Joseph Booth. It's what made him the man she loved. And she wanted to give herself to him, however he needed her…

"Oh God, Bones…" he groaned, recognizing what she was saying to him. "Forever… Forever, Bones…" He started driving into her harder, deeper. Reaching further than any man had ever penetrated into her reaches. His rhythm faltered slightly, losing a bit of his finesse, but he didn't let that stop him as he pounded into her with vigor.

"Yes, Booth…more… more…" She rocked against him, grinding against him, causing a delicious friction.

He knew what she wanted…what he wanted…And he refused to tumble until she did once more. He brought his hand down between their thrashing bodies and found her perky little clit and circled it quickly with the rough pad of his finger. His action brought what he was seeking as she immediately began to splinter at his touch, surrendering to his coaxing fingertips.

Booth crashed his lips to hers, swallowing her cry of ecstasy. Her sweet moans, combined with the way her silky walls milked his throbbing dick, caused him to explode in a blinding flash of light, sucking her bottom lip between his and pressing his hips against hers, rocking her through the aftershocks of her own eruption. Pulling back to look down at her, he struggled to catch his breath.

With a satisfied smirk, and a great amount of effort, Booth rolled to the side, pulling his fiancée with him, wrapping his left arm tightly around her body. He felt her sigh against his neck, where she nestled her head, and he rubbed her shoulder gently. Reaching up with his right hand, he grabbed her left where she rested it on his chest. Once again pulling it to his lips, he dropped a kiss on each knuckle before letting it fall to his cooling skin once more. Turning his lips to her forehead, he pressed another kiss there. "I love you so much, Bones…" His voice was still rough from their exertion, and it caused ripples of delayed desire to rake through her body.

"Hmmm…" she purred against his neck, "I love you too, Booth…" she raised her head and looked at him with heavy eyes. "I can't promise to get everything right, you know…This is all new territory for me, Booth. But I will do my best. _That_, I can promise."

He chuckled and jostled her gently, "Hey baby, we're _both_ going to make some mistakes…But as long as we ride out the tough times, and keep on loving each other, even if we have to agree to disagree, we'll be fine. We've been through hell and back already…We can do this."

She smiled and her eyes danced with orneriness. "Angela noticed my ring earlier, Booth…"

Waiting for her to continue, he raised an eyebrow.

"She asked me what it meant. I told her that it was a promise… and I was really proud to say that…" She smiled and looked up at his face, taking in his sharp features and olive skin. "I'm going to ask her to be my Matron of Honor…" her voice trailed off, as if she wasn't sure she should talk about that just yet…but she wasn't one to censor her thoughts when talking to Booth, so she spoke up.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less, Bones. I'm happy that you have a best friend like her."

She smiled, "_You've_ been my 'best friend' for a long time, Booth. But Angela's been my best 'female-friend'. I am very lucky to have her in my life. Just like I'm lucky to have you in my life as well." She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Are you going to ask Jared to be your Best Man?"

He remained thoughtfully quiet before answering. "No." He felt her body stiffen in surprise, but he continued. "I want Parker to stand by me. He's old enough to be my Best Man. Jared, I will ask to stand behind Parks… But I want my son at my side when I take you to be my wife, Bones." He craned to see her face and felt a swell of warmth when he noticed her smile. "Whatd'ya think?"

She rested her chin on his chest as she looked up into his soulful eyes. "I think that's brilliant, Booth. Wonderful and perfect. He will be thrilled." A crease then formed between her eyebrows. "Well, I _hope_ he will be thrilled. I know he approves of our relationship; he has made that perfectly clear. But do you think he will be alright about us actually getting _married_?"

Booth was charmed by her sincerity and concern, but knew his son well. "He'll be over the moon with excitement, Bones. I have no doubt… He's loved you like a parent for such a long time; I'm surprised he hasn't started calling you 'mom' already." He laughed softly, but grew serious as he stroked her soft cheek. "He loves you, Bones. He'll love having you as a step-mom… But he'll likely continue calling you 'Bones' because he likes that we have a special nickname for you…a name by which _no one_ else can call you. He feels pretty special about that." He stared at her for a few silent moments, trying to read her mind, but knowing that he would never be able to know everything that went on in her genius thought-processes. "Are you alright with becoming a step-mom? I mean, you'll be stepping into a ready-made family when you marry me... That's something that would scare some women…" He swallowed thickly, hoping against all odds that she wouldn't change her mind. But he knew it was something she needed to give serious thought to; and it would be better to address it now, before they got any deeper. He knew that if she wasn't ready to be a mother, then he would simply need to resign himself to remaining her 'significant other'; they would not be married.

She brought her fingertips to his cheek and brushed against the barely-there stubble. "Booth… I love Parker…as if he were my own son. I've thought of him in that way for several years now. I would give my life to protect him…just as I would any child that I bear to you in our future." Her words made him stop breathing as they enveloped him in a blanket of warmth.

"Thanks, Bones…You don't know… you can't know how much that means to me." He kissed her gently, palming her cheek as he did so. When he looked at her again, he grinned, "Thanks for helping me win tonight, Bones. I didn't like the idea of that guy dancing with you…" He laid his head back against the pillow and pulled her into his side while he pulled up the blanket. "I don't like the thoughts of _any_ other man dancing with you…putting his hands on you… but I am _especially_ opposed to men I don't know…"

Tracing light circles across his chest, she inhaled his scent, breathing in through her nose and mouth, so she could not only smell him, but taste him as well. "Mmmm…" she moaned quietly, "I couldn't see who you were bidding against. The lights were too bright in my eyes on the stage for me to be able to make out the man's features. I just knew that it sounded like the auction was going to continue much longer than I would have liked."

"Ah, it was some guy named Peters or something like that. Wendell did some snooping and said he was some big wig that got into the place along with the Secret Service. But I've got no friggin' idea who he is." His voice was nonchalant as he stroked the ivory skin of her waist and side, running his weathered hands along her body lightly.

She raised her head in question. "Richard Peters?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, then smiled at what she said… "heh… that's funny, Bones. Richard Peters…" At seeing her obvious lack of enthusiasm at the joke just waiting to happen, he frowned. "You know… _Richard_?" With a disbelieving huff, he rolled his eyes and continued. "A nick name for Richard is Dick. And slang name for a dick is peter…. So his name basically describes him to a T. He's a Dick."

"Booth – Richard Peters is the highest monetary contributing individual member of the Board of Directors for the Medico-Legal Lab. He donates more money as a single person than any other."

Confused, Booth looked down to Brennan, "I thought you were the highest contributor…?"

"No, my _Foundation_ is the highest contributing _organization_. Hodgins' family is the highest contributing _Trust Establishment_. But Peters gives more than any other _individual_. Usually in the range of hundreds of thousands throughout the year. That's how we get the equipment that we have. If that's who it was, then he could have easily outbid us, even with my additional money tossed into the ring."

"Big guy, over-weight, but a little shorter than me? Thinning hair on the top. Was surrounded by body guards who didn't take kindly to my threatening him…."

"You _threatened_ him? Booth! What did you say?" Her look was incredulous… "_Tell_ me you didn't threaten to shoot him…"

"I don't remember. I told him to back off, I know that. He said he was a big fan of yours, but I told him to forget it and to back the fuck off…But no, I did not threaten to shoot him… although I wanted to…"

"Well, your description sounds like him." She lowered her head to Booth's shoulder, but not before he saw a smirk dance across her lips. "I guess we won't have any donations from _him_ next year…"

"Aw, c'mon, Bones…. Now you're sorry that I didn't let him win so he could put his grubby paws all over you?" He craned his head to look down at her.

Brennan's smile spread wider, "Oh, no… not at all, Booth. I'm glad he heeded your warning." She rested her chin on his pec so she could once again look at his handsome face. "I am quite pleased I didn't have to dance with him. I have never actually spoken to him, though I have seen him at most of the Jeffersonian Fund Raising functions. He stares at me a lot… I don't particularly enjoy being stared at…Unless _you're_ the one doing the ogling." She nipped his chin playfully and kissed him before resettling against his chest. "He sort of…in Angela's words…creeps me out. Does that make sense?" She wasn't sure she was using the phrase correctly.

"Oh, it makes perfect sense, Bones… He creeped me out just going toe to toe with him and his goons… but I wasn't about to let him win easily…"

After several moments of silence, the pair simply enjoying being in each other's arms, Brennan craned her head once again and observed her partner through sleepy eyes. He tightened the arm around her and brought his other hand up to stroke her cheek tenderly. "Get some sleep, Bones…It's been a big day." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and rested her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Can I tell you something? It might sound stupid…"

"Of course, you can always tell me anything, Bones. Nothing you ever say sounds stupid, don't ever think that."

He felt her smile against his chest. "When I'm with you, I feel….feminine… womanly…" She sighed briefly, and then continued. "In my past, I've never felt that way with other men."

"Bones, you _are_ feminine. You _should_ feel that way…you should feel womanly, and soft," he squeezed her waist gently, "and curvaceous," he dropped his palm to her hip and rubbed the soft skin, "and beautiful," he brought his lips to her forehead, "and loved…" He pressed a lingering kiss against her ivory skin before nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"Thank you for saving me, Booth. Not just from Baker…" she rubbed her fingertip lightly over the prominent scar on his chest …"but from all of them… even from myself…" He felt the wetness of a tear reach his skin below her cheek and he encircled her with both arms, holding her tight.

Memories of close-calls didn't need to be voiced. Both minds flashed back to Booth pulling his partner from a would-be grave beneath the sands of a quarry, compliments of the Grave-digger… A battered-Booth pulling Brennan from an accident caused by a bomb delivered on behalf of Gormogon… The pair cornering Epps in her apartment on a dark night, before the convict jumped off the balcony to his death…Brennan heading to the refrigerator for a beer, only to be stopped by Booth, just before he was impacted by a bomb placed there for her – then later that night, Booth rescuing Brennan from Agent Kenton in a dark and dreary warehouse, despite his own injuries…Finally, as Brennan continued to circle the scar on her lover's chest, their minds flooded with visions of Pam Noonan aiming a gun at a singing-Brennan as Booth stepped between the women, taking the bullet himself. He tightened his arms, knowing she was thinking the same things he was.

Then, as Booth's mind wondered to the times _she_ had saved _him_, (while being tortured for information he refused to give up…while trying to escape his prison aboard a decommissioned ship destined to be blown up…while talking to cartoon characters, before anyone realized he suffered from a brain tumor…) her memories went in a different direction: Booth offering her an 'olive branch' a year after getting her drunk on tequila in order to fire her…Booth standing beside her when Michael Stires played her for a fool… Booth compromising the evidence to protect her when he came to her in New Orleans, risking his own career…Booth sitting up with her all night after they found her mother in Limbo…

_When Baker issued his challenge to Booth after kidnapping me_, she thought, _he didn't know the fire with which he was playing… 'Can you save her,' he asked…What a foolish question…_

Finally breaking the silence, Booth's raspy voice spoke softly against her hair. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Bones. I will always be there for you. I promise. You're safe with me."

**Postscript A/N**

**So, there you have it… This concludes 'Can You Save Her, Agent Booth?'. **

**After all, he **_**did**_** save her, what else is there to write about in a story called 'Can you save her…'? **

**;-)**

**It's been almost 1 year since I posted Chapter 1 of this little tale. On January 8, 2012, I put up a chapter for what I intended to be a short multi-chapter fic – perhaps 10 chapters or so. I won't lie and say I was comfortable posting the submission, because quite frankly, I was terrified. I had never written a multi-chapter piece, and I could only hope that there would be a few people out there who would read it, follow it and enjoy it. Your reviews and responses have been overwhelming, and I thank you – each and every one of you. I appreciate the encouragement and genuine offers of advice and corrections. **

**I tried to keep as true as possible to the characters in the show, though I know I strayed in places, but that is all part of the creative license we take on as FanFic writers, in order to make our story lines come to fruition. Character development is a different challenge when you're writing a character than when you're watching one on TV. Writing allows us to explore inner thoughts and insecurities that the show may not relay to viewers. Writing allows us to take some liberty with changing a course of action from that which the director and producers did on Fox. I hope that my strays didn't go too far out of the box for you. **

**While I really tried to reply to all reviews, these past few chapters has proven difficult for me to do that. With holidays, work and family functions, it was difficult to reply to everyone, and still have time to write. I hope you forgive me if I didn't respond to your review. But don't be surprised if I go back through and start saying hello to those that I missed! It just might be a few months late, that all…**

**I have plans for a sequel. **_**OF COURSE I PLAN A SEQUEL!**_** We have to see what happens now that he saved her, right!? LOL! I also have, in the making, some spin-offs, spurred on by things I touched on in this story, but which I didn't take the time to explore within its context. In addition, I have a few things running around my head which will be completely unrelated to this tale. All that said, I'll be taking a little break, I think, before posting chapter 1 of my next venture. I need to let this story work its way through my system. **

**I hope to see some familiar names reviewing when I start my next project, please save me to your favorites, so you'll be alerted once it is posted! ;-)**

**While there are many I would like to acknowledge for encouraging me, offering insight, etc, there are a handful of you who have stood out. Your reviews were consistent, exemplary and insightful, and I thank you. If you reviewed, and you're not on the list, it's nothing personal, honest. These are just a chunk of reviewers who stuck with me from the start (or joined shortly thereafter) and PM'ed me throughout with tips, thoughts, threats to my uncooperative Muse, etc. **

**Epic reviews from: Dharmamonkey, Broilthesuspect, Diko, threesquares **

**Consistent support and encouragement from: Strawberry79, MoxieGirl, Leshagen, ****ILuvBonesNDOOL, TraciM, BecksBones, ArielBrennan, Geraghtyvl, Loverofbones, BnB447, Farchester, Dyna63, EowynGoldberry, Rangers042376, Boothie05, Helluo Librorum, LJLanham, Couchpotato565, Mclure, JayBee188, Fluffybird, Nertooold54, Boneslvr38, Fandebones, Ghlover8907, Phoenix226, 1956JohnDeer50, GyMusicAddict, Silverock, Redgirlang, SchwuppDiDupsi, AlreadyBodmin, Focuspl15, Fran Brennan Roxton, Yoshimi0701, MJRojas28, Crys82, DWBBFan, Eire76, Maneu, Aiya8, Dancingfool5, Xposed59405, ****Bangelforeverandalways, HurricaneAbby, Naralanis, Jasper777, 1luvgsr, Jenny, Dovepage, Kdgteacher7, **

**Peace & love, my friends. Happy New Year. I hope that 2013 brings you everything you ever wished for. Thank you for welcoming me into the FanFiction world. You are all stars in my eyes. **

**~jazzyproz**


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